Chances are, you won’t get the first thing you apply for. You probably won’t get most of the things you apply for, but you eventually will get something, especially if you can get feedback.
If you get a rejection letter (sorry, they suck, they really do…) the first thing is to ask if you can know specifically what you could have done better. You can also ask if the decision makers can recommend other opportunities for you to apply for that might be better suited. And always ask if you should apply again next year!
“Remember, rejection doesn’t mean your works bad, but rather that it doesn’t fit their criteria. The judges might be stupid, or much more likely, they might be shoehorned into very intense time limits (whether for institutional reasons or for their own sanity) to make their decisions.
A lot of it comes down to luck.” — David Xu Borgonjon
Look closely at who they did select, and run the reverse-engineering search on them. And then keep trying! Often, success begets success — try for small, local grants from young organizations and grow with them.
And remember, you can always start your own thing. Collectives can pool resources to re-grant and support informal residencies. And there’s a wide world of opportunities beyond what you can officially apply for! Ask around, you never know who would be down to swap apartments in different cities, or which conference or festival provides for volunteers.
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