Posts Tagged ‘Fundraising’

Detroit Hip Hop Artists Capitalize on Social Networks

Monday, January 31st, 2011

You have heard from Hubert Sawyers III on this blog before and this time he is telling the story about a hip hop artist he is working with personally to build a grassroots campaign to fund his debut album via Kickstarter. From “Progress Report: Using Social Capital to Generate Startup Capital,”

When I first met David Allie Strauss aka D. Allie, I was not aware that he would become someone that I would be in constant contact with years down the road. Back then, D. was just another dude that I would share the occasional microphone. I have since retired my dreams of hip hop supremacy, but I am glad to see Dave still at it. He has impressed me with his growing cachet from years of performing, bartending and overall hustle to make his dream a reality. As a former brother-in-the-struggle in the realm of music, I realize music is mainly seen as just entertainment to the end-user and most artists aka entertainers rarely have the end-user in mind. These days, me and D. are on the verge of becoming business partners, mainly because he understands the end-user aka YOU are his boss(es). (Emphasis mine.)

Ah, if only every artist thought like this. It is important to embrace the fact that your audience is your customer, and your customer is your boss. Your job is to make them feel special, wanted, needed, (and if you are Justin Bieber), loved.

I met Dallie a year or two ago at a Tweetup as well as seeing him around town and I remember him distinctly, mostly because he was a nice person. He remembered me and bothered to take time to chat. Maybe he was thinking ahead, maybe he knew, two years ago, the importance of social capital, maybe the fact that he did not blow me off like a lot of cooler-than-though artists do is the reason I donated to his Kickstarter campaign and genuinely want to see him succeed.

Maybe? Absolutely.

A common theme I see creeping up in arts blogs as well as conversations “in the field” is a very us vs. them mentality. From the tone of the writing to the ideas expressed, there is very little that makes me want to be a part of the arts community online, despite the fact that I have every reason in the world to be wholly invested: I consider myself an artist, I come from a family of fine artists, musicians, composers, dancers, and actresses, and uh, I write a blog dedicated to the arts. And to be perfectly honest, most art blogs turn me off. There is so much complaining, so much name-calling, so much blaming for the state of affairs the arts are in, and little responsibility, little genuine community-building, and little problem-solving. (I may be missing something – so please, leave links in the comments.)

So, when I see this project, from someone I’ve met, who was nice to me, who isn’t a complainer…but a doer…I’m all about it, and you should be too.

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Posted in Art, Current Events, Fundraising, Links of Interest, Music, Relevant Blogs | No Comments »

Artists: Do You Feel Compelled to Work for Free or Barter?

Monday, April 12th, 2010
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I found this conversation-starter on ArtsBizBlog to be a good one and enjoyed reading the comments that rolled in. The dilemma:

Sometimes it’s great to trade your art for a service or other product.

Then there are the times when you don’t really want what the other person is offering.

Matthew Kowalski wants to know: “What is the polite, friendly way of saying you would prefer to be paid with money?”

I particularly liked commenter “Carla’s” approach:

I have a barter policy written, and I can refer to it for these conversations. It is not posted for the public, but it reminds me of my boundaries.
The high points include:
Barter agreements are for no more than 50% of the price of the work.
I will discuss barter only if I am in profit that month.
I have a limited number of barter sales I will consider in the calendar year.
If I do not want what the other person is offering, I suggest a payment plan. In fact, that option is part of any barter discussion.

She’s one smart cookie. An unofficial or official barter and sales policy could go a long way to making those awkward “So, how much do you charge for something like this?” or “Would you be willing to reduce your price/barter/do this for free?” conversations go much more smoothly.

I barter my voice teaching services (in fact, that is how I scored this lovely web design as well as some incredible martial arts lessons from an Olympic athlete!) – so I think barter is appropriate in many situations where you really feel the value received meets or exceeds what you are offering (the definition of free and fair trade, actually).

However, I find truly valuable barter propositions are few and far between, especially when they are framed as “exposure.” Commenter “Erika” shares my annoyance at being asked to perform at events for mere exposure,

I get this all the time with the exchange being use of my art for ‘exposure’. I don’t want any more exposure – I want money! But they always seem to find an artist willing to do the freebie (I used to do that too, until I learned better).

Don’t get me wrong, exposure is great and incredibly important for artists who have no resume and are trying to build a reputation – but I’m not. I’m no superstar, but I have reached a level of involvement in teaching and performing where I’m satisfied and I do not need to do a bunch of free gigs to get my name out.

Furthermore, I already do a lot of free singing for things I think are important based on principle (part of my unofficial policy I suppose) – from volunteering my services for arts organizations trying to raise money, to celebrate and/or represent my ethnic heritage at a music festival, or for funerals and memorial services in particular – I often don’t feel right accepting money when I am  asked to sing for these types of events.

However, I feel that all too often, artists are undervaluing themselves and are afraid to put a high enough price tag on their talents, even though the competition can be fierce – with so many other artists willing to gig for free – at a certain point you need to start charging adequate prices for your services, especially if you are a proven talent.

