The beauty of a year like 2020 is that anything can happen. And whilst we might not like much of what has happened so far, the notion still goes both ways.

Without negating the stress and anxiety that all of this upheaval and extra uncertainty has foisted upon the arts, the sense of new possibilities, new ways of thinking and new ways of doing glints beneath the rubble of our precarious careers like a beacon.

Possibility thinking is at the heart of creativity and as the pandemic forces us to move beyond the given, or the ‘what is’, to the possible and the ‘what could be’, artists are best placed to pose the question what if and set about answering it.

When Arts Council England reopened their Projects Grants programme in September with specific commentary on prioritising applications from freelance artists and independent arts organisations, a sense of possibility became, well… a possibility again.

If you’re prepared to brush yourself off and give your new/old/forgotten/next piece a chance, an application to the ACE Project Grant fund could be just the catalyst you’ve been waiting for to announce your phoenix from the ashes return.

Don’t let the fact that you’ve never written an application to ACE put you off. There’s lots of help out there. Check out your local arts organisations to see if they’re hosting any ACE advice surgeries online, Google successful ACE Project Grant bids on the internet and you’ll come up with lots of resources shared by helpful peers and of course, the Arts Council England website has plenty of advice to offer.

If you’re based in Lancashire and you’ve got an idea that you’d like to apply for ACE to fund, I can help. Between 23rd October and 18th December, I’m offering Lancashire based freelance artists FREE support to help write your ACE Project Grant application. Support includes a 30 min call/Zoom to discuss your application plus follow up read(s) and feedback.

Email alex@alexandraotoole.co.uk to book your slot.