My heart is full to bursting with the ideas and insights I garnered from the World Domination Summit this past weekend. There are professional conferences, and then there are events like WDS. If you don’t know Chris Guillebeau, you’re missing out. What in the world is WDS, you ask?
Well, it’s not a conference for super-villains, though my poor Canadian friends may have had a hard time explaining that to the Customs Agents – sorry guys.
Imagine bringing together 1,000 artists, entrepreneurs, intellectuals and nomads who are audacious enough to believe that they can change the world, and asking them, “How do you live an unconventional life in a conventional world?” That was the theme of this year’s conference.
The answers may surprise you, and I want to share with you some of what I learned.
A Quick Shout Out
I was excited to hear that a number of friends and clients of TAA were in attendance at the Summit. I finally got to meet Alyson Stanfield in person, and hang out with my business partner Melissa Dinwiddie. We had a lovely dinner with a handful of artists, including Cynthia, Lisa, Anne, Christine, and Kelly and others (where were all of the men?). I ran into Inna the next day – watch out for her. She’s going to take the world by storm.
I also got to meet the inimitable Michelle Ward, who I have been Internet Friends with for years. She brought the house to its feet with her deceptively humble song about beating Boob Cancer.
These artists and creative souls are my online (and real life, now) tribe, and I am so grateful for all of your creativity and open-heartedness (yes, I’m making up words now). I learned a bunch just by being around you. I know there were a bunch of you that I left out – there were just that many cool people! Know that I love you and TAA supports you!
Artists Should Take the Lead
There was something that was made very clear to me before the end of the first talk by Brene Brown. We are entering an age of creativity. The age where we became more efficient, more knowledgeable, is coming to its peak, if not already past. If our society is going to continue to evolve and become more enlightened, artists must step forward and begin to take their place as leaders. Brene’s work is brilliant, no doubt, but I can’t help but be vexed at the fact that Brene is using science to advance ideas that artists have been using at the core of their process for generations. Here are a few nuggets:
- unused creativity becomes a disease that festers from within
- creativity is better than cynicism and contribution is better than criticism
- your experiences (read: your art) cannot exceed your capacity to be vulnerable
Brene, and other scientists like her, are coming to realize that the heart and soul feed the mind and body. There’s an unseen world out there that we draw on to create the world we see, and artists are more practiced at doing that than perhaps any other profession. I had a wonderful discussion with Cynthia Morris about this and we agree: artists need to take the lead in their own communities in order to guide, and guard, this change. More on this in the weeks and months to come here at TAA.
Charity: Water
Did you know that there are many families in Africa and other parts of the world where the nearest source of water is a four hour walk away, and that even then it may not be clean?
Without going on too much here, know that my wife and I are giving up our 10 year wedding anniversary in order to donate enough money to build a couple of wells. I’m also giving up my 32nd birthday. More to come on that too. If you want to know how you can help, feel free to let me know. It only takes $5,000 to build a well that will supply an entire village with clean water.
An Expanded Vision for TAA
I know many of you expect to hear a lot about internet marketing here at TAA. Don’t worry, that’s not going away – we’re just expanding the vision. Our mission is to Dispel the Myth of the Starving Artist, which means that there is other work to be done beyond simply teaching you how to push better buttons on the Internet. The world needs artists who are willing to step up and do a little more, be a little more.
As artists, we need to be better at making our ideas happen, at convincing the world of the value of art – of convincing ourselves of the value of art. Then we need to understand what the core skills are that we have, and help the rest of the world harness those skills for the better of everyone.
As Tara Gentile said in her great WDS session, the world is not going back to what it was before the recession that started in 2008. This is the new normal – so what are going to do about it?
Finally – a request.
At the end of the conference, Chris Guillebeau got up on stage and talked about the Parable of the Talents.
I know the story from the Bible, and it goes something like this – a powerful man goes on a trip and before he leaves, he gives some money to three of his servants, asking them to care for the money while he’s gone on his long trip.
