It’s Happening, The Basic Income for Artists!!

It’s possibly the best news for the Irish Arts scene in this century or the last, the Basic Income for Artists scheme has been made permanent. A European first and a wonderful coup for Irish Artists. Well done to all the artists on the pilot scheme who did us proud as our representatives, well done to all who campaigned and submitted their responses to the recent government survey. It’s your actions and voices that have contributed powerfully to this fantastic initiative. This is truly positive news for the creative sector. The broader Irish economy is also a winner here, stats proved that as a result of the pilot, society received €1.39 in return for every €1 of public money invested in the pilot. It’s going to create recognition for the sector in its consideration in the budget and give Artists an opportunity to create with a new level of certainty. The future is bright!

The Future is Bright!

Future is the operative word here. There are two inescapable facts;

1. The scheme will not be applied until late 2026 and likely won’t be issued until 2027.
2. There will still be an application process and a limited number of artists will be assigned the Basic Income

So, on a community and personal level, this is a resource that we can see on the horizon up ahead, in the future.

While this might deflate your balloon of hope and excitement,

it’s important to see the opportunity in this.

These are the smart actions to take over the next few months

Watch

Watch out for ways to have your voice heard. It’s likely that the Department of Culture, Communications & Sport will seek out on the ground input from the arts sector. Keep your eyes peeled for these opportunities and take part. Remember, just like selling your art, don’t assume the people investing understand what you are doing. Help them to see, experience and comprehend the purpose of your work so that they can make informed decisions. In this case, you can do this by responding to surveys and adding your voice to the conversation

Build

Build your practice. With at least 10 months before the scheme is rolled out you have a super amount of time to develop your body of work, grow your network and get your art business ready for the new landscape. You’re already doing this, use the same resources you’ve always had; the same number of studio days, the same budget, the network you’ve already built. Except from now on, do it with the view that you are developing your practice towards a place where you can make a really strong application for the scheme…Even if it is a pure lottery, you’ll feel a lot better about getting it or not getting it knowing your practice is in the best place it can be come next September

Plan

Make plans. Aside from the Basic Income for Artists at all, this time of year (Autumn) is a great time to start making plans for the years ahead. Ask yourself, what do I most want to achieve in the next 18 months; a new body of work, master a new skill, get my work in front of the right people, do a residency, execute a project. Then make a list of what you need to do to get there followed by a list of resources you require. This will reveal the path to take and most importantly, will ensure you use the down time between now and the initiation of the scheme effectively.

Bonus Tip

When the scheme opens for applications, apply. Avoid assuming the numbers of artists will be so high that it’s not worth it. Just like the pilot, demonstrating demand is essential in the development of this scheme and of course, if you don’t apply, you definitely won’t get it 😊