Summer Stipend 2014 Application Worksheet

It’s helpful to prepare properly for an application like this, both to make sure you submit your best proposal on time, and also to give you the chance to think about project in a clear, directed way.

Timeline

Don’t procrastinate. Set yourself a clear schedule between now and the deadline on July 26 to make sure you submit the best application possible.

6/23/2014 (0.25 hour)
– Read through the whole application at mackez.com/stipend so you know what’s expected.
– Print out this page. (Or save it somewhere you can find it easily on 6/30.)
– Review your calendar and make schedule a couple of hours on or before 6/30 for the first set of tasks.

6/30/2014 (2 hours)
– Choose a comfortable space where you won’t be interrupted and have a pen, this worksheet, and your calendar handy.
– Enforce quiet time. (Put your cell phone in airplane mode or turn it off, close your email, close Facebook, close Pinterest … close everything.)
– Gather whatever materials you have for your project work to date.
– Make sketches of what needs to be done to complete your project. (We have our own favorite paper products we use for this process, available at store.macktez.com, but any will do.)
– Review the dates and tasks that follow and add an event to your calendar on or before each deadline.
– Choose a colleague you respect to ask for input and invite them to chat next week.

7/7/2014 (1 hour)
– Take a friend or colleague out for coffee to talk about your project. (Talking about your creative work out loud helps you to refine and improve how it sounds to other people.)
– Bring whatever materials you have for your project work to date and a pen and paper. (A yellow notebook, perhaps!)
– Pause to take notes while you talk.

7/12/2014 (1 hour)
– Outline the schedule and budget for your project.
– Outline your project description. (Review your notes.)
– List the possible images you could submit with your application. (Note which ones already exist digitally, and which ones you would need to take or create.)

7/13/2014 (0.25 hour)
– Choose at least one friend or colleague to review, edit, and proofread your application on July 24 and reach out out to them to ask their help. (Make sure they know you’ll have a tight deadline right after that and need their comments back the next day.)

7/14/2013 (1 hour)
– Write a first draft of answers to all the questions on the application. (Write this up in a text editor or on paper. Don’t get too caught up in any one answer, and don’t try to edit yourself right away. Make sure you write something for each question.)

7/17/2014 (1 hour)
– Revise your answers for a second draft. (This is where you can let yourself choose words more carefully and constructively.)

7/19/2013 (1-2 hours)
– Take the picture or grab the image you will submit with your application.
– Upload it somewhere with a shareable link. (This can be your personal website, Flickr, Facebook, Picasa/Google Plus. To make sure it’s accessible to us make sure to log out of whatever service you are using and paste the site address in a new browser window. If you can see the image that way, we can also.)

7/21/2014 (0.5 hour)
– Send your draft application to the person who agreed to be your editor. (Remind them that you’re on a tight deadline and need their comments back by the following day.)
– Make sure you include the link to your application image. (So your editor can confirm that your image is accessible.)

7/23/2014 (0.5 hour)
– Follow-up with your editor and review their feedback closely. (Don’t include edits unless you’re convinced they make your application better. This is your project, not your editor’s.)

7/24/2014 (1 hour)
– Choose a quiet space where you won’t be interrupted and revise your application. (This is nearly your final edit so take your time.)
– Many people find it easier to do final edits on paper, so if you don’t have a printer, allow time to go somewhere with one and generate a hard copy to review.

Your application is not due until 7/26, but you don’t really want to wait until the very last day, do you?

7/25/2014 (1 hour)
– Set yourself up in a space with internet access where you won’t be rushed and won’t be interrupted.
– Make one final proofread of your application and answers. (Double-check all spelling.)
– Pull up macktez.com/stipend and copy and paste your answers into the application fields.
– Double-check your email address. (If you get this wrong, we’ll never be able to tell you that you won!)
– Take a deep breath and review your application one last time.
– Click “Submit.”

8/1/2013 (0.25 hour)
– Check back at our website, like us on Facebook, follow our Twitter feed, or subscribe to our RSS feed to see if you’re one of the finalists.

Food for Thought

Creative work can be difficult to express in clear language, yet that’s exactly what this application asks you to do. Some of the more specific questions below may help you work out what about your project you would like to tell others to get them as excited about it as you are.

Goal
– What are you trying to accomplish?
– What problem are you looking to solve or question do you want to answer?
– Has anything like this ever been done before?
– If not, why are you the first to think of it?
– If yes, why are you compelled to do it yourself?

Budget
– How much have you spent so far on this project? (List the things you’ve paid for.)
– How much more will it cost to complete? (List what you need with cost estimates.)
– How would you fund this project without the Macktez Summer Stipend?

Timeline
– How long have you been thinking about this project?
– How long have you been working on this project?
– When do you expect to be finished?

Audience
– Is the finished project meant just for yourself or to be shared publicly?
– (Does that matter to you?)
– Is there anyone in particular you are hoping will see the finished project? Any venue that would be particularly appropriate?

Inspiration
– Do you remember the first time the idea for this project occurred to you?
– Has anyone else’s work inspired this project? If yes, who?
– Who or what motivates you to keep working on this project?

Process
– Do you work alone or collaboratively with others?
– Do you work at home or elsewhere?
– Do you work on this project every day, or in fits and starts?
– Do you work linearly or roundabout?