a bastian of darts will encourage the dart player to “beat up” his opponent. the summariser of a 6 nations rugby match will say the same.
a policeman when talking of the qualities needed in volunteer stewards at a public event will say “robustness”.
a racer in the motogp series will speak of good set up, good feel and good rythymn to achieve their best time on track.
and what of the artist ?
three years ago the process of applying to the arts council for funds to complete a project was little known to me. i’ve done that particlular lap once now and have a base setting on which to attempt another.
in beginning of the second, i know that i need to consider risk, time, people, me, and most importantly what’s it all about…?
in pre-planning my application, what language to i adopt? i’ll need to speak with nearly 10 people in completing it. all of them different. i want to use some sort of race track analogy but that’s taking that particular one a little too far. it’s simply that i know that the more people i can talk to the broader my outlook about the project.
the important thing is that i prepare myself fully in what the project is and why i’m attempting it, although why i’m attempting it isn’t really one of the questions i’ll be faced with. it’s not like i’m applying for a position on an ma.
my language choice in conversations will be varied and i recognise that part of the skill required is to be able to understand many langauges when making the application.
from a practical point of view i’m tracking the date 114 days from today’s date and starting to collate the evidence, schedule and funding requirements for the project.
second time round, the process of compiling all the information is still daunting but it’s so much easier than the first time.
i approach a period of emailing, appointment making and talks.
and finally another note to self : be robust in my belief about myself and not beat myself up when i get tired and it all feels too much. take time to set the project up well and this will lead to a good feeling .
i so love sport for it’s language.
