There are not enough grants for artists. The few grants that are available to us are extremely competitive, and often have restrictions. One well-known grant is for projects that are not intended to make money, which eliminates the possibility of using it to fund things like renting space for a gallery show where the goal is to sell the art. Others only pay for residency programs, which are nice if you don't have to worry about having enough vacation days to go paint in the desert for a month. And then there are a few that change an application fee, which makes me wonder if I should even call them grants. As for state grants, why bother applying for one if you live in a place like Illinois with our serious budget issues?
So that's why I'm taking charge of the situation and taking advantage of
Patreon, a service that connects patrons to artists. I'm not sure if it will work or how well it will be received. To be honest, I gave up on crowdfunding after my
Indie GoGo campaign to raise money for supplies to complete The Doll Project. I was accused of begging for money on the internet and was humiliated because no one donated a single penny. I'm hoping this time will be different.
