I was delighted today to come across this lively, and at times, painfully honest speech given by Ismail Mahomed of South Africa’s National Arts Festival. I recommend reading Arts Entrepreneurship Can Smash the Begging Bowl it in its entirety. He begins,

When for far too long we have attributed the term “artist” to an individual or organisation that holds a paintbrush in one hand and a begging bowl in the other hand, is it possible to associate the term “artist” with the now much brandished about term “economic development”?

Mahomed is adamant that individual artists are obligated to change this stereotype, that is, if they expect to make a living and to be taken seriously,

How much of this can be attributed to the fact that the artists have often define themselves in the ways which serve to entrench their un-employability and their positions of poverty? Take a walk down Commissioner Street in Johannesburg and ask any entrepreneur what he or she does. The answer will be clear and unambiguous. “I am a banker” or “I sell insurance” or “I am a lawyer”, “Here is my business card”.

Conversely, walk around the Newtown precinct and ask any artist what work he or she does and you are likely to receive an answer such as, “Eish! I am an artist. Sometimes, I sing. Sometimes, I dance. Sometimes, I act. But eish! It’s tough so I try to do anything.”

Often, the “I can do anything” doesn’t reinforce the versatility of the artist. In fact, the message that it conveys is that the artist is a Jack of all trades and a master of none. In an environment where there is a shortage of resources for the making of art; and where there is a competition for the limited resources, the artist can no longer afford to be complacent about his or her career.

I have had the honor of knowing or meeting many working artists (meaning they make their entire living from the arts). They all have one thing in common: keen business sense and artistic direction. Without naming names, many times these people are not always the most talented, and in fact, they are quite amused to tell you this. A famous composer I once met told me about how there were so many more students more talented than he, but he simply worked harder than any of them and has had a wildly successful career as a composer.

Mahomed’s example reminds me of when I was once criticized for not being a “real artist” because I had little experience begging on the street corners of New York City for people to come see my Off-Off-Broadway show. Now, that strikes me as a peculiar qualifier. I would hope that an artist can be defined by a combination of talent and marketability, whether on the streets of New York, or here in Detroit.

Another “real artist” I once met became very annoyed when I asked him “what kind of music he composes.” He looked extremely put out, and then, as if doing me some kind of favor, gave a speech about the ineffable in art and how his music is beyond definition. Wow. Maybe that kind of bumptious discourse lands him oodles of commissioned work, but my guess is that it does not.

Knowing that these people exemplify the commonly accepted definitions of “real artists,” I’m more than happy to be excluded from their company. Yes, perhaps I am a bit more career-oriented than most “artists,” and perhaps I don’t have a career that most “artists” would call “real art-making,” but that is no matter to me. What I do know is that a “real artist” can and should sell his work and make a living at it.