wow they still exist!i dont believe in any public funding for the arts,true there has to be museaums...but abolish the arts council-yesl!no more operas,no more orchestras...no more acting companies!no more photographers gallery!...no more institutionalized privelege for higher and lower forms of art....if it cant support itself- let it go to the wall.why should any public money be given to artists?if its a choice between hospital beds or artists-the public purse should provide for the needy not chattering class therups or would-be-curators.

carefull Shaw our Bben will think you are sproutinhg left or right wings. I hope I have got neither.
Just views from experience, sorry I have not been as lucky and as priviledged as Mr Ben.Shaw can you email me I have a contact that might be of use to you.

Sorry I seem to have got it wrong, which just shows how rubbish gossip can be... Think Arts Council across the UK has been under revue, but not to the point of shutting up shop as I suggested!

Shaw, getting rid of all funding for arts is a bit radical. If public funding is as elitist as you seem to think, irradicating it altogether isn't as constructive as improving it. Or should we all just go back to Lascaux?

I think it's important to stress here Sebastion that neither luck nor privilege have anything to do with it. I made a hard decision to throw myself in at the deep end and spend many years earning nothing and working all the hours under the sun. I think the difference between you and me is I made that decision to live in London and Paris and do this, whereas you commit yourself to a life which has no future in what you want to do in Plymouth. This has quite probably turned you into the pessimist you seem to be.

If you work hard and commit yourself to doing something, you will make it happen. If you sit there and moan about it, do you really expect the mountain to come to Mohammed? And even if you fail, at least you know you did everything to make it possible.

im against all state-funded funded spending of the arts .lets take the govenment right out of it.
no great art form has ever come from governments its always been private;let the markets,private dealers,banks rich individuals provide and if they dont-tough,i mean come on why should there be any public funding of the arts?
why is that radical?-why should taxpayers support anyones creativity?there seems to be a big buisness in supporting unescessary art functionaires&beurocracy....and employing people like you.!

Shaw, please get off your high horse. Earlier today you say you didn't know Arts Council still existed and in the space of a few short hours you've decided it should be got rid of? This is real life, not Sim world. A lot of Art Council funding comes from the lottery - look it up, don't just take my word for it. Most of my 'funding' comes from freelance commercial work, and believe me, it's not exactly my personal creativity that I'm being paid for a lot of of the time. I'd love a grant! There's loads of projects I could use funding for! And if it's not for me personally, I'd still fight for other artists right to des aides a la creation!

Well Ben I comend you on everything you are achiving, I am doing the same down here,I am not sitting on my back side as you refer, and work veery hard daily trying to get things movin, you are very asumprtoious. If you have made it on your own merrit then I admire you.
But from the word go in this forum you have been very good at atacking other mainly me.
I belive if you want to do anything you have to do it your self, and that every day should be used constructivly taking things forward, I hate people that just sit on bums and complain, which is what you seems to think, actions speak louder than words. What have I done, flown a fast jet hawk, rode 1000 to Biarits from Chester to prove a point and try and raise money for charity, solo in 13 days, Climbed Mount Rainia in Washington between the St Hellens Eruptions, Climbed the French Pyrenees, spent 5 years in full time Mountain Rescue, been winched of helicopters,done hgv driving, worked in factories, done dead end work in Plymouth to pay for materials.
I have had stock over the last two years in shops that where selling but the shops closed and did a runner with my work. So lets stop this stupid battle that you started and get back to talking about relavent issues, I am not being negative, I was very open with you last week in order to make you see, but obvioulsy you only see what you want to.
I put my social life on hold, all my money goes totaly in my work
What you are saying here in your statement is totaly out of context it proves you do not read the label properly Ben.
And I dont have to justify my self to you in anycase

One more thing, I go in at the deap end also I love the challenge.
Has this anything to do with grants>

Well don't justify yourself then.

All I'm saying is you do moan about your lack of acheivements on a daily basis, but you won't do anything to counteract that. Willam was right when he pulled you up for posting out of date topics and discussing projects with a limited knowledge of what is new, I'm sorry but you need to be somewhere more relevant to do that - that's just life.

Your personal presumption about me, was in a different vain however, but it's irrelevant really. I'm just saying that if you researched into things more, and if you want to break through with your photography perhaps look at current styles and trends in more depth. I think you presume because some photographers have holiday homes on the south coast, that you can acheieve your own notoreity by being there too, but I think you are mistaken.

I did read the 'insight' into your life you posted up here, and yes you have done some very interesting things - well done.

I am sorry Ben I did not realise that I was giving constant negatives, Like you it is my life and I am putting everything in to it, in fact I look at the top magazines and photo art book daily, so what I am saying is topical, not as you and william say out of touch and date, William said that becouse he comes from the WestContry, and assumed that I had the west Country way of thinking.
I live in the west Country but not the head of a local, I think and look nationaly and internationaly, at other peoples work , I sold work in New York a year ago.
Being in this area is or has been a means to an end, to build ip an image bank of the beach lifestyle that I can use commercialy, in a way that no one else has, thats the creative side.
At the same time Ben if you have made it on your own merrit you deserve everything that you have, and more.
There should be an element of hard work to achive it to the top it is an ironing out process.
Like you I love to go in at the deap end in order to get to the top, it has always been the way I work.

What was your experience of Paris its a great City, I love the Louve, All the best