When he returns, the first man hasn’t grown the money at all. Another has grown it a little. The third grew it ten-fold. The third servant is handsomely rewarded by his master and given all of what the first had.
“But why did he give them the money in the first place?” Chris asked. Who knows? Chris decided he wanted to find out.
So, with the help of a private donor, Chris and his team handed out a $100 bill to everyone in attendance (1,000 people – yes, they gave away $100,000), as they left, and asked them to “invest it in someone else.”
My initial thought is to invest it in a micro-loan to an artist who would never be able to bring their art to the world without the assistance. I’m not sure how to do that, or even where to begin.
So, I ask you, TAA community, to leave your response, here in the comments, to the following questions:
- Who should we invest this cash in?
- How should we do it?
- How can you help?
Cory,
It was great to get to meet some of the other artists at WDS, thanks again for making it happen. There is something to the role artists can play, and have always played in the culture that can be enhanced with attention. Artists have always been trailblazers. This energy is not new, it’s just coming to the attention of a wider range of people. Not sure where it is all going, but I do know I am incredibly grateful for the wisdom I have gleaned from being an artist for many years.
@cmartell It was great to meet you too! That was a fun dinner, even if it was a little bit cramped!
re: $100
What follows may be a babbling brainstorm…and I don’t know if the $100 can kick-start this…but maybe, if the idea catches on…it will grow…to something else…
I have felt for a very long time that there should be a “scholarship/grant” fund for artists to be able to apply for funding to go to something like WDS. There are SO MANY of us “lacking the registration and traveling funds” to be able to go to something like this…to be FED and MOTIVATED…
It’s a strange Catch-22.
I have a business selling my art.
I gather as much as I can from books, internet, youtube, etc etc… “free information” if you will, to be able to thrive…to be able to GET to the point of “YAY…I sold enough pieces to go to WDS!!!”
GOING to WDS could be the very thing to bring up that ONE IDEA that would shoot me out there…yet…I can not afford to go…so how to I shoot out there…
see what I mean?
(note: I am not selling myself as the needy one…well…maybe a little bit…)
((as for me…I am waiting for all my favorite bloggers to start writing about their experiences from WDS so that I can glean some knowledge…to apply…to thrive…))
Artists are visionaries. There needs to be something in place to support the artist visionary…how many are tucked away…needing just a little extra ‘something’ to get them on a plane, in a hotel room, into the conference room…sitting with all of you.
Scholarship/Grant Fund for the Business and Inner Development of the Artist Visionary.
@Lisa Kewish Thanks for sharing! I agree that it would be great to get something started for the artists in need of assistance. How to do that with $100…? Perhaps something like a perpetual eduction fund, where artists borrow and pay back?
Hi Cory,
I am glad you shared the bible story of the talents. I am interested in sharing somehow. I have been wondering how my pet portraits and prints might be able to support a local cat or dog rescue. YOUR SO RIGHT, there are so many needs in the world and I would like to help out in my local community. Please let me know any ideas you may have. Not sure of this (One idea was to ask local restaurants to participate in a traveling exhibit of my work and any print or painting that sells I would donate a portion.) Any Comments?
@renee123 That’s a great idea. Partnering with a local charity that supports pets is a great idea. Set your wholesale or reserve price, and anything that goes above that goes to the charity. Work with that charity’s marketing team to make it happen. I also like the idea of touring the paintings around local businesses before doing the auction – then more people get to see and get excited about the paintings!
Auspicious salutations to everyone!
Much pleasure to be here with you, following this great work!
Here go my answers:
1) We should invest this cash on a poor visual artist, probably a graffeteer, from a favela in Brazil;
2) You should open a contest in Portuguese. Leveling by any other criteria than talent could lead you by the wrong way. You can make sure the contestant lives in a favela by asking him to send a picture of his house, I dunno, maybe;
3) I can help because I live in Sao Paulo, where the biggest South American favela is. I can help because I can translate short texts into Portuguese and Spanish, so you can reach also all Latin Americans from all corners of this continent. I surely can help because I’m in touch with some people doing graffiti and maybe they’d like the idea.
