I wrote Glitch while working a full-time day job in an unrelated industry, in the 18 months after a major bereavement and almost going broke, and with *brain stuff*. It got to VAULT only because I made it happen in the same circumstances.

This industry ignores those realities.

Which is another way of saying: it's really easy to feel inferior when you don't have access to the same development opportunities as the people you're up against, because you can't afford to take a month off the day job because it might not be there when you get back.

And, frankly, the industry treats you as inferior for the same reasons.

Wanna improve diversity? If you're not looking at class and disability, and actively challenging your own biases about how those things can affect work output, it's just optics.

fwiw I don't want a gold fucking star. People who've read and seen Glitch have told me how much it meant to them; it's them I wrote it for.

I do want this industry to start actually reckoning with the fact the starting points aren't equal, and that gets perpetuated.

tl;dr you can't address structural inequalities by rewarding them, that only entrenches them

ps. this is obvs a rant but I do want to give a shout-out to @becm42 who, somehow, saw the potential in that incredibly scrappy second draft I sent with my VAULT app, and worked to get us a slot that welcomed everyone back in March

Anyway. Basically what I'm saying is fuck entrenched inequalities in the arts and all those who perpetuate them!

Oh and also fuck the entrenched inequalities that dictate you are only 'worthy' if you have the right schemes and competitions on your CV, which usually favour those advantaged by the exact same inequalities. If you want diverse voices, stop judging it for being outside the norm.

(and I'd really love it if it wasn't just me shouting into the void on this one, because we all know it. We can't keep bringing in diverse voices only on their ability to keep up with a system stacked against them. But, alas, that seems like it's going to have to be another day.)

Oh and also stop requiring us to be 'exceptional' from the off to justify you allowing one of us through every few decades. If those with more money and thus access are allowed to be mediocre while they develop, you're - what now? entrenching inequalities!

(I think I'm done now)

Oh actually final note (God I hope it is we're all tired), lest anybody say otherwise: I'm really proud of Glitch, and everything else I've written. The issue isn't me or my ability. It's the industry's blind spots that mean they can't see it's the difference that makes me boss.