Updates October 30, 2009

Today is an aggregate post, a bunch of links and news items about what I’ve been up to and what’s coming up.

First off, I have just finished a major rewrite of my Guide to Getting Started with Social Media for Artists and Arts Organizations.
The rewrites include:

• A fully re-worked chapter on Facebook
• A new chapter on You Tube
• Updated screenshots
• More exercises, which makes it feel more like a workbook.

For those of you who have already bought a copy, thanks. And I’ll be sending you the updates in the next little while. For those of you who are interested, you can purchase a copy by clicking here. It will also be available, in hard-copy, workbook format, later today at Biz Books, 302 W. Cordova St.

I did a couple of interviews last week, too.

One with another Rebecca (Krause-Hardie) who does stuff that is surprisingly similiar to what I do, only in the States.

One with Toronto’s Ian MacKenzie, for his company’s marketing blog, The Big Orange Slide.

One final reminder that Simon and I will be on a panel this weekend entitled The Power of Social Media. We’ll be joined by Angela Crocker and Ryan Mooney, and the discussion will be moderated by Sean Allen. This takes place Saturday, Oct 31, at the Making a Scene Theatre confrence at Granville Island, from 1:30-3 pm.

Finally, stay tuned to my blog next week for an interview I just did with that wonderful Canadian playwright, Daniel MacIvor.

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On Going it Alone… October 23, 2009

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the business we are in and how hard it is to continuously be motivated. As artists, we are one-man-shows, chief cooks and bottle-washers. For the most part, when we write that song, sketch out that painting, work on our novel, we do it alone. The arts can be very solitary.

I talk to people all the time to who struggle with this. Forced to have a job to support themselves while they build their art practice, they find themselves too tired/burnt out/uninspired to focus on their art practice at the end of the day.

The answer is just to show up. To treat your art as a job that you carve out time for every day, and show up to. It works because you no longer have to worry about inspiration or quality. Just by producing your work in sheer quantity, you will eventually come up with something great, or be inspired to create.

Still, like going to the gym, it can be tough to have the self-discipline to make yourself do it. So I suggest you get an art buddy.

Find someone who does what you do, or someone who doesn’t but is still an artist, and make a pact with them: you will both spend ‘X’ amount of time on your work over the next day/week/month. And then phone each other, send each other emails, or meet to discuss how it went. Having someone to be accountable to outside of yourself can be a very powerful motivator.

I’ve used this method many times in my life. It started when I worked at the SEARCH program, a self-employment program for artists. We would regularly create “Success Teams” out of groups of graduates who were encouraged to meet after the program was over to share ideas, help and motivation. The first few times I tried to get through The Artist’s Way, I was unsuccessful, but by going through it with a group which included weekly meetings, I got through it and I got lots out of it. Currently, I belong to a small business support group. We have been meeting bi-weekly for two years, now, and this group has been a great source of assistance–both by cheering me and kicking me in the butt.

So, whoever you are, whatever your art practice, I encourage you to not go it alone. Find someone, or a group of someones who are like-minded individuals, and create your own support group.

You can learn more about how to create your own “mastermind group” here.

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Happy Blog-versary! October 1, 2009

One year ago, on October 1, 2008, I posted my first blog post on theartofthebiz.com.

I had been writing monthly guest post for Simon Ogden for nearly a year, and decided it was time to launch my own blog.

It’s interesting for me to have the opportunity to reflect on the past year. There have been times when it was really tough slogging: I was too busy or simply lacked the inspiration to come up with fresh content. Three posts a week is a fairly sizable time commitment for a gal who is also attempting to run her own business and raise a young son.

But, for the most part, I managed to bang out three posts a week. Some were quite good, and well received, while others maybe not so much. I had made a commitment, and I was determined to stick to it.

I had to do lots of research in order to write posts on social media, which later became the structure on which I build my e-book, which was launched in June, and continues to sell quite nicely, thankyouverymuch.

I love blogging. Despite that some days I struggle for the right words (or words at all), I love the immediacy of it, how I’m able to post about things that are topical and relevant, and even controversial. I love being able to share information. I hope that I’m making a difference.

It’s been a great year. And I am so, so happy with the success of the blog. When I started it a year ago, only 400 people read my blog that month. In September this year, there were more than 3,000. Which goes to show you: post regularly, try to have meaningful and valuable content, and your numbers will grow. Oh, linking  your blog up to social media like Twitter also sends lots of people your way.

Special thanks to you, the reader, for doing that thing you do: reading, commenting, re-tweeting, challenging, asking questions, and especially, subscribing. We can create the most beautiful piece of theater ever, but if no one sees it, what’s the point? You’re my audience, and I really appreciate you.

Special thanks to all the wonderful people that helped me along the way with technical questions, like Travis Bedard, Nick Keenan, Kate Foy, Rebecca Bolwitt, Susie Gardner and Shane Burley, and Lorraine Murphy. And an extra special big thank you to Simon Ogden, who answered “yes” when I asked him if I could use his blog as a testing ground for this idea I had called “The Art of the Business.”

Not sure what the next year will bring, but I’m excited to see!