A friend who is an accompanist quoted his rate to me once and I know he saw my eyes turn into giant saucers. He responded with, “Look, I’m not charging to put on a tux and show up for the 2 hour gig. I’m charging for the years I’ve spent practicing, the uniqueness of my repertoire, and the debt I’ve amassed educating myself – I am charging for my expertise, not just my body on the piano bench. That’s what doctors do!” All artists should have that kind of confidence to assess their skills and charge adequate prices for their services.

But pricing can be a confounding thing and there is no one-size-fits-all-artists solution, so if you are interested in more advice about pricing, I highly recommend some pages out of my favorite micro-business and entrepreneurism blogger’s playbook, Naomi Dunsford of IttyBiz, who writes about pricing strategies:

How Do I Figure Out Pricing?

Goldilocks on Pricing, or Why You Might Not Want to Charge $5 for your Ebook

Remember, as an artist, you are also an entrepreneur as you are often a one man or one woman show trying to prove yourself and your art/talent as a product in a mass market. You need to not only learn business skills but have the guts to implement them by assessing, then asserting your worth to potential buyers in the marketplace.

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Posted in Art, Creative Careers, Economics, Finance, Financial Planning, Links of Interest, Relevant Blogs | 8 Comments »

More Loveland to Love

Sunday, March 7th, 2010

For those of you who caught my original post about Jerry Paffendorf’s Loveland – he’s since been featured on NPR as well as announced he’s coming out with Loveland Season 2 Pre-Game: The Legend of the Ghost Inches which means, in plain english,

The second property hasn’t been purchased yet, so Jerry calls the investments “ghost inches.” When you purchase an inch, you get a nice little deed package containing a magnifying glass to better survey your territory. The little money from deed sales goes back into the project. He also hopes to use the “profits” to provide microgrants to other innovative urban development projects in the city.

Again, I’m a fan of this quirky idea. I only wish the property being inch-auctioned off was the glorious ruins of Michigan Central Station. Then again, would having tons of micro-investors help the historical site fare any better?

I’ll be curious to see how, and if, the micro-investing concept evolves. What kind of steps will micro-owners take to develop their tiny plots, if any? Or will it be just a novelty like when your high school boyfriend bought a star and named it after you? (Yes, there is a star out there with my name on it, I even have the coordinates.)

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Posted in Art, Creative Careers, Creativity, Current Events, Economics, Fundraising | No Comments »

Deaccessioning Fury

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

Deaccessioning is a topic that is incredibly dicey to discuss. A museum’s art collection is its lifeline, and many would argue, and many feel that siphoning off a bit here or there to make ends meet is tantamount to a slow and certain death. However convincing and gut-wrenching this logic may be – it is not 100 per cent true. Because as we all know, (and as I odiously remind readers) money makes the world – and museums – go ’round.

Art critic and cultural writer Judith H. Dobrzynski discussed, and supported deaccessioning in a recent New York Times op-ed, The Art of the Deal,

Many people don’t understand the problem. If the choice is between allowing a museum to fail (or make crippling cutbacks) and selling some art, what’s the big deal? Sell art! Most museums, after all, hold many works they have no room to display and stuff them into back rooms and off-site storage facilities. If museums are allowed to cull their collections to raise money to buy more art, why can’t they sell those very same pieces to solve their financial problems?

I agree with Ms. Dobrzynski – the choice seems to be very simple to me. If interested in the ensuing debate, she has posted a rebuttal to many common objections here. The main concerns seem to be with the idea that once deaccessioning begins – what is to stop it from happening ad nauseum? I have a difficult time believing pandemonium would ensue simply because deaccessioning was allowed – but then again – I’m wholly uninformed of the history, administration, and legal issues of running museums.

However, I tend to agree with Ms. Dobrzynski’s idea that the strictest form of the deaccessioning rule could be lessened. Perhaps it could be based on some overall financial metric such as – “If the museum hasn’t paid it’s bills for a period of 60 days, deaccessioning is allowed with board majority approval.” Or something. I’m not a lawyer nor have I any experience with museum administration – so I cannot say how realistic or lawful such a clause is, but I cannot imagine it would be impossible.

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A Scathing Admonition for The Artist

Thursday, December 10th, 2009

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.

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Posted in Creative Careers, Fundraising | 2 Comments »

Kissing Up to the Arts

Sunday, August 23rd, 2009
Disclaimer reads: We reserve the right to refuse service to creeps.

Disclaimer reads: We reserve the right to refuse service to creeps.

I love when I come across fun and creative ideas for arts fundraising. Check out this kissing booth in Helsinki at their annual Night of the Arts. The photo to the left is an example of what a booth could look like. I suppose you should be prepared for some weirdness and hope the health department doesn’t shut your operation down!

Does anyone else have unique fundraising ideas they can share? Fundraising is a perennial problem for arts organizations large and small. The organizations who excel using their creativity and entrepreneurial spirit are going to last the test of time.

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Posted in Capitalism, Creativity, Fundraising | 1 Comment »

 
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