Category
lessons learned
Reflections on a DIY approach to addressing the access needs of neurodiverse artists In August 2016, I published a simple “ACE cheatsheet” that I had developed to help make sense of the Arts Council England’s Grants For The Arts application… Continue Reading →
Behind-the-scenes planning for LOW PROFILE’s upcoming crowdfunder – Who is part of your crowdfunding ‘crowd’? Who wants you (and your projects) to succeed?
What is coaching? What is it like to work with a coach? What is the difference between a coach & a mentor? Some reflections on learning how to coach with RD1st Relational Dynamics techniques…
Exploring ideas on how Plymouth Art Weekender (PAW) could develop further for future weekenders by reflecting on my experiences this year (2016). What is Plymouth Art Weekender’s role in nurturing the city’s visual arts eco system?
A series of articles reflecting on Social Making: Socially Engaged Practice Now & Next, organised by Plymouth-based social makers Take A Part – focussing on the methodologies employed by a range of socially engaged practitioners operating in the UK (and further afield) and the human scale impacts of chosen case studies.
How can communities and artists work together to achieve empowerment? Reflecting on Take A Part’s Social Making: Socially Engaged Practice Now & Next, read a series of ‘take home’ points for artists & organisations working in socially engaged practice.
How do artists, organisations & funders measure success in relation to socially engaged practice? Reflecting on Take A Part’s Social Making: Socially Engaged Practice Now & Next, read how researchers have teamed up with Situations to develop a new Visual Matrix methodology and what action points project creators need to consider.
Why is it ESSENTIAL to think carefully about succession in arts & community projects? Reflecting on Take A Part’s Social Making: Socially Engaged Practice Now & Next, read how successful socially engaged arts projects have managed the process and what action points project creators need to consider.
Read my recent provocation on Open Education and how digital platforms can enable improved community learning and development for Digital Plymouth Conference 2016. It’s sparked lots of conversation since the event!!
Here are 2 useful documents that could revolutionise writing your ACE Grants for the Arts applications!!! A handy ‘overview’ document (for brainstorming / planning / tracking progress) and a set of the current questions, colour coded to use with the overview to write your drafts on… You can thank me later!
Over the last few months, I have been supporting a number of neurodiverse artists to make ACE Grants For The Arts applications. As someone who is relatively neurotypical, this has made me increasingly aware of the problematic nature of application processes / systems of gatekeeping put in place to select which arts projects receive funding. Here’s my first attempt to write about some of the things I have learned…
Here’s a quick run-down of really important things your crowdfunding project needs to communicate to potential backers
I never thought I’d go to a boardgames convention. I am a complete nerd for lots of things… learning stuff, cover versions, stand-up comedy, weird electronic things that make strange noises, wikipedia, other people’s obsession with survivalism… but I don’t… Continue Reading →
In December 2014, I decided to set up a brand new Meetup group for people to come together to play boardgames in Plymouth. After a little looking and asking around, I was finding it difficult to find existing groups of… Continue Reading →
Over the last 2 years, I have worked on 2 successful Kickstarter campaigns (Cornish Smuggler & Waggle Dance, raising over £50,000 in total) with Grublin Games (an indie boardgame publisher based in Cornwall) which has involved a fair amount of research into different approaches to using Kickstarter. In that time, it has also become more usual for artists and arts organisations to use crowdfunding as a way to raise money for their projects.
As an artist, what are your challenges when getting your work to an interested audience?
What is the established distribution model for the types of work you are interested in making?
How can you use a crowdfunding platform to by-pass that distribution model to reach an audience that would be interested in your work?
Your Project Rewards shouldn’t be an afterthought – they can actually be a way to form your project.
How can you think about the exchange value of what you are generating through the project and approach this creatively to give your campaign a better chance of success?
In the most successful boardgame projects, there is an on-going conversation between the project creators and backers, and between backers from around the world. The sense of temporary community generated through this conversation creates an engaged community of interest and can be exciting to be involved in.
What are artists missing out on by ignoring the potential of conversation in their crowdfunded projects?
What does it mean for a ‘crowd’ to fund your project?
What makes your project, its outcomes and rewards interesting, unique, novel and different?
How can you avoid becoming ‘just another’ crowdfunding campaign?
How are you going to break down the timeline for your project into separate stages?
Will your timescale be realistic?
Will you actually be able to deliver your rewards?
What are the other benefits of running a Kickstarter campaign?
Would you like to give a worldwide exposure to your work, make new professional connections and find new audiences?
How can you give your project life after the Kickstarter campaign?
What do you need to consider when making an ‘exit strategy’ for your project?
What do you do after it’s all over?
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