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That elusive work-life balance September 11, 2009

As some of you may know, I have a young son. Michael is 6, and honestly, he’s the love of my life.

Two years ago, I lost my part-time job. It was a good job for a mom with a young child to have–not too much responsibly, benefits, fairly good pay, 18 hours a week. But it was government-funded, and the government un-funded it, and I found myself unemployed.

I wasn’t sure what to do. My first priority was to find a job I could do without having to put Michael in daycare. Expanding my publicity work from part-time to full-time seemed like the most viable option, so I took a small business course, and, two years later, here we are.

I’ll be the first person to tell you how much I love being self-employed. I love being able to choose who I want to work with, what hours I work, when and where. I love that when Michael has a field trip to the pumpkin patch, I can take the day off and go with him. I turned down work this summer so that I could hang out with him on summer vacation.

This worked really well for the first part of the summer, but over the last couple of weeks, it’s been harder to balance life and work. My clients are gearing up for their fall seasons, and I need to get stuff done. So, it’s been tough these last few weeks, trying to balance getting stuff done with hanging out with and enjoying the last few weeks of summer with my son.

Truth is, part of being a good parent is being able to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. So, I know it’s important to keep the money rolling in. But I still feel guilty saying “sure, bub, I’ll come and help you with that in two secs, after I send this email.”

What do you think? How do you parents out there manage your work and your kids? I’d love to hear.

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Why I love the Theatre. Reason #12 August 26, 2009

You may have heard the rumor that I have been on vacation. In Greece.

While the purpose of my trip was solely for rest and relaxation, I spent the last two days before coming home exploring the ruins of the Acropolis in Athens. This included the Theatre of Dionysus, which, is, in essence, the birthplace of theatre.

I remember sitting in first-year theatre history class in university and learning about the Dithyramb—a spring-time ritual that consisted of a chorus of 50 men or boys dancing around a massive phallus. This was all in honour of the god Dionysus, who was the god of fertility and wine. This was all taking place centuries before Christ.

Here in North America, we live in a culturally young place. Our country, at less than 150 years old, is still developing its cultural identity. One of the things I love about the theatre is that sense of cultural connection. Not just to the past, but to the present, to the brotherhood of actors and directors and writers.

Seven years ago, I traveled through the UK. My trip ended at Stratford-upon-Avon, and I remember feeling totally overwhelmed by the history of the place. As I walked the path by the river between the theatre and Holy Trinity Church where Shakespeare is buried, I thought “Shakespeare maybe walked this very path.” And I was overcome by emotion at his grave, where I sat for fully a half hour.

I was overcome by that same emotion at the Theatre of Dionysus. We come from a rich cultural background that ties us together, past to present.

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Happy Birthday to me August 14, 2009

Today’s my birthday. And not just any birthday. You see, today I turn 40.

Me, four days ago, at the Tower of the Winds in the Roman Agora at the Acropolis.

So today’s blog post is dedicated to a little self-reflection.

More than anything today, I feel really, really grateful. I have a successful business, a great kid, and someone special, with whom I just spent two weeks traipsing around Greece (fodder for future blog posts, for sure!). I just bought a newer car,  I have food in the fridge, and am able to pay all my bills. In other words, I’m in a really good place right now.

This really good place feels extra good because the last two years have been the darkest time of my life. I won’t bother with those details, but let’s just say when it rains, it pours. But over the last six months or so, I am finally feeling like I am through the woods and into the light, and coming, truly, into my own.

When I reflect on my twenties and thirties, I see some pretty clear patterns. My twenties were all about living my life in the way that other people wanted me to. My thirties were all about breaking free of those expectations. I’m still working on it–a lifetime of living a certain way is certainly not going to change over night–but I’m getting better.

As I turn 40, it occurs to me that I’m not actually learning too many new things these days. I am, however, re-learning things constantly. And a big one that keeps coming up for me is around fear, and keeping my life small. I’m one of those people that hates to be disappointed, so sometimes I keep my expectations low or I create excuses to explain why I can’t do something. Going to Greece taught me, again, that I am very capable, and when I put my mind to do something, I will figure it out. To borrow a phrase, there is nothing to fear but fear itself. And in the end, it all works out. So, as my friend Tanja Dixon-Warren says, say yes, then figure out how to make it happen.

Let that be my motto for the next 40 years and beyond.

Thank you for indulging me. It’s the best present ever. Except maybe chocolate.

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I.R.L. July 3, 2009

I’m self-employed, and I work from home. Sometimes the only other beings I see for days are my cats.

When I lost my job in July of 2007 and decided to go into business for myself, the thing I realized missed the most about working in the office was talking to my co-workers. Going for coffee, lunch, or just talking about something we’d seen on TV the night before.

I love being self-employed. But it can be very quiet and lonely, especially for someone who consistently scores as an extrovert on the Meyers-Briggs.

I love online social networking because it ends up being like taking a break and chatting with my co-workers. But there’s nothing that can really replace hanging out with people I.R.L. (in real life), and I sometimes forget that.