I’d love to translate all your material into Portuguese and opening here
O Artista Próspero (TAA in Portuguese)
Thank you so much for the attention!
May it benefit all beings!!!
@RafaelRoldan Thanks so much! That’s along the lines of my original idea – and I like it. I look forward to hearing what other ideas TAA readers have over the next couple of days!
@CoryHuff I just can’t wait to see all the other good ideas those art lovers you have will toss on the table! 😀
Love this idea – I am thinking about kiva.org – the place where you can loan as little as $25 to someone in another part of the world – I would love to see TAA community do something similar, but for artists/village artisans – not necessarily persons wanting to set up little farmsteads…and perhaps help the people of villages identify the art they already make but may not consider art, teach them how to make other types of art using what they have readily available…perhaps the loans would be to help bring that one piece of equipment or supply that they need to complete their work…and then of course somehow the TAA community could be a place where the work is promoted – until the artists can promote it themselves (which brings us to the point of what kind of technology could African villagers utilize, if any?)
Just a few brainstorm thoughts!
@fort.cindy Thanks Cindy! Do you know of an easy way to identify artists in need the way that Kiva works with everyone else?
@CoryHuff Not necessarily “easy” – and I do believe Kiva works with artists, too (so I/we could ask how they do it) – but I wonder if the beginning could look like this: a trip (by you or you and Melissa) to a country/town/village that is having a well dug through the water charity project – with eyes to see what the art of the area is, who the artists are – very face to face…I like the idea of broadening the vision and helping others. One thing that I think could be woven in is “practical art” – like pottery dishes with coordinating decorative pieces and that are very decorative by themselves; Specific “rite of passage” art and the meaning behind it, as Melissa’s ketubah art; and I the American quilt is an art form, as is weavings and wood carving and fabric constructions across many cultures…perhaps the “niche” TAA would best fit is a person whose basic needs have been accomplished (like clean water, food, shelter) and they are ready to move into becoming self-sufficient through their artistic trade.
Perhaps as Rafeal Roldan outlined below would be the way to identify individual recipients (which requires some technology – how to reach poor artists that don’t have the technology that we in TAA have? I don’t know). Maybe the individual donors would be able to donate to the artist/medium they choose, or have the option to donate to a general fund…
@fort.cindy Not a bad idea Cindy. Putting together a trip to Africa might be expensive, but it could be done if it would be beneficial to the cause. I like the idea of TAA sponsoring emerging artists from different parts of the world. This needs some more thought on my part.
Hey Cory, the conference sounds wonderful. And you sound so inspired. What a wonderful thing to carry away with you.
Following along the lines of your idea about a micro-loan to an artist who wouldn’t be able to bring their at to the world otherwise, I offer a service called Getting to Exhibition: Practical Coaching for Artists. (You can read about it at http://www.grasslandsgallery.com/exhibition-coaching-artists if you like.) It’s for artists who are already producing and ready to take their art to the world. I offer support with concrete, usable coaching on exhibition applications, venues, promotion, and other relevant needs, tailored to the individual’s goals.
I would offer to turn your $100 into $250 by accepting two clients of TAA’s choice – you could make that choice any way you like – for a single, intense and communication-packed one-hour session each. This would probably work best for an English-speaking artist in North America who is interested in public or commercial gallery exhibition. This is way different from targeting third world artists who live in poverty – it’s another way of looking at assisting artists to bring their work to the world.
I look forward to hearing all the rest of directions your readers have to suggest! All the best to all of you.
@LaureenMarchand Thanks Laureen. This is certainly a worthwhile endeavor.
Hi Corey! I knew that the conference was going to be exceptional and am happy to read about some of your experiences.
