The Mission Paradox Blog

Life Happens

So my day job did a survey asking why folks choose to either renew or not renew their subscription to next season.

Some of the results were pretty much expected:

The number reason people renewed:  Loyalty to the organization, followed closely by an actual interest in the plays. 

But the reason why people didn't renew were more interesting.  Most of those fall under the category of "Life Events"

"I'm pregnant so I will not have time to go to the theatre."

"I'm moving out of town"

"My health is fading so getting to the theatre is harder for me"

It was a reminder that no matter how much we try to "sell" the importance of art, for some their life is going to be a barrier to seeing live events.

That's just how it is.

I think our job is try and use whatever tools necessary to still make art a part of people's lives even when our performance venues are dark. 

Maybe it's through the use of social media, maybe it is something else.

But we should also reminder that for most, art is just a tiny portion of their lives . . . not the end all and be all.

 

Start at No

"Should I be on Facebook?"

No.

"Should I start a blog?"

No.

"Should I be on Twitter?"

No.

Seriously, make that the starting point anytime you or the people you work for are considering the use of social media to promote your art.

Yes, they are powerful tools . . . but only if used properly . . . and with the proper expectation for them.

But many, many folks are wasting their time using them as anything more then a nice way to keep track of friends/family.

So start at No and then for each tool, ask yourself:

Why do we want to use it?

and

How might we use it for maximize effect?

Your road to success will be much easier that way.

 

The Link

Over at Parabasis, Issac asks how theatre artists can get donors, subscribers and other key groups behind the idea of paying performers more.

It's a fantastic question.  I think one key to solving the problem is understanding a vital issue separating theatre artists from the public.

As with most things, it's an issue of perception.

I'll try to explain, stay with me:

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Picture a 15 year old boy.  His ambition is to make a living playing football.  To do that he has to go through a three stage process:

1.  Success at the high school level.

2.  Success at the college football level.

3.  Be drafted into the National Football League.

Let's focus on that second step.  When you think about it, college football has a lot in common with many theatres.

In college football, a lot of people get paid.  The coaches, the Athletic Directors, the TV crew announcing the game . . . basically everyone except the players on the field.

Why?

The justification, which you are free to disagree with, is that college football is not the ultimate destination for these players.  It's the NFL.  College football is just a place the players pass through on their way to some place else. 

The colleges may choose to compensation them a little for their time (with a scholarship), but why should they pay them extra?  We are giving them valuable training for the place they are going next, right?

So basically, what has been created is a system where college is the minor leagues to the NFL.

Now to the art:

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As theatre and other forms of performance art have given away their place in American life, we have created a situation where the stage is seen as the minor leagues to TV and film.

When people see an actor on stage, or a playwright . . . they don't see a professional who has the ambition to build a life in the art.  They see a TV star in training.  They see a screenwriter in training.

If you accept the analogy, the conclusion becomes clear:

If the stage is just a pass through, something people do on the way to something else, then why pay the artists now?  They'll get that big pay day when they are famous, which is what they want in the first place, right?

Part of theatre's effort to regain lost ground has to include the message that (for some) the stage is a valid and worthwhile pinnacle to a career.

Not the stepping stone, the top.

I think, for the record, that actor union's could be a key body in getting that message out in a collective manner.

But I think it is up to all of us in the field to constantly advance the idea that the theatre profession is . . . a profession.

 

Don't Love the Tactic

Don't fall in love with your tactics.

Fall in love with your principles.

Facebook = Tactic

The idea that we need to engage with our patrons = Principle

Subscription Sales = Tactic

The idea that we should encourage consumer loyalty = Principle

Learn the difference.

And be very, very, flexible with your tactics.

Artistic Theory of Change

One more thing before the weekend commences . . .

Here's a question for you to ponder.

What's your theory of change?

How does your presence, or your organization's presence, in the arts somehow make the arts different from what they were before?

How does your presence move your art form forward?

I'll give you mine.

