One of the really encouraging things I took away from the Playwrights Convening over the weekend was the discussion of artists self producing their work.
It doesn't matter if it's a play, book, series of painting, dance exhibition, whatever, I believe self producing can be a smart, powerful way of getting your art into the world.
It is important, however, to remember this:
Self producing is a skill.
Or to be more accurate, it is a skill set.
If you want to produce your own work you need to get mentorships and guidance from those experienced with such things.
You need to understand the rules of such things.
Of course, once you understand the rules you should feel free to break a few (or more then a few) of the rules.
But just remember that lack of knowledge can be a deadly flaw in the world of self producing.
You don't want to be the guy (or girl) that made a series of misguided mistakes that could cost you money, time and even friendships because you let your enthusiasm about your art overwhelm your need to learn a few things.
Also remember that there is no shame in starting small.
Don't try to do the large scale production of your play right away. Maybe you produce 4-5 staged readings first to get a little experience.
Maybe you publish a few of your short stories as an e-book before trying to get it into bookstores.
Self producing work is a powerful thing.
Just make sure you get into it with your eyes open.
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