Very, very

There is some very very exciting news to announce and some equally as exciting news in the pipeline! Ultimately this blog is a bit of farce as I can’t announce the 2 x very exciting things yet. Please do stay tuned to @ymmv2020 on Facebook and Twitter - It is going to be huge, building upon the brilliant work we completed earlier this year with Exeter Northcott The Time is Now commission. We received loads of lovely comments on LifeInSuspension and although that ‘chapter’ is stored safely in our past projects folder, the inspiration, essence and community spirit feeds my ongoing practice. Did I say I have got some exciting news?

The feeling of suspension, not knowing, waiting for news - good or bad, being let down, being picked up and hanging around is as strong for me now as it has been for the whole year. I reflected within my own body and practice, just how exhausting the first lockdown was and I think I need a reminder of just how tiring things are still. For me there’s no lack of enthusiasm, inspiration or initial energy to create and subvert but my stamina is definitely changing - I think that’s OK. I need to let my practice reflect this and create/shape ideas that reflect my reality now. In this tension of digitisation, big data, needing to be online and be part of the noise versus a genuine human need to connect and reconnect is part of the discourse of my practice. There is extraordinary work happening in local communities to support families through this mad landscape. I am eternally grateful and want my creative output to reflect the continuous support from the likes of: Doorstep Arts, Sound Communities and What’s Next. I have also been part of inspiring national conversations and projects like Tempting Failure’s The Dressing Room programme - twice a month I get an opportunity to see how creative and free thinkers are embracing Zoom and allowing their practice to evolve with the landscape without losing their own unique elements of performance. These workshops are opening discussions and concluding with practice shifting ideas around workshops, applied practice and participation. There is an ever increasing need to get back into the workshop space or public sphere, but not to the detriment of our health, participants and workshop leaders alike.

Have you tried running a workshop on Zoom yet? Have you tried asking participants to turn off their cameras? Have you tried using the chat function as not a side show or something apart from the workshop, but as an integral tool of engagement? Having the space to debate applied practices is contagious or even addictive and I yearn for the opportunity to plan, run and reflect a workshop within the community.

And without knowing it this impulse to want to apply has fed into the ongoing pipeline work - which I am allowed to announce. As I am writing this, Ash from The Uncultured is cyphering through a myriad of my ideas and thoughts to put together a comprehensive ACE application. That’s right, a year on from the YMMV tour we are boldly plunging into the ACE under 15k grant portal. It is great that ACE sees the need to diversify the artists who are applying for their support and offers access funds for disabled artists to apply. I was granted 5 days from ACE for physical support (and emotional - the Grantium tests every resolve an independent artist has) to negotiate, budget, narrate, detail, repeat buzz words, stay within character count and complete the epic journey that is an ACE project grant application.

We’re getting there, together with the crack team of Nat, Jen, Ash and myself we are… well, cracking it!!

Their main job to start with, was to tell me to stop overcomplicating it. This was a tough job for all involved!! Even with ACE publishing new guidelines and reacting to the pandemic with the supporting offer and the access support, it still takes a lot of confidence and conviction to not fall into the trap of trying to tick every box. It is essential to keep the essence of your practice - audience engagement for audience engagement’s sake falls flat on it’s face, even for the most inspirational idea. Through gentle probing and confidence building I have taken on board the advice from Nat, Jen and Ash to go back to what matters and to take my process on an extraordinary journey, inviting ACE along with me. The need for a final show has been substituted with quality R&D time and engagement can be gained through workshopping and facilitation of our workshopees development, rather than bums on seats - less on the quantity but far deeper on the quality and level of engagement. Yes, ACE demand a lot of information and a degree of application language, but fundamentally they want to support diverse voices to engage communities, to create new work and to allow culture to shine.

In this moment, participatory work is itching to escape the confines of Covid. Our Torbay community is moving mountains to remain connected and creative and to continue to engage with our young and old alike. I have to have a practice to apply and that is where the funders come in, but when a synergy between workshops and process can be exploited, that is when you see the true power of the arts.