There is a sense that you are seen and heard, so to speak, recognized.

And it is not just a perception. 

It will be added as likely the top award to your resume, one of the most recognizable awards in the world.

If you are a teacher, you will be noted by your department and it is one of the hallmarks in the academic world of professional success. 

Yet so many artists who could win these life-changing grants never apply because they don’t feel they are “worthy”. This upsets me greatly. 

Today I want to take you behind the scenes, and unveil some of the deeper doubts and desires that artists I’ve worked with have shared with me over the years.  

I want to share these with you to show you that you’re not alone in these thoughts, and to give you courage to apply to this year’s grant.

Does any of this mental chatter sound familiar? 

"I'm not being seen and heard, I'm 75 years old!" 

“Just one Guggenheim is enough to justify a whole life of making art without making money. Everyone's been yelling at me for 40 years, but I got a Guggenheim, I'm not nuts!  I've battled self-doubt for 30 years, and this is the payoff, this is what I was hoping for, what I was gambling for.”

The deadline for the application is the second week of September. I urge you with all my heart to summon the courage and apply, with or without my help. 

Prove to everyone who has ever doubted you that you have the courage to apply.

Yes, this is a competitive grant for artists with a career that is mature. But that should not scare you off. It’s your art that needs to be mature, not your exhibition history.

Artists working in all sorts of mediums have won in the past. Paintings, poetry, video projects - anything you can think of…

Artists from very different backgrounds have won. The award isn’t political.

Artists with very different levels of career “maturity” have won. Some had an exhibition and award history that’s longer than a car. Others had almost no press and even fewer awards when they were selected. 

“Is it good art?”

That’s all the jury looks at. 

Reply to this letter to ask any questions and also to find out the fee structure of hiring me to work with you. I work with you step by step for every element of this grant including image selection and looking closely at your art, as I did for the five previous winners.

I work with a total of ten artists on this on a first come first served basis and then it is closed. Spots are rapidly filling up, so please reply quickly if you are at all interested. 

Whether we work on it together or not, I want you to apply anyway. It could change the entire trajectory of your art career. You owe it to yourself to give it a try this year.

Sincerely,

Brainard