The Passion of the Artist

With Jeff Jarvis’ idea of a ‘mass of niches’ there has never been a time better prepared for specific artists to find a home wherever they are. The Internet will only facilitate us becoming more this way as time passes.

Perhaps its because artists are trained to seek it out, but recently I’ve see passion from the arts community in droves lately.

Michelle from When I Grow Up Coach is one of the most vivacious, upbeat, hysterical artists who plays on the internet daily that I know.  She and I started a conversation last week and she shared with me some of her favorite blog posts that I need to share with you.  From why she discovered a new passion to having grown up goals, Michelle has a story so similar to my own that I can’t help but be attracted to her work.

Young artists, the ones just out of college or training, have a huge obstacle in front of them and many find that they want more than just being a starving artist.  They know that there is more to life than a 100 square foot apartment in downtown NYC and spending vacation hours on auditions.  How does one meet the grown up passions that a professional artist has?

We live in an incredibly exciting time as artists. One where the possibilities for abundance and wealth have never been as possible as the Internet makes them.  TCG Theater Guild recognizes this and last week they held a conference call for theater practitioners to talk about and Twitter.

We understand that art calls.  The urge to create is irresistible at times and can sometimes get us in trouble when we have other responsibilities that get chucked aside because the muse strikes.  We must, however, discipline ourselves to learn more than just how to make art.  We have to learn how to live in the world (unless we have some sort of wealthy patron – but not everyone can count on that) and that limitation, that pressure, often ends up making us better artists if we learn how to do it right.  Learning how to live in the world means, in part, developing the qualities of a successful artist-entrepreneur and avoiding the big mistakes that most entrepreneurs, artists included, make in their business.

I see so many artists who are afraid of technology.  Really fierce, amazing, talented, risk taking artists who freeze when confronted with the idea of creating a monthly newsletter or a website.

Diane Ragsdale gave a speech in Vancouver, British Columbia recently where she talked about expanding our artist communities.  Diane referenced IBM and how they had to make changes at their organization or the company would die, and drew parallels with the Arts world.  The way that we communicate is undergoing a titanic shift right now and we have to be able to understand that communication.  Whether she meant to or not, Diane outlined several principles that social media is based on and showed how the Arts communities can use them to adapt and become highly relevant to their audience.

How are you, as an artist, using the Internet to grow your art?  Not just to sell it, but to grow as an artist?  Leave your ideas in the comments below, and don’t forget to check out my Internet Marketing for Artists project.  Entries are due August 15.