Receiving the fellowship was a turning point in my life both personally and creatively. The week after I mainly felt two things; a giddy excitement at the recognition and future possibilities, and a confidence to take steps towards those possibilities.
Shortly after I quit my nightlife job of 6 years, a job I initially took to support my creative practice that often ended up overtaking it. The freedom that followed was huge, the restructuring of my life mammoth but fulfilling. I used part of the money to rent a studio in Manchester that then became my de facto ‘office’. When talking to people about how the fellowship changed things, and how becoming a full time musician changed things I used this concrete example: My first full-length project took me 4 years to complete in the midst of full-time nightlife employment, 2023 saw me complete 2 full-length projects and an EP, one of those full-length projects releasing this year on the label that I was aiming to end up on 10 years down the line.
The space and time the fellowship afforded me allowed me to build routine, habits and practices that are extremely difficult on zero hours contracts, allowed me to interact with my work in a healthier way and gave me permission, regardless of whether I used it or not, to take breaks. My relationship now with my work is much healthier, it no longer feels like this light at the end of the tunnel I have to stretch myself to reach in order to leave behind a dead end job, but a practice and a part of me I can nurture and share willingly. I have been able to say no to much more and to say yes to things I normally couldn’t.
The equipment the fellowship has afforded me has also been incredibly useful, forming an important part of my workflow for forthcoming projects and allowing me to diversify my skills into djing, another avenue for my self-expression and growth. I’m hoping that DJ bookings will increase over time, allowing me more time to refine my live shows and make them more special. Generally speaking it stopped financial concerns being a super limiting factor in the directions I wanted to go in, I was allowed to follow my nose and, although still being careful with the money, allow myself to musically and technically explore things I wouldn’t have otherwise.
It also funded the music videos that came out in 2023, Black Gold (link) & Wounded Coogi (link) that came alongside the release of ‘Not a Dream but a Controlled Explosion’, giving the project a reach it otherwise wouldn’t have achieved.
The reserves the funding has given me has also allowed me to save incoming money from shows and commissions to then reinvest in my career so the money allocated to supporting my music has been able to remain a little more constant, replenishing itself as it goes with new incomings, giving me a much more stable base from which to work. Having a big idea or a big project is now a lot less scary because the basis of funds I’d need has been maintained through the last year, giving me a stability I wouldn’t have otherwise had.
My main plans for this year are the release of one album and the production of another, alongside touring, performance pieces and other work happening concurrently. I am planning on using the remaining funds to create more video work that straddles the border between music & performance art, supporting the music I release this year and experimenting with ice as a medium in performance/video art.