How I Spent £9,983

A warm welcome to all new subscribers, and a welcome back to those returning.

If you are new to ARTiculate, I’m Saziso (some people call me Saz). I’m a curator, cultural programmer and creative mentor. You can learn more about me and my work by visiting my website via the link below.

ARTiculate is something I make on my own, and it’s free of charge for anyone to subscribe to and read. If you ever feel moved to support it, you can donate through Ko-fi or PayPal, for as little as the average price of a coffee in the UK. Since December, readers have generously donated the equivalent of 79 cups of coffee across Ko-Fi and PayPal combined, and I’m genuinely so grateful. Your support means a lot and helps me keep creating this means of support for artists. Thank you!

What You’ll Find in This Issue

1. Why I Applied For DYCP Funding

2. How I Spent My DYCP Money

3. Original Budget vs Final Spending Breakdown

4. How I Can Support You With DYCP

5. Final Thoughts

We’re now one week into the current round of Arts Council England’s Developing Your Creative Practice (DYCP) fund, which opened on Thursday 24th April. It offers up to £12,000 (plus access costs) to support artists and arts workers in developing new projects and taking their practice to the next stage. It’s not just for artists – curators, producers, technicians, and other arts professionals can apply too. Click here to access the eligibility criteria.

Applications for this round of DYCP funding close at midday on Thursday 22nd May.

Why I Applied For DYCP Funding

I first considered applying for a DYCP grant back in 2018, but ended up backing out on deadline day. And then, I kept delaying putting in an application round after round. I was initially interested in putting in an application to work on my writing practice. In 2022, I finally submitted an application and was successful, but it was for something completely different.

Here is what I wrote in my application (pasted directly, typos not amended):

During the lockdowns, I was working on a couple of freelance projects with organisations, and was expected to plan and produce exhibitions whilst working remotely and with limited or no access to physical spaces. Traditionally I have alway planned in situ getting aquatinted with the physical space. I also had close access to artist's work in person, which made it easier to visually plan. During the restrictive period I struggled to to plan exhibitions remotely, not having the skills and knowledge to draw up realistic 3D drawings which would allow me plan efficiently whilst also being experimental. I realise that in order to continue working sustainably efficiently and ambitiously as a curator and producer in the visual arts, these skills are vital, lockdown or no lockdown. I can put more of my own vision and work to a higher quality, along with the confidence to take more risks and I believe that gaining the technical and design skills throughout this development is the foundation for this. Having the funds to access the relevant software, equipment, and funds for mentorship would be a catalyst for this development. As well as continue to work as a curator and producer, these skill would also allow me the opportunity of offering an additional service of exhibition design and technical planning for other people's projects, creating new partnerships and networks.

As DYCP awards are funded through taxpayer’s money, and with the awardees, their project titles and grant amounts made publicly available, I believe it's important to be transparent about how that funding is used. Below, I’ve outlined how I spent the grant I received.

How I Spent My DYCP Money

1. Paying Myself to Learn

• 1-2 days per week for 6 months

• Total: £3,463

I initially budgeted £5,000, however some of this ended up being used to cover some overspend on hardware, as you’ll see further below, and so I did reduce some of the planned days I spent in the studio.

This time allowed me to focus on developing new skills and working on design projects without worrying about having to cover my income for 1-2 days per week. I spent time learning from free online tutorials, doing online courses and the homework set, as well as visiting ambitious exhibitions for inspiration.

2. Mentorship

• 1:1 sessions with a professional in exhibition production

• Total: £500

I initially budgeted for around 3 individual sessions, totalling £750. The sessions ended up being spread out, more or less to the equivalent of 2 days — some of the time, during exhibition install periods shadowing their process, and where the person would guide me through in realtime, rather than two straight 1:1 sessions as initially planned. It felt more practical and was a better use of time.

3. Software

• SketchUp (1-year subscription) – £294

• Adobe Creative Suite (1-year subscription) – £596

• Total: £890

SketchUp became my main drawing tool, which I learned how to use through free tutorials. It was a little bit more expensive than what it was when I wrote my application (£6 more), which I covered from what I paid myself. Adobe Creative Suite enabled me to produce refined visuals and video walkthroughs of my designs. I also brushed up on some of my skills, mainly Photoshop and Premiere Pro. I used the Adobe subscription for my everyday work too.

4. Courses

• NODE Center for Curatorial Studies Courses

  1. Exhibition Design – £124

  2. Interactive Exhibition Design – £124

• Total: £248

I completed these 2 courses separately, with a couple of months between each. Sessions were live online, and also recorded for us to return to (I can still access recordings today) and each course included weekly tasks, project development, and a certificate upon completion.

My initial plan had been to arrange at least two 1:1 sessions with specialist exhibition designers. However, after receiving the funding, I came across these courses, which seemed like a better investment. They offered more time and structured learning at my own pace, and were more cost-effective than 1:1 sessions, and ultimately helped offset some of the overspending in other areas.

5. Hardware

• MacBook Pro (M1, 2021) – £1,763

• Apple Studio Display – £1,499

• Total: £3,262

My old MacBook Pro, which was nearly a decade old, was on its last legs. It had limited storage and wasn’t capable of running the software I needed or supporting the way I wanted to work. I had originally budgeted to buy an iMac in my application, but I chose a MacBook Pro instead because it offered more flexibility, especially when working remotely or travelling. To ensure I had a large-screen workspace I rely on for design work, I purchased a Studio Display monitor.

6. Workspace

• Co-working space: £270/month (incl. VAT) for 5 months

• Total: £1,620

At the time of writing my application, I budgeted £200/month for a studio where I was already in residence. Come the grant, the studio could no longer offer a 24/7 access, due to exciting changes it made to its business model of becoming an event space during evenings and weekends. This placed a restriction on flexibility according to my plans, so I moved into a co-working space that offered more flexibility, focus and space without compromising my set up. I covered the extra cost of £70 per month from what was set aside to pay myself.

Original Budget vs Final Spending Breakdown

I went slightly over my initial £9,983 budget, exceeding it by just over £40. I covered this from what I had to pay myself. I explained expenditure changes in my Activity Report to Arts Council England at the ned of my DYCP period.

The additional expense was a necessary investment to future-proof my setup and ensure I had the right tools to develop independently. Spending a little more on hardware has proved to be a worthwhile investment as these are tools I use daily in my practice.

How I Can Support You

If you are looking to apply for DYCP funding, or other funding under £20,000, many be able to help through 1:1 tailored support which could be:

• A 1-hour call to talk through your idea and help shape your approach

• Feedback on your application draft before you submit (by 16th May latest)

These services are available on a donation basis. Email me to enquire.

Additional Resources

Final Thoughts

What I appreciate the most about DYCP is that you do not have to have a whole finished project. It’s about investing in taking your practice to the next stage, with room for experimentation and mistakes. Looking back on my application, I realised that I overcommitted in order to sound good to get the funds, but during the process, I realised my capacity. There was room to pivot — especially with my budget as you can see! Now that’s not to say wing it — definitely do your best to make things as structured as you can, because these are your plans at the end of the day, and the person who is assessing your application will want to see that you are serious.

In my next post, I’ll share some of the things I would do differently if I applied for this again, and which will hopefully help you with some of the decisions you might be unsure about as you do your own application — or perhaps help you in order to pursue an application.

If you have made it this far, thank you for reading. If you know anyone who you think would benefit form these newsletters, forward this to them, and encourage them to subscribe.