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Thinking what a profound effect it would've had if arts council, when I applied for #BrumZineFest first time with small budget knowing lots of extra labour would still be required, had gone, you're doing a whole festival, we'll give you a bit more to make it even deeper + better.
Meanwhile folks emailing from ACE saying it's great you're bringing the zine fest back to the city, thank you, excited, cut to the following year and we're not getting funded at all. As someone who works personally and relationally, putting creativity through these systems hurts.
And you might say, Byng this would never happen, why would anyone ever give more money than you ask for? Well, I've done it since. Multiple times. If we have more budget or people ask for less than others I say you should have more. And often, it would be even more, if we had it.
It feels like it's a case of we need you to stay small, not ask for any more than tiniest pot, because otherwise you challenge what we are doing by doing so much with the money, when folks getting millions are mostly just upholding big structure of power, wealth to stay the same.
Just a reminder that things don't have to be the way that we're forced to accept that they are. We can all play a role in uplifting one another's labour, care and value, in an investment or resource sense or otherwise. In small interactions, and how we design something different.
