Right Now

I was talking with a friend.

She said that life for artists would improve when the public finally understood the value the field had and started moving more money in that direction.

She is right.

But I don't have time to wait for that.

Neither do you.

The arts has numerous systematic problems.  We have a responsibility to talk about those probelms and propose solutions to them.

It's those sorts of actions that will make the field better for those of us who will still be in it 5-10 years in the future.

But in the meanwhile there is right here and right now.

There is the responsibility you and I have to find success in this world, in spite of how hard, dumb and brutal it can be at times.

We have responsibility to innovate, to take risks, to help others find their way in this unfair world of the arts.

Remember that the playing field is only level in heaven.

Remember that your job is to succeed anyway.

 

Comments

[Cat]

I love your blog. Every post you hit on exactly the same topics artists in Des Moines have been covering. Keep it up.

[Adam]

Thanks for the kind words.

[Melinda Lewis]

I honestly have very little knowledge of the arts, but I read your blog because I really appreciate your thinking on nonprofit challenges in general. And this post affirms that--this is the same thing that I tell social services advocates all the time, especially as we head into what is guaranteed to be a difficult state legislative session all around the country. We can't afford to wait, either. Thanks for being an inspiration across sectors!