I’ve just become involved in a new project called Gifts Of Compassion. We are11 artists using creativity to survive chronic illness, disabilities and/or major life challenges, and we offer others a simple, creative way to plant seeds of healing, connection and joy within their own lives via postcard art available in our new Etsy shop.
I’d love for you to read about our project! The info page is http://beautyofsorrow.blogspot.com/p/about-beauty-of-sorrow.html
Gifts of Compassion was only started about two months ago, but it’s already providing me with a very small income and we hope to help each one of our participants become more self-sufficient!
Blessings to you…
Hi Cory,
I am a new TAA follower and am loving it! So firstly.. Thank you!
Secondly… The conference sounded so inspiring! We are trying to hard here to build up our art community again and your webpage is an inspiration to me!
I am a Zimbabwean citizen and artist so know all about and see on a daily basis the struggles of people in this part of the world particularly in obtaining clean water! I love your idea to help in the building of wells and when i read it, i thought my story may be of interest to you, (and i will keep it brief as this is not a woe-us story!)
I grew up on a farm in Zimbabwe which was taken away from my family in 2002 during the land invasions implemented by President Mugabe. My parents had purchased and built up the farm for 25 years so when it was swept from under their feet over night without warning, they were of course beyond devastated and left with nothing!
As a result of the chaos we endured over that period of time, they (and most farmers) were forced out of the country to start-up else where… now…10 years down the line, and with much forgiveness, my father has moved back to our beloved country and is in the process of starting to a project to provide Zimbabweans with fresh / or in most cases ANY water and has been working with local aid companies to help provide funds to build water tanks. He has re-registered an old water tank company and is now on a mission to help, in some way rebuild Zimbabwe.
I am so proud of what he is doing and i know he would help in any way he could assist in providing water to one of the areas here in need!
If you are interested i will gladly help with more information!
Thanks again for your great work!
@nicolesanderson Thanks for stopping by to say hi! I’d love to talk to you more about this idea. I’ll reach out directly.
@CoryHuff Thanks Cory! I look forward to hearing from you.:)
i think you should invest it in your local art center. that’s what i would do with it if i was given the $100. We just recently got a new director and assistant director for ours (McGroarty Art Center) and these young women have just exploded their presence in the community thru a juried art show, art fair and weekend workshops in story telling, puppetry, and more. Building a bridge to reconnect the community & creativity again!!
It was wonderful meeting you, Cory! Of course, I especially appreciate your ice cream expertise.
I just returned from the Coast and am processing everything that happened at WDS. It will take awhile. Like you, I am in awe of Chris’s generous gift at the end and feel a responsibility to do something awesome with it. Still thinking.
@abstanfield I look forward to hearing what you come up with!
The single most important factor in the success of an artist is not talent,opportunity,education…it’s the patron. ie, the person who supports you before you hit success. Artists who don’t have a patron or $$$ in the bank will almost surely fade away before their craft supports them. I know that in my case, this definitely applies and I wouldn’t be where i was today without the patronage of my wife.
http://simonshawnandrews.wordpress.com/
Hi Cory,
I love the idea of finding ways to use art_for_good I have worked on a number of grassroots projects including a year long artappleaday project where I created one piece of apple art a day for 365 days all to raise awareness of a disease called Ankylosing Spondylitis. During this very fulfilling year adventure I met people with AS all over the world and many of them artists.
One man in particular named Ivanhoe Ardiente from the Philippines. I was asking for guest artist apples to post & share and he sent me a beautiful piece and mentioned that he hadn’t made art in many many years. I could see that he needed to be making art again for many reasons. A friendship ensued and a number of people from the community sent him art supplies. I’d like to share with you some of his beautiful pieces. Here is more of our story http://thefeedingedge.com/?p=3951 Since that time Ivanhoe has painted and painted but he doesn’t have a way to become an abundant artist in his small fishing village in the Philippines. I was thinking… that with your $100 and some of your skill that Ivanhoe, his story, and his work could be shown to a larger audience.
Thank you very much for reading and learning about this dear man.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Dye Visscher