Background
Full Circle Arts is pleased to announce that they have offered ten bursaries of a maximum of £1000 to emerging disabled artists or disabled led arts groups. Here Jake Sawyers tells us a bit about himself and what the bursary will be used for:
“I recently graduated from UWTSD with a first class BA hons in Acting. Stand up comedy, photography and acting are the three things I am most passionate about. I have been registered blind since birth and have found expressing myself through these three mediums most enjoyable and effective. I plan to move to Cardiff soon to pursue a career in one of these, if not all three disciplines. I believe to establish a career in the creative industry, you must be diverse and have many skills to offer and utilise. I have received formal acting training and feel confident entering that industry. I would now like to concentrate on photography. Everything I have learnt about this art form so far has been from online resources, trial and error and my own general curiosity. Developing my technical knowledge and practical photography skills are two things I believe will kick start a successful and professional career.
I was so excited to find out i had been awarded funding by Full Circle Arts to take part in not 1 but 2 accredited programmes of photography at Chapter Arts centres Ffotogallery in Cardiff, Wales. The classes are artist-led and take place in small groups in an enjoyable informal atmosphere. Students are encouraged to develop their ideas and knowledge through a series of practical projects.
During my last year at university I started shooting professional actors head shots for my fellow students. I invested a lot of time and money into learning the craft. I purchased a new high end camera lens and spent many hours perfecting my technique. This is when I knew a career in photography could be a realistic career choice for me. The acting industry is very competitive and difficult to break into. I believe as a creative person, the more skills you have to offer, the easier it is to maintain a creative viable career. This course, and the accreditation it comes with, will be another achievement I can add to my creative repertoire. It will also be a fantastic networking opportunity. I will be in direct contact with other local photographers, possible collaborators and employers. I also think this course of study will nurture my photography style. I believe my visual impairment gives me an interesting view point and perspective, especially through a camera lens. My style of photography defiantly has the potential to stand out from the crowd, the practical and technical skills i will gain from this course of study will lay a solid foundation of achieving my goal to become a professional photographer. “