Alexa in Axat | Writing Residency
Donation protected
Howdy Friend!
My name is Alexa and I'm a filmmaker living & working in San Francisco. For the past 7+ years, I've been supporting the labors of love of others, and have suddenly found myself in a very fortunate but sticky situation.
A short while ago, an opportunity to apply to a month-long writing residency in Axat, France snaked across my Facebook feed. I've always been aware of residencies and grants for film and the arts, but I've never felt that I had anything worth submitting until now. For the past two years, I've been slowly chipping away at a screenplay for a psychedelic western. It's the most beautiful and absurd idea I've ever had, and it's been quietly amassing a small following- even though it isn't entirely scripted.
This residency felt right. It felt like it was mine. I whipped up a submission packet and sent off my application to the WordMill right under the deadline. Within 10 days of discovering the residency, I was on the phone with one of the founders being awarded one of two spots for the residency.
Here are some choice cuts from my artist statement that helped me clinch my spot:
I am currently developing a psychedelic western feature film set in the 1880s about an outlaw interracial couple on the lam after stealing a small fortune so they can start a new life together. Initially thinking they are out of harm’s way, they perform a spiritual ceremony in hiding using a psychotropic substance to induce a days-long trip in search of enlightenment as to where they should retire to. Before they can sober up, they are ambushed by the gang they stole from and must escape while experiencing wild hallucinations.
My goal is to create a piece that feminizes the hypermasculine Western genre and challenge the assumed role of women in stories about the Wild West. I feel that many of our modern social ills including toxic masculinity, racism, and ingrained forms of manifest destiny, are rooted in not only this time in American history, but also in fictional representations of it.
• • • • • • • • • •
Bringing this story to life is no small feat, but I'm absolutely up to the challenge.
Where I need assistance is in getting to Axat so I can wrestle this puppy onto the page. I recently dumped my savings into a bunch of medical expenses which I am still paying off, so my personal finances have been exhausted. I'm launching this campaign with a goal of $4,000 as the absolute minimum, not including lost wages (which are well below what it takes to live "comfortably" in San Francisco).
I'll be embarking on my journey late August and returning the first week of October. The residency runs the entirety of September.
If I can crush this round of fundraising, here's what will be covered:
✔ Residency Fee $1,000
✔ Airfare $2,000
Additional lodging, transportation, grub, etc. $1,000
Funds raised beyond my initial goal will still go to the trip, as I’ve set a total budget goal for myself of $8,000. This also covers bills and rent for my apartment while I’m gone, a modest stipend for fun and leisure during breaks, and a contingency to ensure I’m covered if anything comes up. This is my first trip to Europe in 15 years and and will be my longest trip away from home. My top concern is being so afraid of going broke that it becomes a distraction from my writing.
This amount of money feels insurmountable to me at times, but the fact that this residency plopped into my lap like a lost kitten choosing me as it's new parent is just too wonderful a coincidence to not open this up to the friends, family, co-conspirators, and strangers that might want to help out. I started the year out by writing the words "The world wants my work in it" in my datebook, and it's been exhilarating seeing the ways in which this statement keeps manifesting.
Thank you for reading! Please feel free to message me, ask questions, or just say hey there, how are ya?
Kind Regards,
Alexa
My name is Alexa and I'm a filmmaker living & working in San Francisco. For the past 7+ years, I've been supporting the labors of love of others, and have suddenly found myself in a very fortunate but sticky situation.
A short while ago, an opportunity to apply to a month-long writing residency in Axat, France snaked across my Facebook feed. I've always been aware of residencies and grants for film and the arts, but I've never felt that I had anything worth submitting until now. For the past two years, I've been slowly chipping away at a screenplay for a psychedelic western. It's the most beautiful and absurd idea I've ever had, and it's been quietly amassing a small following- even though it isn't entirely scripted.
This residency felt right. It felt like it was mine. I whipped up a submission packet and sent off my application to the WordMill right under the deadline. Within 10 days of discovering the residency, I was on the phone with one of the founders being awarded one of two spots for the residency.
Here are some choice cuts from my artist statement that helped me clinch my spot:
I am currently developing a psychedelic western feature film set in the 1880s about an outlaw interracial couple on the lam after stealing a small fortune so they can start a new life together. Initially thinking they are out of harm’s way, they perform a spiritual ceremony in hiding using a psychotropic substance to induce a days-long trip in search of enlightenment as to where they should retire to. Before they can sober up, they are ambushed by the gang they stole from and must escape while experiencing wild hallucinations.
My goal is to create a piece that feminizes the hypermasculine Western genre and challenge the assumed role of women in stories about the Wild West. I feel that many of our modern social ills including toxic masculinity, racism, and ingrained forms of manifest destiny, are rooted in not only this time in American history, but also in fictional representations of it.
• • • • • • • • • •
Bringing this story to life is no small feat, but I'm absolutely up to the challenge.
Where I need assistance is in getting to Axat so I can wrestle this puppy onto the page. I recently dumped my savings into a bunch of medical expenses which I am still paying off, so my personal finances have been exhausted. I'm launching this campaign with a goal of $4,000 as the absolute minimum, not including lost wages (which are well below what it takes to live "comfortably" in San Francisco).
I'll be embarking on my journey late August and returning the first week of October. The residency runs the entirety of September.
If I can crush this round of fundraising, here's what will be covered:
✔ Residency Fee $1,000
✔ Airfare $2,000
Additional lodging, transportation, grub, etc. $1,000
Funds raised beyond my initial goal will still go to the trip, as I’ve set a total budget goal for myself of $8,000. This also covers bills and rent for my apartment while I’m gone, a modest stipend for fun and leisure during breaks, and a contingency to ensure I’m covered if anything comes up. This is my first trip to Europe in 15 years and and will be my longest trip away from home. My top concern is being so afraid of going broke that it becomes a distraction from my writing.
This amount of money feels insurmountable to me at times, but the fact that this residency plopped into my lap like a lost kitten choosing me as it's new parent is just too wonderful a coincidence to not open this up to the friends, family, co-conspirators, and strangers that might want to help out. I started the year out by writing the words "The world wants my work in it" in my datebook, and it's been exhilarating seeing the ways in which this statement keeps manifesting.
Thank you for reading! Please feel free to message me, ask questions, or just say hey there, how are ya?
Kind Regards,
Alexa
Organizer
Alexa Fraser-Herron
Organizer
San Francisco, CA
