Mx.D.P

I’m having a shit winter; I have done nothing but write funding statements, blogs, proposals, and reports (this is not totally true, but it does feel like it at times)… FFS!… is this the life of an artist…

Well, yes and no, if you want to save the Earth, probably… and for any artist to do the fun stuff, you have to put the slog in… nobody tells you that in the sticking and glueing class when you are 5, ‘hay kid you are enjoying art, well its bloody hard work.’

When I step back and see what has actually happened, it is amazing, and I know all the writing is worth it, even if you don’t feel it at first.

I didn’t get the immersive art R&D funding; there were a thousand applications to the R&D strand alone, so it was always a shot in the dark. I am slightly relieved because it would have had to be delivered before August this year, and although I love a challenge, I think even I would have experienced a ground rush on that. It did give me the opportunity to put into words my ideas for the digital-cruise-portal and inform every re-write of my PhD proposal, refining the ideas for the Network.

I am in the feedback metrics for the Gwyl Cariad festival, and my fellow Big Wave folks are getting anxious that we won’t get enough feedback. My thoughts are we should have sent out the surveys during the festival. This year, that just wouldn’t have happened, and it is a pilot, after all. They will be ready for next year. The artists are having a gathering on the 16th, so I am hoping that might elicit more responses, but artists don’t really like paperwork, do we! As I will be at the low-res, it will be down to Sally and Jess to cajole them…

I’ve just completed the third rewrite of the climate conversation project report for the National Assembly. This was just removing pictures of people at the workshops, as that’s against government GDPR.

Their reply was, ‘The Welsh Government will be analysing using these incredible reports to allow them to understand the levels of concern amongst the general public about climate change. The evidence gathered will used to deepen the Welsh Government’s understanding on the risks posed to different groups, including whether people have the knowledge, resources and support needed to build on successful place-based solutions already being delivered within our communities.’

I think its fair to say we are not ready for climate chaos…