I believe the arts are advanced when they have a strong, interdependent, relationship with the audiences they both currently serve and want to serve.

I believe that marketing is a tool that can be used to establish an authentic connection between art and audience and when that happens, things improve/change.

That's my theory of change.  What's yours?

Just Beginning

Theatre, dance, music and visual art are as old as time itself.

But forming organizations that produce those sorts of things under the 501c(3) banner, i.e. nonprofit status is still a fairly new thing.

That's not something that really became wide spread until the late 1960's, early 1970's.

My point is that things like arts administration, being a grass roots arts organization, etc. are still fairly new concepts.

We all still have a lot to learn about the complex world we have chosen to be in.

So if, like me, seem to spend most of your time figuring out how the hell any of this is supposed to work . . . I think that's a good thing.

Confusion is the first step to enlightenment.

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Now a few plus:

That's The Ticket, a new arts marketing blog is on the upswing.  Check them out here.

Jobs for Change is a career service and marketplace for social change jobs that has been created in partnership with dozens of nonprofits, including Young Nonprofit Professionals Network, AmeriCorps Alums, Echoing Green, Network for Good, and Encore Careers.

The goal is to spark a nationwide movement toward careers in the common good – including nonprofit, government, and social enterprise jobs.  You can learn more about them by clicking here:

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See you Tuesday, have a great memorial day weekend.

It's all at the top

I got a lot of emails after my open letter a few days back.

One asked me how they could:  "Really know if the organization I'm working at is in trouble?"

I could tell you to keep a close eye on the financial statements your group roles out, or what for declines in program quality . . . but all you really need is this:

Look at the top.

Executive Leadership, Artistic Leadership, Board Leadership.

It's not just whether those three leaders are "strong."  It's about how they interact with eachother.

Do they share information with each other freely and frequently?

Does it seem like they trust each other?

Do they appear to be on the same page, at least most of the time?

If you can answer yes to those sorts of questions, then you are probably at a place where you can ride out a storm.

If you answer no, "or aren't sure", start putting that one year "Change or Out" plan in action, just in case.

Better Arts Marketing

An article on arts marketing I wrote was picked up by Chicago Artists Resources.  Check it out here.

An Open Letter to Arts Administrators

I've gotten your emails and your phone calls, expressing your frustrations and wondering why a life as an arts professional has to be so damn hard.

I've heard you talk about how the stress imposed upon you by a collective of self centered artists, lack of executive leadership and limited resources have hurt your health and impacted your relationships.

You have pulled me aside after workshops and presentations and whispered "I love your ideas, but my boss will never let me do it."

I've seen your passion for the job get swallowed up in a swamp of rules that make no sense.

Here's some things I want you to consider:

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1.  It doesn't have to be like that.  I know you've probably convinced yourself that all the garbage you deal with is just the cost of being in the field.

It isn't.  If the group you work for is being run poorly it is because people are ACTIVELY making choices that allow that to happen.  It isn't just a matter of circumstance.  It's an outcome of choice. 

You deserve better then that.  You deserve to work at an organization that produces great art, treats people with respect and pays fairly.  No matter how much people may tell you otherwise those three goals are NOT mutual exclusive.

2.  You are not the savior. 

You're smart.  You see the problems in the organization.  You care.  You want to play a part in fixing them.

Good.

But not everything wants to be fixed.  Some organizations have been run so poorly, for so long that they really can't fathom another way.  Don't make it your responsibility to save them for the path they have chosen.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't fight for change.  You should.

But only to a point. 

If you have been at a place 3 or 4 years and things haven't significantly improved, they probably aren't going to change.

Move on.  Find another place that will welcome your ideas and energy.  They are out there.

And if you decide to move on and the place you are at begs you to stay, remember this next point:

3.  Don't let them use your passion against you.  Consider this:

Imagine you were a lawyer.  What if I told you that there were some law firms (not all, but absolutely some) that didn't get a damn about their employees?  What if I told you that some firms were designed to bring in people and get as much out of them as possible before they burned out?

