Here are the Week 1 blog items. Please read or watch by next Class Weds March 30. Most should open up in a new page. Return to this page and post a comment on at least one item in the comments section below
Goal-setting: Judge a goal by how well it changes your actions in the present moment-
http://sivers.org/goalsGoal Setting: Define your goal (your final destination) – then contact someone who’s there, and ask how to get there.
http://sivers.org/call-the-destination“What if you can’t Get Paid for doing your art?”
http://enteringtheprofessionmusicbiz.wordpress.com/2011/05/13/what-being-a-professional-means-maybe-you-cant-get-paid-for-doing-your-art/“Beware of turning Hobbies into Jobs”
http://enteringtheprofessionmusicbiz.wordpress.com/2011/05/13/pre-workshop-readingbeware-of-turning-hobbies-into-jobs/“This is a different time”- NY Times Article
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/19/business/economy/19grads.htmlAMANDA PALMER/“Nothing for Money”
http://www.ted.com/talks/amanda_palmer_the_art_of_asking#t-801637
http://amandapalmer.net/blog/20120919/
http://justincolletti.com/2012/09/13/in-response-to-amanda-palmer/
AUDIENCE “Why should they come?”
http://www.missionparadox.com/the_mission_paradox_blog/2014/03/delivering-the-feeling.htmlGETTING PAID FOR YOUR ART
Artistry in Action 
I Read: Goal-setting: Judge a goal by how well it changes your actions in the present moment http://sivers.org/goals
This blog post really made me think about goals in a slightly different way. I always thought that you set goals to improve your future but after reading this and thinking about it, I realized that we set goals to help give ourselves a push to complete those goals (which is taking action). I think our goals help us act in the present moment and those actions we take towards our goals some how lead us into our future. What I got from this is that we should set our goals and take actions towards them in the present. The future will be what it is, but en-order to promote change in our lives or meet a goal you have to be proactive in the present moment.
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Thanks for your comment Netty. I like your observation.
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While the goal setting article is stern and clear-cut, I really enjoyed it’s frankness. I’ve been thinking my goals were more clear-cut than I now realize. The best advice seems to always discourage you a little. This is the sort of thing I need now to make me realize if I can’t make significant changes at this very moment to get my goal started or if I’m not motivated to get something moving right now, even if it is small, it is not a goal worth currently focusing on.
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Andrew,
Thanks for the comment. This can be a helpful perspective. But remember it is only one lens through which to look at things. Long-term goals have a place too. As do dreams and wild ideas. We’ll talk more about both this term.
DG
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I read the article “Beware of Turning Hobbies into Jobs”
While I agree that there is a practical way of living life–working to sustain yourself financially and using that income as a means to pursue your interests–there is also a risk in being too practical. For artists, there is an inherent danger in pacifying creative energy on a generic 40+ hour a week job, just in case the pursuit of their passion burns them out. I’ve realized in my own life that it is very difficult to devote the majority of my energy to a demanding job then come home and work equally as hard on my passion.
The guy selling spoons failed in that he did not have additional interests to sustain himself emotionally. But is that a common issue for artists? For many artists (of all sorts), creative pursuits are never a straight line with one goal in mind. There is always creative dabbling and discovery, room for growth, change, and failure, and, most importantly, room to take a step back. Being practical in the art world is sound advice, but practicality should be used as a tool, for one, knowing when the pursuit is worth it and when it is not.
Spoonman could have lived his whole life wondering the quintessential, “What if,” but instead chose the pursuit. How many people would have applauded his courage for choosing never to do so?
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Carolyn,
I like your observation about using practicality as a took in decision-making, but not the be all and end all.
Here are a couple more posts along this same line of thinking that might also provide interesting perspectives on this issue.
(Sorry I don’t know how to put links in comments )
https://sivers.org/hellyeah
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Wow, many of these articles are inspiring and provide good perspectives to consider. I agree that the advice Derek Sivers gives on his blog was very helpful and confronting. I definitely struggle with motivation and accomplishing my artistic goals, so i feel i related to what he was saying and gleaned inspiration from the article.
