FUNd Club is starting this summer on Monday 15 July!
What is FUNd Club?
Taking on an Arts Council application can be daunting.
Across 3 friendly sessions in July and August 2024, Tessa will show you how to breakdown and glow up your DYCP application for the Summer round.
FUNd Club will focus on how to finance your creative projects and how to make the most out of the application for yourself and your practice
Drawing on examples of successfully funded artists, Tessa will share the benefits of applying for DYCP - not just for your bank balance, but also your well-being and flourishing as an artist.
With the opportunity to network with other creatives, you’re likely to find all the support you need for your next big bid.
What fund club will cover
Mon 15 July, 5pm - Intro to the Art’s Council's Develop Your Creative Practice (DYCP) funding stream and how to get started with the application.
Mon 29 July, 5pm - How to answer part 1 (toot your horn), part 2 (the Action Plan), and part 3 (what's my BIG DREAM?!)
Mon 12 Aug, 5pm - Bringing it all together (Reference letters, supporting information, uploading to Grantium).
And celebrate!
Sessions will be 1 hour on google meet.
Why is Tessa running FUNd Club?
As an Arts Council Support Worker, and recipient of many streams of free-stuff since starting her children’s book illustration career in 2018, Tessa has first-hand experience of how partnering on proposals has the greatest chance of success.
With a 50:50 success rate on supported applications, over £100,000 of funding secured for artists, her own successful DYCP application in the bag, lots of loving encouragement, and the odd friendly kick off the creativity cliff, she's ready and raring to bring your arty dreams to life.
Plus all that concise report writing she did back in her PwC days had to be useful for something!
Tessa loves being around people who want to invest in an ambitious creative life, and dare to put themselves out there to make their dreams come true.
How did DYCP benefit me?
I was granted DYCP funding in January 2021 to turn my self-published one-woman-band book illustration practice into a collaborative effort making more expressive art.
Although ACE doesn’t fund higher education, DYCP prepared me to apply for my MA in Children’s Book Illustration, something I'd never have dared to do without funded time to improve my drawing practice.
A writing critique group helped edit the text for my third book (about giraffes creating bikes together!). And I had time to enter work competitions resulting in winning runner up for the Stratford Salariya picture book prize in 2021.
A magical week at the Cambridge School of Art Picture Book summer school and weekly life drawing classes took my artwork to the next level.
But the main gift it gave me was community. A gift that keeps on giving.
What are the rules of Fund Club?
1. No moaning.
2. Big creative dreams only.
3. Though shalt toot thy own horn. Hard.
4. Apply ONLY if you'll be just as delighted if you don't win the money.
5. Leave your insecurities at the door. They are not welcome.
6. Ask admin and process questions to the Art's Council online chat team.
7. Get scared and do it anyway.
What is dycp about?
Develop Your Creative Practice (DYCP) is the Art's Council's fund for artists wanting to go to the next level!
ACE fund time to focus on your own creative development.
It's about claiming time for courses, trips, resesrch, mentoring, community building, experimenting, reflecting, and anthing else that will benefit your practice.
DYCP is wonderfully selfish. It's about helping you take a big leap into your next creative dream. The Art's Council wants to nurture a country of high calibre creative individuals, and they recognise that this requires periods of funded develoment.
