Don’t Wait to Create

Ever been rejected?

If you’re a performing artist the answer is a resounding yes.

It’s a part of life.

However, that should not dictate how often you produce art. 

I recently put a post on LinkedIn encouraging my viewers to not wait for acceptance. So often people ask permission or wait to receive some sort of acceptance and the truth is we don’t need it. 

Create and fight for your dreams. 

This is not a “pull up your bootstraps” attitude, this is a “you don’t need other people or institutions to approve of your vision, idea or project” attitude.  

However, it is unrealistic to think that this is sustainable if it doesn’t produce any profit over time and I think this is where artists are deterred, and for good reason. This is where people come to a crossroads and make a choice whether to continue or stay for the long haul. I am not going to pretend that creating while being under-resourced is easy but I want you to hang in there and be defiant to your circumstances and know that you are not alone.

Here are my thoughts regarding how to continue to be creative and make a living.

Don’t quit your day job 

You need to make a living so you cannot just say no more and walk away unless you have the financial resources to do that.  I do not and I don’t recommend doing that. All work is good work and regularly interacting with people is important.  Work is more than a paycheck, it's also social.  When you don’t work there is a void because you lose more than just the income you lose the connection of other people.  

So how do you continue to work and create and not get burned out? Here’s my next point.

Schedule it and get hyper-specific

Scheduling things means it’s a priority.  Your work as an artist is a priority so treat it as such. Put it on the calendar and commit to it. If you make it simple you can achieve it. That is why you need to be ultra specific.

The next thing that you are going to do is be hyper-specific.  This means you pick one thing and accomplish it. It could be finding out venue prices or hiring someone for a specific position or even learning the first page of music.

I believe these two things are the “make it or break it points” because you need to progress each day with your art.  You just need to do at least 1% each day. In doing this, you are creating a routine and this will motivate you to continue working as an artist. There is a lot of power in consistency.

Put a time stamp on it and assess your resources 

Deadlines can be stressful, remember that in school. Let’s recalibrate and change our mindset.  Deadlines are good because they allow you to become more focused. They can be a great tool to create and to get busy.  Once you have a time frame, review your resources. This will allow you to get specific on what you can do.  Resources can range from people, money, studio space and whatever else you need to create.

Be prepared to make do with what you have, which will feel like not enough. Here comes my next point.

Skeletonize and strategize 

You don’t need a big grand master plan, you just need to start with the bare-bones version.  Low-risk factors are always important when starting. The point of doing this is not to blow your budget or have the project or event be impossible and stressful. The goal is to create and produce experience so you can move forward to the next steps in your art career. Keep it as simple as possible. Create a plan that allows you to produce with the least amount of complications and stress.  Make sure you keep records of everything, especially when it comes to resources.  Receipts, invoices, a list of your current employees, artists, staff all of these aspects are critical for your following steps. You will need this information for the future.

In addition to creating your plan, some questions that you should be asking are: 

Is my project viable, how can I get this project to work with what I have, what are the core aspects to this project, and how will this project impact others?  These questions must be answered and don’t be afraid to answer them, these answers will guide your next move. If you see a gap what can you fill it with or what can you leave out? These are tough decisions but these questions will liberate you once you answer them.

Find your people

This is another crucial step because you need a tribe.  Having people on your side can really be a blessing. 

Be able to answer this question:

Who else can you collaborate with and who will come to my event? 

Again, start small and make sure that your event is as accessible as possible.  If you can do a double-bill or create something that involves multiple artists that’s even better because each of you plays off the other.  However, make sure you clearly communicate your intentions, what people’s roles are and what resources are available and not available.  Always be upfront about that because you want to build community and trust and grow together not create misunderstandings or conflict.

Do it!

Once you have your space, event date, people it’s time to go for it. You’re an artist, you thrive on the unexpected and the unknown and you can handle the art of performing, which is why you are doing this in the first place.

Enjoy the moment, focus and interact with your audience. Try to stay in contact with them so you can re-engage with them in the near future. If you have a mailing list that would be a great way to continue the conversation.

Review, Assess, Optimize - then start a proposal draft

Bravo, you got it done and now it’s time to move to the next steps.  One of the things that you need to do to garner support is to gain trust and that means proving that you are an expert and that you have your act together.  Remember I mentioned keeping records, well now you have them.  Remember that problem of lack of experience, you have some. You can provide a more accurate budget, know who you need to hire, know what type of space works best and probably so much more and this is because you created your own experience.  

In addition to gaining potential support from your experience, you probably learned a lot about yourself and your tolerance levels.  Being a performing artist and working in the entertainment industry is not for the faint-hearted.  You are doing something that is really extraordinary. You have the tenacity, know-how and initiative which is a huge step and all because you decided to take matters into your own hands.  

Good luck with all of your endeavors, don’t allow setbacks to hold you back.  Creating art is also about persevering and making it with what you have. 

You can do it, start small and don’t wait.