Granted

In September I told you some things I learned while writing my first grant application. Today I received word that I did in fact receive funding based on that application. I wasn't granted the full amount I asked for but the amount I received is significant enough to really help me take a step forward with this specific project and my photography at large.

After I sent my grant application in I took a hard, critical look at all the materials I had included with my application packet. I tried to review the packet as objectively as I could. In doing so I realized that my sample works were far, far weaker than I would have liked them to have been and that the structure of my project still needs to be edited and fine tuned a bit. I considered those two issues to be large problems that it in all likelihood would prevent me from receiving the grant.That is to say I was completely certain I would not be receiving the grant. So I was of course overjoyed but also genuinely surprised when I received the letter from the foundation today.

There are several layers to my joy. The first, obviously, is that a committee of strangers reviewed my work, my descriptions, my letters of recommendation, etc and came to the conclusion that my work is worthy of their foundation's financial support. Naturally that is a bit of an ego boost (imagine me channeling Sally Field's "You like me" speech). On another level though it makes me feel so good to have some confirmation that this thing, this making art and making a life outside of the usual or even expected path is possible. It's also small bit of validation for those of us who came to our art a bit later in life than others or who took different paths to find our way to this spot, this place, this way of being in our lives.

This is a bit more touchy-feely than I'm normally comfortable being but please indulge me and allow me to say that if you're one of us, one who knows the corporate path, the 9-5 path or any of the other expected paths isn't for you have faith that you can make a different kind of life. It will not always be easy, in fact its rather hard and can be quite stressful a lot of the time, but it is so worth it. It's worth it every single day.