“There are no jobs in Art!” My mother roared in exasperation. It was 1984. There were no grants for Art College.  I was in a losing battle. Our family worked in hotels and factories so there was no back-up income or socially well-placed networks which could provide the support for such a fanciful pursuit as being an artist.

“You can always do it as a hobby”. It’s a difficult statement to deal with, especially if you come from a background where the expectation is you get a job or a “real” trade. Aspirations, especially in a tourist town such as Killarney in the 80s, were limited to hotel manager, silver service waitressing (who even knows what that is anymore!) or nursing.

Whilst my mother was filling out the CAO form on my behalf (hotel management or business studies in the local college) I had secretly signed up to do a secretarial course, which paid a weekly sum courtesy of the EU, and laid plans to take off to London as soon as it was finished. Poor Mam, dealing with a head strong teenager was not easy. Not that I considered that at the time.

When I got to London I primarily worked with temp agencies by day and volunteered at night in a local youth center as an arts worker which gave me access to arts facilities, and the very occasional ‘real artist’. It didn’t take long for London’s luster to wear off, but I managed to survive there for a few years, returning to Ireland in 1991, accidentally landing in Bray on April Fool’s Day.

I signed up with some agencies and looked around to volunteer again in something arts related. Agencies were not the same consistent source of employment as they were in London, and not many companies were interested in hiring someone with such a varied work background, so I had to sign on the dole. At the same time Signal Arts Centre had recently opened its doors and set up a social employment scheme specifically for artists. Bingo!

I chanced my arm and my art, and applied to Signal’s employment scheme. Seven actual artists - they were all recent graduates of the National College of Art & Design - looked at my work. I was terrified. They were opinionated and critical but saw something, so they took me on.

I learnt so much in that first year in Signal. Not only did I learn about contemporary approaches to art which helped unseat my hopelessly amateur methods, but, because I was a bit of a noisy know-it-all on administration, I ended up representing the Artists Association of Ireland on the management committee, which at the time was co-administered with the local education board. I was, by the way, very definitely bluffing. Most, if not all, of Signal’s achievements in those early years were because of the guidance and the hard work of Signal’s founder, James Morrison. In 1999 myself and James set-up Signal as an independent not-for-profit company, successfully applying for charitable status.

And I finally went to Art College. I was the same age as most of my tutors, in a class minority, supported by a back-to-education welfare allowance, and still volunteering in Signal. The experience was a roller coaster ride of joy, anger, and discovery.

It was an ivory tower that I was so happy to be a part of, but eventually had to leave.

Now comes the hard part, the need for self-belief. The need for support networks and offers that can take you to the next level - the hustle. I’m not the best at this bit. Time and again I was happy for the refuge and community that Signal offered. But that don’t pay the bills and my Mam was still asking me if I’d gotten a proper job yet.

I had purposely avoided community art whilst completing my BA. I knew its lure, about my class, as subject, or is that object? I knew I could get sporadic bouts of work as a facilitator, mostly delivering workshops, indeed that’s how many artists actually survive. Very few make an income in terms of sales alone and grants are competitive and don’t pay for day-to-day survival. But I was also dissatisfied with the limitations of workshops and the apparent lack of intention or questioning naturally available when working on an artistic project. In 2006 I returned to NCAD and completed a H.Dip. in Community Arts Education which is now an MA/MFA Art & Social Action. It was simply one of the best courses I have ever done and further expanded my understanding of the vast range of Art practice. From that course I was lucky to gain experience working with amazing organisations in Fatima Mansions, a body of people who really investigate their place in the world and are consistently at the forefront of challenging class perceptions and facilitating the aspirations of people in their community.

I’ve gone on to work with a number of organisations and community groups here in Ireland as well as residencies in Lithuania, Hungry, Slovenia and America.

Oh and I went on to complete an MA in Public Art run by Susanne Bosch, in Belfast. I do love learning but that one landed me in a lot of debt! I washed dishes, transcribed conferences, did some temporary secretarial work and sold the very odd piece of work. And then I got lucky and became a part-time administrator for Flax Art Studio’s International Residency. Since then, I’ve almost always had part-time arts related admin work. That secretarial course has always been my saving grace.