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How I got my grant approved

Written by EMMA OBRENNANPIZER

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My grant has been approved.

There are some great schemes out there but navigating through all the red tape to find one that suits is exhausting. However, I persevered, and I'm so glad I did. All the cashflow forecasting, profit and loss sheets and business plans weren't quite as tedious as I imagined. They also helped me to confront some of the less fun sides of running your own business. Unfortunately it's not all gathering inspiration and creating art.

I now have the funds in place to engrave rollers to have my wallpaper printed using traditional methods in England. This means I don't have to compromise on quality or colours and can also keep the price as reasonable as possible for my customers. Had I not been awarded the funds I would have had to print digitally. Although there is very little initial outlay it I would have had to drop any metallic inks from my designs and charged 3 times more for my finished product. Not a very appealing way to unleash my art on the world.

I'll be posting further updates on my progress here, so check back to see how my much awaited wallpaper finally comes into existence. I could not be more excited to see my vision become a reality, and I would urge any creatives out there to find ways to do the same. The opportunities are out there, you just need to put yourself in a position to find them.

 

A few tips I would offer are -

 

-Network. Join your local chamber of commerce or see what informal events are out there. Don't just go to events for artists though, connect with people who do business in other areas and could use your expertise.

-Research grants. Think outside the box, contact your local council and ask for advice. If you see a grant that doesn't quite fit, get in touch with them and find out if they know about any other schemes that you could benefit from.

-Put yourself out there. In this connected world you can use all manner of free social media platforms to spread the word about your project.

-Ask for funding. Try a crowd funding site like Kickstarter. Make a strong campaign and see what you can raise.

-Never give up and always follow your ideas through. The people who successfully run their own businesses put their heart and soul into their enterprises, and they take care of the boring tasks as well as the fun ones!

Good luck!

 

 

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