A Happy New Year to All
Expect many have been hibernating over the holiday. I was
pure dormouse for two weeks. Therapy heaven - body and mind!
No news from Lowestoft except 'Lowestoft Man.' Flints
were found here last year which have changed history: people from mainland
Europe arrived in my small town 700,000 years ago - and I obviously missed the
moment when 'here' was the centre of Britain. Shucks. Yet, with articles on
this find in the Guardian and The Times, what a moment to illuminate this
poor bit of the East Coast.
***
As previously said on this list, most of my work is via
collaborations and projects. With artists Dominique Rey and Pat Derrick I'm
working on a 'Waterways' residency in Norwich in the early summer along the
River Wensum. While I also teach, I earned more from residencies, projects and
collaborations in 2005 from PAYE work. This has got me wondering...
How do you make a living?
I'm only asking because there are (supposedly) 'rates of
pay' for freelance work. the ACE "suggested" rate per day of 'contact' work in
the UK is a minimum of £175. Build in a day for preparation and this is
obviously half that.
A job for a poet recently came up in Liverpool - working
with a 'lead poet.' The work involved lots of workshops with children but only
£800 was offered (no mention of travel, accommodation, etc - resulting in a pay
rate of £50 a day, if lucky). A lot of jobs come up like this. They're Arts
Council advertised and funded.
Hence my question.
***
Let 2006 be your sweetest, Rupert