In case you missed my earlier posts, I’m applying to artist residencies this year, and posting about the experience. The number above is the amount I’ve spent applying to TWO residencies: I-Park and MacDowell. It breaks down thus:
$25.00 = I-Park application, which is thankfully all electronic
$20.00 = MacDowell application, which is electronic, BUT…
$15.84 = 6 copies of work sample at Kinkos (.11/sheet), which must be mailed physically, along with a print out of the electronic app…
$12.52 = cost of 3-Day Air FedEx for all the stuff
I know I could have reduced this cost by using my own printer, and sending Ground instead of 3-day Air, but A) my printer is running super low on ink, so I’d have had to buy another cartridge ($20+ bucks), for which I would have had to run around town, spending roughly $4.00 on the subway, etc., and B) I didn’t want to risk the application getting there late (they don’t guarantee sooner than 10 business days).
Anyway, I think this is a fair assessment of the “true” costs of this kind of thing, which is always more than you think it will be for a variety of reasons–these may be different depending on the circumstance, but they always seem to accumulate. Thank goodness I have to wait until next month before applying to the next one on my list! (I’ve decided against applying to either Hambidge or Ragdale, because I don’t want to pay anything out of pocket but travel expenses.)