Grant Happy

I'm whipping up two grants that are due Friday - one for Manitoba Arts Council (screenwriting) and one for Canada Council (new media). For both I am what is called an "emerging artist" - someone who has had some training and done some projects, but is not yet a Professional. Can I just say how much I LOVE and appreciate Canada's support of the arts? In the States, if you are very lucky and very definitely a professional, you might be able to get some funding, but I've never heard of funding for new artists.

I might be one of the few people who enjoys writing grants. Completing the forms and writing the essays forces me to articulate what it is I want to do, why I want to do it, and why I think it's worth doing. It also forces/allows me to define myself as an Artist, and to describe all the projects and training I've been working on - giving me an opportunity to see how far I've come in the last 2-3 years. Plus, it makes me focus - I've now done research and written an outline for a feature-length film that was before just a scribble of an idea. And whether or not I get the funding, now that I have the Plans mapped out more fully, I will make these projects happen!

In other exciting news, this afternoon I transferred the DV tape from the lab (they developed it from the 16mm and put it on digital tape) to my portable hard drive to bring home - I might have to not load it up here until those applications are done or near done - I'm totally pumped to get into the editing process - watching the footage in real time really got me thinking about what shots I want to use where. It's all gorgeous, thanks to my crew and cast!