Cash Pot - fees from job applications = $25

As if searching and applying for a job is not work enough, folks in the arts have to pay for portfolio submission fees. The past two applications I submitted came with a fee via Slideroom. You can say that digital applications take out the printing and mailing costs of art job applications, but you've got to wonder why each application submitted via Slideroom for a certain institution needs to have a $15 fee attached to it (would the $15x200=$2100 go to pay for the institution's entire year's worth of Slideroom fees? or to the government pro-rated workstudies that organize the files to present the committee?). Whatever the answer may be, I'm foreseeing a large amount of money being spent this year for applications.

To make it more interesting, I'm starting a Cash Pot that matches the fees I pay for each application. The Cash Pot will be used to buy more scratchies (in case I have a streak of bad luck where the money spent on scratchies are not recuperated).


Cash Pot - Count Up

U Penn - $10
Salisbury U - $15
TOTAL: $25

December 2014
- $8 on new Scratchies
BALANCE: $17

March 2015
- $6 on new Scratchies
Balance: $11

emergent art space = $0

I traded in my only winning ticket from the last round for two newer lotto scratchies. Unfortunately, the $1 scratchie for Emergent Art Space doesn't yield anything money. Fortunately, job application season is only beginning. There will be more scratchies in my future.

kh - nelson center for the arts = $0

I received $0 for this rejection. I'm getting $1 lotto scratch cards from now on.

4. FIAF = $0

For this grant application, I received a very fun comment section full of nuggets of questionable materials from the panelists. The fact that the scratch-card yielded $0 in winning is something I can contend with in comparison to the comments. Pure gold.

3. SFAI = $0

The summer months are really slow with rejection letters. I received this letter from the application round at the end of spring. This may be the first scratch card that I did not win anything. The anticipation of winning as I scratch the numbers is eclipsed by the disappointment of rejection and not winning.

2. antioch = $2

I kept on getting rejection letters to jobs, gallery exhibitions, and artist residencies. Getting these rejection letters is nothing new to me (artists have got to have a thick skin to survive), but I was tired of getting the same ole same ole boring generic junk that floods my inbox and never does my bank account well. I cashed in the $4 I won from the last scratchcard and bought enough to allow me some cheap thrills every time I get a rejection letter, whether by email or physical mail. I won my money back on this one.

1. eou = $4

I received this lotto card from a neighbor, who gave scratchcards to all his neighbors for being awesome, and decided to save it as a consolation prize if I don't get hired by a certain institution after a campus interview (yay academic jobs!). That was two full months of waiting! After receiving a generic HR rejection letter, it felt so good to win $4.