The end of my DYCP, the start of a new journey

It’s hard to think, that this time last year (2021) I had submitted my first DYCP application, only for a few months later to be told I was unsuccessful. Determined and with some great support around me, I submitted again and after another few months, I was successful. More than anything I think time to refine what I was applying for, learning from others and a little bit of good timing (I did hit submit at exactly 11:11am), I was pleased to be successful the second time, rather than the first.

Now, after submitting my final report a couple of weeks ago, I feel further along in my journey than I could have expected this time last year. I feel confident in my practice, accomplished in my new skills and achieving what I had set out, open to new opportunities I previously though out of my reach (LEVEL Residency Lab), and on a journey that feels both new and with many steps behind it. So much has changed in this past year, that while the DYCP was only a part, the act of applying began a change that feels right and welcome.

I will keep this post short. I would have liked to share more elements of this journey, but the learning process was constantly growing and I became engrossed in it. Something that has rarely happened to me in the past. Previously, I would have found the need to share every moment of discovery (maybe it was the student in me finding the need to constantly show my thinking), but this journey was different. It felt new and it felt about me and my progress for me. Something I remember being told by someone supporting my application, and something I told someone today supporting theirs.
So please feel free to explore my site and discover some of my discoveries. Everything (including this site) was new when I shared it, so it will be new for you as well.

I would also like to thank the colleagues and peers who have supported me on this journey, Arts Council England and the Midlands team for seeing an opportunity for me to grow, Junction Arts for supporting my application and providing opportunities to test out ideas, LEVEL Centre for their belief in my work and supporting it further at the LEVEL Residency Lab, and Creative Technologist Ashley James Brown for all his mentoring and support throughout.