I’m just driving to the day job as I dictate this to you, and I wish you a really incredible morning. I don’t know what I’m talking about. Hope you’re alright.
This week it’s been a lot of activity. We’ve got the secret event coming up this week, and I’ll tell you more about that next week. So that’s just a little non-interesting kind of teaser, but you’ll know more next week on that.
Jackson’s again
I’ve applied for loads of open calls, and I can’t remember which ones.
I have applied to Jackson’s again, Jackson’s Art Prize. I got to the long list. I don’t know why they have a long list and a short list. Just bloody do it all at once.
I put in the five paintings, and that was £20. I’ll put the link below and you can apply for that if you want.
Jackson’s Art Prize 2027: how to enter
So £20, I’ve put five pieces in. Enter four, get one free. It’s a little bit of a bargain, but I’d rather not pay anything, as I said last week. It's a bit annoying you have to pay for things, but it's just the way it is.
Screen printing at 18
I applied for quite a few others. I applied for an Arts Council fund. Not the Developing Your Creative Practice one, as that’s closed until next year. There’s another one, National Lottery fund I think it is.
That will include some paid time off and some development plans, like printmaking mentorship. It’s always something I wanted to try.
Screen printing, you know, where you drag the squeegee thing across the screen and it prints on the page. That's the one. It's something I've always wanted to do.
And funny enough, a boring fact for you: I did loads and loads of screen printing when I was 18, but not in a creative way.
We would print Nokia logos on boxes, like wooden crates. That's what it was all day, loading up the print screen, printing these wooden panels to go on boxes.
There was a bit of an art to it. I found it a little bit interesting, because it was still somewhat art related, or design or graphics or whatever.
I wasn't there that long. I can't remember what happened actually. Probably got fired.
That's part of it. Another part of it is going to see outsider art institutions in Paris. You can have development trips. I know it sounds like a bit of a jolly, but it's an art related jolly.
And then what else? I can't remember what else, but I'll see if I can find the ones I applied for and I'll share them below, so you can have a go yourself.
All go
All the salon entries are in, and there's some fantastic work in there. I'm going to go through that and then pick out the artists for the show. So it's all go, go, go.
But it's all good fun. I just want to get out of my day job. This is what this is all about.
I've been trying to do it for years. I don't know if it's the older you get, but it kind of feels more like a trap. Not to be dramatic.
You get more responsibilities as you get older, usually, and then it’s harder to get out of that by replacing it with an artist income.
I know a lot of that has to do with mindset and believing in yourself. But I know deep down I'll get there. I just got to keep going.
I'm looking at other jobs as well, applying for techy roles in art institutions. I saw one at the British Museum, which I applied for, and somewhere else I can't remember. But I'll get there.
If I can get a higher salary for a techy job and then save that, that's all going to help, isn't it? But no, it's all good. We'll get there, like I keep saying. Hopefully.
Too intricate
What else has been going on? I didn't make the cut for the lantern open call, to make these willow lanterns. I didn't get in because my design was too intricate for a first try. Which is fine, I thought I'd give it a go.
Each year there's this winter fest, I think it is, where they've got these lanterns that local artists make and then display for the public.
It's a really great idea, paying artists to do these lanterns. If you don't have the skills for it, they give you the training. This is part of the culture collective that have supported us with the studio.
I got invited to go and give it a go at the workshop. I can't find the time for it, so unfortunately I'm not going to be able to do that. But that's all good. I look forward to seeing the lanterns come out.
The 4th of December
Next is preparing for the salon show, and trying my best to be a bit more organised. I've done enough shows now that I can get ahead of the game early and hang the work early.
If you're about, come along on the 4th of December, 7 to 9pm.
It's worth flying from all over the world to come and see it. So if you've got loads of money, just book a flight and come and stay in one of our many three-star hotels. I don't think we have any fives, unfortunately. But three is good. It's better than one, isn't it?
Long form
What else? I can't think what else I've been up to. Just more plodding away on the video stuff.
I've got a mount in my car for recording videos, to hold my phone. So I've started, well, I've done one already, recording different topics. Longer form videos, as they call them.
I've got my shorts going out every day, from previous artwork and little snippets from interviews and all that. And then I've got the longer ones where I'm just chatting on camera. A bit like this really, but on camera.
It's something that I start and stop. But the thing is, my channel is still there and it builds up over time.
I've got 840 subscribers now. Subscribers don't mean as much these days, but I want to get over the 1,000 mark, because you can get monetised for ads on your videos.
As annoying as they are, I put ads on the start of my videos, and then you get a tiny bit. I can't remember how much. A couple of quid for a thousand views or something. It all helps, doesn't it? So I'm just sharing what's going on there.
I won't put the video in this Substack, but I'll put a link to it if you want to watch it later.
It's a start
I haven't done any painting this week, but I've done a little bit of drawing for my other secret project, which I might reveal one day.
No more commissions or sales. So far I've got one t-shirt sold, two commissions sold and one print sold.
So, I mean, it's a start, isn't it? It's something, and we all got to start somewhere.
I think I'll leave it there today. Still plodding along.
So I want you to keep making art wherever you are. And I will too. Have the best day.
The paintings live at slart.me. Have a look if you want to see the work up close.
Over and out, and I'll speak to you later.
What I've Applied For Since Last Week
Jackson's Art Prize 2027, five paintings for £20, open until 10 February
Hand Me Down at No Limits Gallery, London, five works from Memento Vivere, free to apply, closes 12 November
Arch Enemy Arts 2027 Open Call, Philadelphia, See You at 10:10, closes 13 November
If/Then: Chance and Creativity, Ritual, Four Hours in Text, now closed
Art in Manufacturing 2027, National Festival of Making, with Crown Paints and Fox's Burton's, free to apply, closes 23 November
Arts Council England Project Grant for my project Spare Parts
All still waiting to hear back. If any of these suit you, have a go.
SLART.