In August 2025 I applied to The Arts Council of Northern Ireland for a Major Individual Artist Award.
The stipulations for applying for such an award are as follows.
The Major Individual Artist Awards are intended to create the circumstances in which established artists with national / international recognition may develop extended or ambitious work. Your proposal should result in a significant creative outcome. Costs can be for specific projects, specialised research, personal artistic development and materials/equipment. Four awards of up to £15,000 each are being offered in 2025/26.
The first part of this process was that I had to be accepted in order to submit an application. Practically, this meant before I was allowed to fill in the application I had to submit my interest to the appropriate arts officer to see if I met the criteria to apply for this award. I was accepted. I applied. And in September 2025 I got the answer I was waiting for.
Thanks to the Funding of The Arts Council of Northern Ireland and National Lottery Fund in 2025-2026 I became the first artist from the circus arts & magic world to be awarded a Major Individual funding award for £15,000.00.
Alongside my own funding, this award allowed me to study with my magician and mentor, Hyunjoon Kim, for a full year. This involved organising and partaking in three trips to Korea to engage in thirty-six, two-and-a-half hour longs lessons (that’s ninety hours) of manipulation.
Most importantly, this funding allowed me to take the time off work to focus on this learning process alone. Very few artists get the time to do that in our careers, let alone our lifetime.
This funding (alongside my own fundraising) also financed return flights, accomodation, travel insurance and artist fees for both my mentor and myself for the duration of each trip. The hire of a room to facilitate the lessons together and for me to rehearse solo in. The funding supported me to pay for equipment required for the lessons. This included extra manipulation balls, manipulation cards and fanning cards.
Finally, I was also able to purchase Roy Bensons book; Benson by Starlight, which is an essential for all stage performers and manipulators. This book will aid and further my knowledge in this field and thanks to the Arts Council it will be with me on my artistic journey for many years to come, as both a reference and guide.
The goal I originally wanted to achieve by securing this funding was to become the best performer of magic and person that I can be.
To pursue this dream, I’ve had do things that I have never done before. Step into an area of magic I had simply no idea just how difficult it could be. More importantly, I had to find the grit inside me (no matter how hard it got) to believe in myself and keep going, every step of the way.
This process has taught me so much about myself. I am braver than I thought I was and tougher than I give myself credit for. And, in completing this project I have achieved something that no-one in the magic industry has ever done before!
What effect has this funding had upon my work as an artist? My End of year evaluation.
After a full year of working with my mentor, this process has become more than just studying manipulation because I have grown. I enjoy watching myself performing on stage now. I practice way more hours than I perform and because of this my standard of live performance has risen quite significantly. Colleagues in magic have noticed a huge difference in both my ability and performance style.
I move on stage with a confidence I simply never would have dreamed of having. That belief in my actions has come from learning to think about every little detail in the way my mentor does. The tableau’s I create on stage for audience’a to look at are cleverly designed by observing my movements and aiming to emphasise the beauty in what I do. The ultimate goal for me is to create a pleasurable æsthetic for my audiences. I am convinced that this goal would simply never have been realised without studying with Hyunjoon Kim.
Choosing to work and bring someone else into my creative journey wasn’t an easy decision. I knew right from the beginning that if I wanted to become good at this incredibly difficult skill in magic I needed to learn from an expert. At the end of this journey I still believe that this was the right decision. Taking one-on-one in-person lessons meant learning the correct way to perform moves right from the beginning of this process. Has it been tough? Yes. But you don’t train with a two-time world champion and it not be an intense experience!
Together, my mentor and I have shared both the highs and lows in this process. We have laughed together, sighed and yelled in frustration together. I am pleased to say we are now good friends and have become a team. I trust him and he believes in me. To have someone with me during this intense period of learning and growing has been a relief. So many artists choose to create in isolation. The process would still happen of course however, I feel this journey has been more satisfying and rewarding having someone there with me every step of the way.
End of year report from Hyunjoon Kim
Nikola was very clumsy at first, but little by little she showed great improvement. I felt very proud of that. Thanks to her passion and dedication, I was also able to teach with even more effort and enthusiasm.
The lessons were very enjoyable, and her passion truly made a deep impression on me.
Nikola should be proud of all she has achieved in this short space of time. Manipulation is one of the most difficult skills in magic to learn. It takes time, patience and discipline to achieve great performance In this style.
She has made a very good impression on Korean magicians by choosing to come to Korea and study in person. This dedication should be recognised and commended.
Nikola has almost certainly gained a good grasp of the Foundations in manipulation and I look forward to continuing to mentor her to greater things to come.
With regards,
Hyunjoon Kim
12th May 2026
I cannot wait to see where this journey takes me. Adventure and Magic awaits!
