I’m not sure which feeling came first: honored or startled.
[This is only an excerpt from the full article originally published in the online Arts Coast Magazine as part of the Emerging Artist Grant Artist Stories assignment. Read the full article here: Opportunity, Inspiration, Discipline, and Anxiety Ahead]
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ICYDK this grant comes with a monetary incentive, one-on-one mentorship, a group exhibit, and the assignment to write over a dozen artist stories (like this one) – and all the unwritten benefits of such a program, e.g., being part of a creative community.
The money, the mentorship, the exposure through an exhibit, and the confidence boost; those are obvious benefits.
But this program provides us with something essential that may not be obvious to everyone: challenge! This challenge comes with specific requirements and a timeline.
Artists need to be daring, and they need to have discipline.
Doing things that feel uncomfortable and new is how we better ourselves and create exciting and meaningful artwork. The deadlines and discipline are necessary for us to get it done and our artwork and message out into the world.
While being active in the Historic Kenwood Artist Enclave, I kept hearing that it’s NOT in the artist’s nature to be organized and diligent. Even if I were to believe that, an artist must (learn to) be organized to follow through on a vision and obtain the skills and make the connections to publicize the creations and be self-sufficient financially.
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Sticking to the timeline and requirements of the Creative Pinellas Emerging Artist Grant program should help us practice discipline and grow as productive artists. These are benefits that may look like challenges and cause some anxiety. (And I anticipate some of it lifting once I’ve turned in my first writing assignment. Hah!)
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The full article is part of the assignment to write a dozen "artist stories" during the 2024 Creative Pinellas Emerging Artist Grant cycle. Check out all of my Creative Pinellas Arts Coast Magazine articles.
