The end of the year is a great time to take stock and examine what you’ve accomplished and something to also look at what you haven’t.
This is a list of most of the grants, fellowships and residencies I’ve applied for in the last year. Those in green denote successful applications, those in black are still pending and I think the red speak for themselves.
It’s been a tough year.
Of course if it was easy everyone would be doing it. I find that many people stop themselves before they even get going. “I won’t get it” and “I’m not qualified” are two common refrains I hear. I feel like if you don’t try the answer will be definitely be no. If you apply or try you might get a yes. I’ve often been surprised at which applications are successful and which are not. There have been times when I’ve applied for a fellowship or grant and feel very confident that I will get it only to get a rejection letter in the mail sometime later. And then there are times I’ve applied for very prestigious opportunities with little hope of being accepted only to be surprised.
Having served on a few juries myself I can say that there is little rhyme or reason for why they make the choices they do. Talent counts for sure but so do connections and the overall dynamic and even mood of the jurors.
But you have keep trying, it comes down to making the effort…