Would you believe me?

Of course you would.  Hell, because it's the legal profession you would expect such behavior.

Here's da rub:

Some arts organizations are the exact same way. 

Just because the end product is art and not a legal brief doesn't mean the place automatically values their employees.  Just because the place is a non-profit doesn't automatically make it a nice place to work.

But here's the really messed up part.  At some of those arts orgs, if you complain that the hours are unreasonable, or the pay is low, or your input isn't valued . . . they imply that your commitment to the "cause" is low.  They convince you that if you really were passionate about your work, you would put up with the sub par conditions.

Don't fall for it.  It's a trap.  Remember point 1, it doesn't have to be like that . . . you deserve better.

4.  Have the end in mind.  If you are really frustrated, really close to burnout, give this a try.

Pull out a calendar.  Give yourself a year.  May 19, 2010.  Decide that in that year one of two things will happen:

-  You will have marshalled the credibility, support and skills you need to make at least one significant, visible positive change in the place you work for.

Or

-  You will have a new job. 

One year.  That's enough time to figure out where you stand.  Just stick to the date.

5.  But don't quit the arts.  Quit your job, that's fine.  Just don't do it without a plan (use that Year in Step 4 to develop it) 

If you can't find a job as an arts administrator in a great organization . . .  maybe you get out the field for a while.  That's ok.  You can come back.

But the arts need you.  They need your skill, your experience, your energy.  So maybe you join a Board of an organization, maybe you volunteer.  Maybe you start your own organization.

Whatever you do, please don't let a bad experience at an organization (or two) sour you on the business of art.

I feel strongly about that one, because I almost let it happen to me.

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I work at a good place now.  I'm treated like a professional.  Paid fairly.  We produce great art (told you it wasn't mutually exclusive).  It isn't perfect.  Nothing is.  But I have learned a lot and I think I have been an asset to the place. 

I also do rewarding work as a speaker and a coach.  It's good.  I'm blessed. 

But it almost never happened.

I worked at another place once, gave it my all.  Got swallowed up in the swamp.  Gained 10 pounds.  Slept four hours a night because of stress. 

I just quit.  No fall back plan.  No idea what would happen next.  I don't recommend the strategy, but sometimes it is necessary.

I was done with the arts.  I turned bitter.  I hated artists.  Hated Boards.  Thought the whole damn thing was a waste of time.

I guessed it was time to break out the ol' law degree. 

But then I remembered . . . I had been involved with the arts since I was 17.  Theatre still mattered to me.  The arts still mattered to me. 

And wasn't going to let a few individuals run me out the thing I loved.

I didn't know how, but I was going to make a living in the arts.  And if left the arts field one day, it would be on my terms.

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So maybe the place you are working for isn't the right place.

There are other places.

Maybe the people you are working with don't respect your skills.

Others will.

Whether you are a former artists embracing the work of administration, a person moving from the corporate side to the non-profit side, or a person who has been groomed for arts administration . . . never forget that you are needed.

This thing you love, the arts . . . it is your world too.  It's your world just as much as it belongs to any poet, any dancer, any actor.

It's vital you remember that because along your path you will be confronted by those who alternate between seeing you as completely irrelevant to the artistic process on one hand and the great oppressor of artistic ambitions on the other.

That's garbage.

You belong.

Find your place.  Use your skills.  Help get great art into the world.  It can't happen without you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking at Failure

Alright so things didn't go the way you expected.

Why?

Did you have unreasonable expectations for the work?

Was it bad timing?

Was (gasp) the event just not that good? 

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It's human nature to want to quickly move past the things that go wrong.

In the arts this is real easy because their is always a next thing.  The next show, the next recital, whatever.

But it never hurts to take a really hard, really critical look at what went wrong the last time you produced something and make a few corrections along the way.

That's why it helps to have some relatively unbiased advisors around you.  They could be on your Board.  They could have a more informal role.  But don't go out into this tricky world of making art for a living without having some people around you that can help you fix what goes wrong.