Hi angels!
I acquired 3 giant pieces of MDF (medium-density fiberboard) recently and I have no plans for them. I am usually pretty good about not accepting new materials unless I have a basic idea for how to use them, but I am weak and free engineered wood product is free engineered wood product.
So I guess what I’m wondering is…any of y’all got an idea of what the hell I can do with these bad boys? Have any of you worked with MDF? Have any tips/ideas on what this material is good for? They are about 8 x 4 feet and super heavy. Bonus points if you want to swing by the studio and help me build it.
Perfect photo of the engineered wood product
What the hell is going on with grants
After applying for just three grants, I can confidently say that it is a nightmare system, barely worth it, and everyone should do it.
When Brigid and I decided to do the Lizzie McGuire Movie last year, we wanted to be able to pay everyone involved a decent chunk of money. The only way to do that was to 1) do more than a weekend’s worth of shows, 2) fundraise, or 3) apply for a grant. More shows felt risky, because we we were already making the jump from the ~160 seats we sold during the previous show at Bricktown to the ~350 we’d need to sell for 2 nights at Color Club. A fundraiser didn’t feel like the move either.
I started researching because I had never applied for any type of grant before. I ended up applying for three different grants and received one for a total of $10,100. I’m going to give a lil summary of each grant and some tips/links/thoughts on the process.
*These grants are all Chicago and Illinois specific and the deadlines have passed for most of them. There’s a good chance your city or state has similar opportunities through different organizations. Also, I think everyone who is in charge of grants goes to some weird class on how to write instructions in a garbled, confusing way so this all should still apply.
DCASE Individual Artists Program: DENIED
Deadline January 15, 2026 (hasn’t been updated for next year, but usually the app is similar)
This was by far the lengthiest application. I applied for $6,000 and spent a full month putting the budget proposal and application together. The hardest part of this app was that all the questions felt like they were asking the same thing and I had to find 100 different ways to say we were doing a perverted play for gay people who love a little razzle dazzle. Their budget sheet is also…like nothing I’ve ever seen (in a bad way.) Here are some of the answers I wrote up about the show, my practice, etc. I also had Derek make this reel for a work sample and I included a portfolio of our production team’s resumes as optional supplementary materials.
Would I apply again? Probably! I’m delusional! Even though we didn’t get it, writing thousands of words about what the show would look like almost 9 months before it happened helped me A LOT. I had a much clearer vision going into this project than I have in the past because this grant required so much preparation. It was also the first grant I applied for, so doing all that writing and brainstorming made the other apps much easier.
Illinois Arts Council Creative Accelerator Fund: DENIED
Opens September 2026 with a deadline in October 2026
This one is so weird, it’s a lottery system. You still have to fill out the whole form and submit a few examples of your work to prove you are actually a working artist, but none of those samples are evaluated in any way. I applied for $10,000 and didn’t get it, but I know someone who did so it is real!
Would I apply again? Hell yeah, this was easy.
Illinois Arts Council Creative Projects: AWARDED!!!
Open deadline with reports due September 30, 2026
Weee! I got $10,100 from this grant! The application process was pretty simple, just a brief summary of the project (which I had ready from that beast of DCASE app) and a Proof of Project Feasibility. This was a short document I put together to prove this project was already in motion. It included: a list of everyone involved, some work samples, a budget breakdown, our contract with our venue, and copies of some emails with the production team.
Would I apply again? Hell yeah, but I think I have to wait a year. I’m not applying for any grants this year anyways because I’m tired.
Some last thoughts on grants:
Think about most grants as a way to reimburse yourself for projects you are already putting money into. Which…is not ideal, but I approached it like this for Lizzie: if we could use ticket sales to cover the cost of the show, then we could put the grant money towards paying everyone. If we didn’t get the grant, ok welp we are paying everyone in a pizza party, but if we get the grant, well everyone gets $200-$300!
These grants are all taxable which feels…like a scam. The government gives me money to do art and I have to pay back a chunk of it? Whateverrr, since it’s taxable income, I just used the freelancer method and saved 30% of the grant like I do for shows. I'm about to meet with my tax lady so we will see if I did that right.
Let me know if you have any other thoughts or questions on grant applications or grant writing! It’s a lot of work, sending love and luck if you’re in the process right now.
Recs:
Micco is raffling off personal training services!
I get so many compliments on this balaclava
I just discovered Courtney Marie Andrews. Where have I been? Her new album Valentine is my new winter jam.
Freaky, awesome read about how cadavers are fueling beauty treatments
Why you should write a death note for your partner (sorry I’m in my estate planning vibe)
I’m watching so many videos on how to dress cute during the winter and this one is my favorite. I’ve been layering my long denim skirt over my mid length wool skirt and it is keeping me so warm and making me feel cute as heck.
Please Date My Friend is back 😍
Next Issue: Either taxes or how I wrote this piece about DCOMs. There’s no way to know how I’ll feel in two weeks.
Thanks for reading and, as always, don’t tell me about any typos unless they are really bad.
