F\*ck Being a Starving Artist / Securing the Bag: A Workshop for Artists, by SPIN El Poeta
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REGISTRATION HERE: https://forms.gle/ciFRmFWgQQ5Ukw1Q9
Join us for the last Truth to Power workshop of the Urban Legends season, “F\*ck Being a Starving Artist / Securing the Bag”, led by internationally acclaimed Guatemalan slam poet & spoken word artist, SPIN El Poeta.
The Friday before the workshop (June 12, Doors 7pm, 2 Daly Ave.), join us for the last poetry slam of the season, with a feature performance by SPIN. Details here: https://bit.ly/slamSPIN
Workshop June 13 details:
😷FACE MASKS REQUIRED
📅Saturday, June 13
📍The Origin Arts & Community Centre (57 Lyndale Ave)
⏰12:30 - 2:30PM
💵Tickets at the door, PWYD (suggested donation: $10)
Accessibility: Step-free access. Accessible and inclusive washrooms. Alcohol-free space. Face masks required and available as needed. Pay-What-You-Decide tickets.
Workshop Description:
You've got the talent. You've put in the work. Now it's time to get paid for it. This workshop is a no-nonsense breakdown of what it actually takes to sustain a life in the arts — not just survive it, but build something real.
Facilitated by internationally acclaimed spoken word artist, cultural strategist, and professional grant writer Luis Eduardo Mejicano (SPIN), this session draws from over a decade of navigating the arts economy as a racialized artist — building programs, winning funding, and turning creativity into a career.
What We Cover
Grant Funding — We'll demystify the Canada Council for the Arts and Ontario Arts Council: what they fund, how to speak their language, and how to position your practice to actually win. No fluff, just strategy.
Taxes & Financial Literacy — Being self-employed as an artist is a whole other game. We'll talk about tracking income, writing off expenses, and not getting wrecked at tax time.
Project Management & Budgeting — How to build a realistic budget for your tour, project, or program. How to manage timelines, deliverables, and your own energy without burning out.
Grant Reporting — Getting the money is half the job. We'll walk through how to report back to funders, protect your relationship with them, and set yourself up to apply again.
Who This Is For
Artists at any stage who are tired of leaving money on the table. Musicians, poets, dancers, visual artists, theatre makers — if you're serious about touring your work, funding your vision, and building a sustainable practice, this workshop is for you.
What You'll Walk Away With
A clearer picture of how arts funding actually works. Practical tools for budgeting and project planning. Insight into grant reporting and funder relations. And the mindset shift that separates artists who hustle forever from artists who build.
It's time to stop apologizing for needing to eat. Your art is worth funding. Let's secure the bag.
__
SPIN El Pieta is an internationally acclaimed Guatemalan slam poet, spoken word artist, cultural strategist, and professional grant writer with over $250 000 funded for racialized artists across Canada. As the founder of One Mic Educators and host of LA Raza Open Mic since 2016, he has spent a decade building infrastructure, securing resources, and creating stages for Palestinian, Latin American, Indigenous, and Black artists.
Instagram: @spinelpoeta and @educatorsonemic
__
Truth to Power explores how creative expression and spoken word poetry can be channeled as a means of enacting change, fostering dialogue, and disrupting systems of power and oppression. Each workshop creates a brave space where writers and performers can examine the intersections between wellness and collective liberation. Whether you’re an activist seeking to integrate wellness into your advocacy work, a writer or artist interested in the political dimensions of personal narrative, or someone just beginning to explore how your personal experiences connect to broader systems and social realities, Truth to Power invites you to discover how your voice can be an instrument of both personal healing and social transformation.
ULPC gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the City of Ottawa.
Join us for the last Truth to Power workshop of the Urban Legends season, “F\*ck Being a Starving Artist / Securing the Bag”, led by internationally acclaimed Guatemalan slam poet & spoken word artist, SPIN El Poeta.
The Friday before the workshop (June 12, Doors 7pm, 2 Daly Ave.), join us for the last poetry slam of the season, with a feature performance by SPIN. Details here: https://bit.ly/slamSPIN
Workshop June 13 details:
😷FACE MASKS REQUIRED
📅Saturday, June 13
📍The Origin Arts & Community Centre (57 Lyndale Ave)
⏰12:30 - 2:30PM
💵Tickets at the door, PWYD (suggested donation: $10)
Accessibility: Step-free access. Accessible and inclusive washrooms. Alcohol-free space. Face masks required and available as needed. Pay-What-You-Decide tickets.
Workshop Description:
You've got the talent. You've put in the work. Now it's time to get paid for it. This workshop is a no-nonsense breakdown of what it actually takes to sustain a life in the arts — not just survive it, but build something real.
Facilitated by internationally acclaimed spoken word artist, cultural strategist, and professional grant writer Luis Eduardo Mejicano (SPIN), this session draws from over a decade of navigating the arts economy as a racialized artist — building programs, winning funding, and turning creativity into a career.
What We Cover
Grant Funding — We'll demystify the Canada Council for the Arts and Ontario Arts Council: what they fund, how to speak their language, and how to position your practice to actually win. No fluff, just strategy.
Taxes & Financial Literacy — Being self-employed as an artist is a whole other game. We'll talk about tracking income, writing off expenses, and not getting wrecked at tax time.
Project Management & Budgeting — How to build a realistic budget for your tour, project, or program. How to manage timelines, deliverables, and your own energy without burning out.
Grant Reporting — Getting the money is half the job. We'll walk through how to report back to funders, protect your relationship with them, and set yourself up to apply again.
Who This Is For
Artists at any stage who are tired of leaving money on the table. Musicians, poets, dancers, visual artists, theatre makers — if you're serious about touring your work, funding your vision, and building a sustainable practice, this workshop is for you.
What You'll Walk Away With
A clearer picture of how arts funding actually works. Practical tools for budgeting and project planning. Insight into grant reporting and funder relations. And the mindset shift that separates artists who hustle forever from artists who build.
It's time to stop apologizing for needing to eat. Your art is worth funding. Let's secure the bag.
__
SPIN El Pieta is an internationally acclaimed Guatemalan slam poet, spoken word artist, cultural strategist, and professional grant writer with over $250 000 funded for racialized artists across Canada. As the founder of One Mic Educators and host of LA Raza Open Mic since 2016, he has spent a decade building infrastructure, securing resources, and creating stages for Palestinian, Latin American, Indigenous, and Black artists.
Instagram: @spinelpoeta and @educatorsonemic
__
Truth to Power explores how creative expression and spoken word poetry can be channeled as a means of enacting change, fostering dialogue, and disrupting systems of power and oppression. Each workshop creates a brave space where writers and performers can examine the intersections between wellness and collective liberation. Whether you’re an activist seeking to integrate wellness into your advocacy work, a writer or artist interested in the political dimensions of personal narrative, or someone just beginning to explore how your personal experiences connect to broader systems and social realities, Truth to Power invites you to discover how your voice can be an instrument of both personal healing and social transformation.
ULPC gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the City of Ottawa.
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Where is it happening?
57 Lyndale Ave, Ottawa, ON K1Y 2M6, Canada
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
Host or PublisherUrban Legends Poetry Collective
