AN IDEA WHERE

I NEED YOUR HELP

An Artist Walk.

John O Groats to Fort William

REACHING OUT

I am asking you to help me because right now, to be honest, I don’t quite know what I am doing or where to approach. So I am asking you, people I trust, to gently give me guidance and point me in the right directions.

I have an idea that I really want to do and basically I don’t want to get it wrong. Like most people I would like to see my idea, my little dream, succeed. So it seems sensible to ask for help.

I have been looking into applying for an Open Fund Grant from the Scottish Arts Council. On investigation into this it seems that any proposal would be more likely to be successful if I had other partners that would willing to also invest in the project.

This is particularly where I am asking for your help. I am reaching out to you because I believe that you have an understanding of how to acquire funding. Indeed you probably have a much better idea of how to write the proposals in the first place. If you would be will to help me in any way, that would be amazing.

Below in brief is my idea, please take time to read it and to let me know if you know of anywhere that think I can approach to secure funding in the first place that will help support my overall application for an Open Art Fund from the Scottish Arts Council.

To note, I am not a charity and although I hope to create a community through my project it will not cover just one physical community such as a council area but instead will pass through many on route. This, is where, I am finding difficulty in knowing who to approach.

All help, any help is welcome.

THANK YOU

THE IDEA

An Artists Walk

To Walk Home

  • The Walk

    Over a period of 2 years to walk home, slowly, in stages, to where I grew up - Fort William via the JOG Trail and the Great Glen Way.

    Then separately, in a future venture, to complete the circle and ultimately walk home again via the Cape Wrath and then finally when finished the North Coast Trail.

  • Place

    The feeling of place is an intrinsic part of my artwork. My connection to that place through spending time there, most notably with other people. Bonding with the landscape through bonding with others. Finding an emotional connection to the land itself through human connection.

    The inspiration I gain will feed my future work. Inspiration both from the land, the people I meet and the people I walk with.

  • People

    I plan to walk with other people to gain connection.

    My aim is to reach out to other artists on the routes and to talk to them about their feeling of place and where they live and how this effects their art practice, if indeed it does.

    I will invite them to walk with me to talk about their bond with the land they live in.

    Over the period of time I spend with them I will curate an series of small film snippets and a taped interview about their art and their art practice which will ultimately be uploaded to a YouTube channel I aim to set up.

    The aim is one of connection and community. To create of library of information that is personal to both the artist and the landscape they live. This library will tell the tale of working artists on this route, investigate their working practice and inform others about it and them.

    I plan reach out to specific professionally practicing artists on route- these I will look to pay for their time through funding sourced. Some I know of some I expect to find out about from those I meet as I travel.

    However, I will also have an open invitation to other artists to be part of the journey on a voluntary basis. Inclusion is valuable and may turn out to be the thing that shine lights where needed most.

  • Outcome

    A series of interviews.

    Visually via YouTube.

    Auditory via a podcast.

    A library of visual creatives which the public can find out about via these links.

    A body of work created by myself from inspiration gained from the landscape I have walked in and a proposed gallery show in the future to depict the finished work.

    And ultimately an invitation to those who I took the time to spend time with to also produce a piece of work that can be shown in a future exhibition.

FINALLY SOME OTHER THOUGHTS

From a wellbeing note I hope to create an community of artists that can feel a common bond together.

Art is a solitary occupation and comes with many doubts and uncertainties.

Potentially I hope to create something special. A network/ pathway of artists and information about them. To promote the artists in these areas for the good of our local culture and for those visiting our area.

At the very least I hope to create interesting and entertaining content for others and some wonderful work as a result as well.