It seems more difficult than ever to live as an artist. It can be seen even with the established people that give us guest lectures that many of them have side hustles/multiple revenue streams related to their practice or not. Otherwise they are an academic and get funding for research from working in universities or similar institutions. I definitely do not want to go down this route as I feel I have and always will struggle to write or thrive in academic environments. From various guest lectures I remember all sorts of jobs they had done to stay afloat from writing library music to being a plumber! I feel very lucky to have grown up in London and am able to save on rent by living at home as it is such an expensive place to live even with the wealth of opportunities it brings. It is also very difficult with how big it is to feel connected with others or stand out amongst a crowd. Also competition is just as high as the opportunities available. We have been introduced to many funding oppurtunities such as Arts council England’s Developing your creative practice scheme however I feel this is not suited to me as it requires a lot of self motivation and I dont particularly have something I want to develop yet.