Earlier this month, I received an invitation to be an artist in residency at the Arteles Creative
Center for April 2013. The
program is located in Haukijärvi village, which is part of the countryside city
of Hämeenkyrö in Finland.
So excited about this program and the opportunity to spend an entire month
away from the usual distractions, focusing solely on creating artwork. For too
long my work been second to my job and my social life and so forth, and the
content, execution and quantity has therefore suffered. I really look forward
to making a more serious inquiry into my own work while cloistered away in this rural artists’
community in Scandinavia!
The flight, program fees, and other expenses (food, studio materials, a new passport, etc.) are reasonable but my no means cheap, so I've been searching for grants and am also considering making a Kickstarter. I wasn't keen on the idea at first; seems strange to appeal to friends, family and strangers for their financial support on a personal project, but finding adequate grant funding in time is looking dubious. VisArts has already agreed to hold my job for me, which is wonderful, so there's no reason I should let this chance slip away. If I do indeed make a Kickstarter, I'll post details about it on my blog and Facebook.
More information about the Arteles program here. (Artists friends,
applications for the second half of the year are open now.) Wish me luck on
getting my sh*t together in the next couple months, and if you have any advice
or sage remarks, please feel free to contact me!
UPDATE 1/17: A former roommate found my passport (!!!). Still valid; still a terrible picture; still stoked! One more thing off my checklist. I am going to work on making a Kickstarter to help cover out-of-pocket expenses. Hopefully it will be successful. I'm trying not to worry about the financial impact of the residency and a month out of work-- I do have a feeling it will work out somehow and be a very positive experience.
More later!
More later!
congratulations Kristy, this sound like an incredible opportunity for you!
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