I have a small business support group that I meet with once every two weeks, and I am always amazed at how much energy I take away from that meeting. Online social networking is great, but we also need to be around real people.

A lot of  online social networking has been leading to real-life meetups: a group of people who have met online via Twitter will get together at a bar or a coffee shop to meet and talk and, yes, Twitter.

If you’re feeling stuck at home without human contact, go to meetup.com, do a search for something that interests you, and see if you can find a group of people meeting I.R.L. that you can connect with.

I know, it sounds crazy, but you just might like it.

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Goofing off June 26, 2009

Yesterday, my son graduated from Kindergarten. Beside the excitement of having a son who is going into grade one, I’m also super jazzed that it’s summer vacation. I have often complained that his teachers spend more of his waking hours with him than I do, but summer vacation is going to change all that.

I work pretty hard. I have natural tendencies towards workaholism, plus I take the responsibility of running my own business pretty seriously. If I screw up and one of my clients is not happy, it could have deep and long-lasting effects on my future, as I rely heavily on word-of-mouth referrals and repeat business. So, I drive myself pretty hard when I have active contracts.

Because I’m a single parent with a young child (now out of school), it’s been necessary to plan ahead, and am pretty much taking the summer off. Oh, I still have a few things I have to take care of, but the plan is to spend as much time as possible with Michael, camping, hanging out at the pool, the park, and the beach. Oh–I also have a two-week trip to Greece planned (it’s in celebration of my 40th birthday!).

Here’s the thing: something’s gotta give. A couple of months ago, I found myself feeling pretty burnt out. The hours were taking their toll. I strive all the time for that elusive balance between my work and my life.

How about you? You’re looking a little stressed. Need permission to goof off and take the dog to the park? You got it. Cut out of work early and take a picnic to the beach? Go for it.

Oh–and one last thing: posts may become more sporratic over the next couple of months. I hope you’ll forgive me if the last thing on my mind is writing a blog post while I’m lying on a beach in Naxos (and yes, I did say that because I wanted to make you just a little bit jealous!).

For some more advice on goofing off, check out this recent post by Trilby Jeeves.

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Why Theatre? March 16, 2009

Last week, I did an interview with David Diamond for the World Theatre Day Blog. One of the questions I asked him was: why theatre? Here is his response:

It’s about our ability to be transformed through the theatre. Communities, like people, have the need to storytell. To collectively process fears, desires, anger, sadness…. when communities lose the ability to do this, they get sick – just like people do. It is pretty basic that we need to express our emotions to be healthy. Theatre is the language through which this can happen.

Humans think, not in sentences, but in metaphors. That’s what makes art powerful–it is expressed in metaphors. What makes good theatre is the transformational power of the work. You can have a play that has the highest production values possible, but how can it be good theatre if it has no transformational ability – if the audience isn’t challenged – pushed into disequilibrium in some small or large way? Conversely, a show in a black box with no costumes or set may very well be good theatre if you walk away from it having changed in some way.

It started me thinking… of all the careers I could have chosen, and probably been successful at, I chose theatre. Why?

The reasons are very clear to me, but it’s been a while since I expressed them. So, here goes…

1. It just fits. In Tennesee William’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Brick talks about waiting for the ‘click’ in his head while he’s drinking. After the click, he goes to his ‘happy place’, if you will, where he is not bothered by the storms around him.

For me, Theatre is my ‘happy place’. I feel more at home, more alive, and more kinship when I am at the theatre than anywhere else. I remember so clearly my first experience on stage in front of an audience. I was 18, and playing a fairy in A Midsummer Night’s Dream in a college production. I was so terrified, I was practically throwing up back stage, but I went on, and when we went out for the curtain call, standing there on stage with all those other wonderful theatre artists, I just knew I was home.

2. Theatre is the greatest of all the arts. Okay–I know some of you might argue with me, here, but for me, theatre combines so many of the arts–music, visual, writing, I think it’s the king. And I continue to go to the theatre seeking out jaw-dropping, heart-stopping moments of perfect theatrical creativity and brilliance. I don’t find them often, but I crave them, and continue to seek them out.

3. The people. “There’s no people like show people.” It’s true. I count myself lucky to have found a community that accepts and includes me. Some people search for that all thier lives, and I have found it in my fellow theatre artists.

4. Flow. “Flow” is a term coined by psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi. According to him, Flow is characterized by a “mental state of operation in which the person is fully immersed in what he or she is doing by a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity.”  The only moments in my life where I feel I have truly experienced flow have been on stage, or in class. I called them “orgasmic theatre moments,” and each one is still perfectly clear in my head.

But enough about me. How about you? Why are you a theatre artist? I want to know!

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Blogging Break! March 2, 2009

I’m a big fan of having a plan to run your blog. Consistency is the key. I post three times a week, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and I sit down on the weekend and write my posts for the week, then schedule them to upload after midnight.

This weekend, I found myself getting to Sunday night with zero blog posts written. This was the result of several factors, the primary one being that my five-year-old has been sick all week, leaving me with less time in which to get things done.

So, this week, I’m breaking my own rules and taking a break. But we’ll be back to your regularily-scheduled programming next week….