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Jude,
Thanks for your comment. You will love “The War of Art”. Look forward to hearing your thoughts when you start reading it.
DG
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“On the other hand, poets don’t get paid.”
Yup. The more successful I’ve gotten as a poet, the more it’s cost me. Occasionally I’ve gotten paid for a performance or won a prize, but I realized pretty quickly that money wasn’t the end-game for poetry. Even when my first book came out and I was touring around and selling it to people I realized pretty quickly that the exchange rate in the poetry world is way disfavorable to making money. If you sell 50 books at full price maybe you make 300 dollars. If you’re a great performer, it’s going to take 10 nights to sell 50 poetry books, and each of those in a different city. This is not going to pay for the Greyhound. And anyways, there are maybe–maybe–two literary poets in the US who can/could live off their poetry, and to me their poetry is little better than “jingles”. And it depends on the jingle.
But then there’s the Slam crowd, and it’s like–I wish I could get on board with that aesthetic? I have four friends who have lived off slamming for at least a year… and the two who are still doing that are sober, if that tells you anything about that lifestyle.
I guess what I’m slowly making my way to is cost/benefit analysis is really hard! And way more complex than the time/money thing alone. I guess one of the perspectives I’m really trying to change in myself is to rise out of the resignation I came to in poetry about money–that art and cash don’t overlap, not really–and to figure out a good balance between the things I’ll do for free and the things I should require payment for. Basically, I can’t stop thinking about Making Your Life As An Artist even while reading these blog posts.
Donald
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AMANDA PALMER/“Nothing for Money”
In Response to Amanda Palmer
I would like to know how Justin Colletti feels about unpaid internships, which are very big in the arts and corporate world. Most of these companies are very wealthy yet they still hire interns which in my opinion isn’t a bad thing. Both parties are getting something out of this, the companies are minimizing spending and the intern is gaining the experience/”networking”. Amy Palmer isn’t deceiving the musicians by telling them they will be paid. The musicians knew exactly what they were getting into, and they aren’t getting the short end of the stick by any means. The musicians are gaining the exposure and experience through working with a well own artist, which I think is more valuable than money.
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The TED talk moved me deeply. In this digital age I have noticed an enormous disconnect with people. Engaging in conversation with strangers willingly as well as disconnecting from our devices would seem to benefit us all in so many ways. Amanda Palmer asking for help so that she can continue to make music and tour is creating this dialogue about people helping people. How often do we take time out of our daily lives to help someone. And how often do we remark on the significance and benefits to not just others, but ourselves. In doing so could we create a world more inviting and engaging. Palmer’s art of asking would seem to most jarring and shameful. But isn’t one of the redeeming qualities about being human, the ability to care and give, to help someone in need.
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This TED talk moved me deeply. In this digital age I have noticed an enormous disconnect with people. Engaging in conversation with strangers willingly as well as disconnecting from our devices would seem to benefit us all in so many ways. Amanda Palmer asking for help so that she can continue to make music and tour is creating this dialogue about people helping people. How often do we take time out of our daily lives to help someone. And how often do we remark on the significance and benefits to not just others, but ourselves. In doing so could we create a world more inviting and engaging. Palmer’s art of asking would seem to most jarring and shameful. But isn’t one of the redeeming qualities about being human, the ability to care and give, to help someone in need.
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All of these articles were really interesting and thought-provoking. The goal setting article was helpful in particular. I have often found myself setting big goals too far ahead in the future and getting discouraged on how I would achieve them. Focusing on the present and setting goals that I can take action on immediately definitely will help my motivation and help me succeed towards my long-term ones.
Reading the articles about turning your passion into a job was also interesting. I’ve found that it has and will be a struggle being in the field of art. It can be a blurry line when considering on when you do what you love for free, or when you deserve payment for your art. While of course it would be incredible to make a living from your passion, it’s very easy for that joy and love to disappear in the desire to get paid. There have been a lot of successful people who are creating art and making money, but there have also been a lot of failures. I am very passionate about what I do and what I want in my art, and I need to make sure I never lose that.
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