MOCA Financial Crisis and You

"Los Angeles' prestigious but chronically under-funded Museum of Contemporary Art has fallen into crisis and is seeking large cash infusions from donors, the Los Angeles Times reports. Museum director Jeremy Strick also said he is not ruling out the possibility of merging with another institution or sharing MOCA's collection of almost six thousand works."

Boehm, Mike. "MOCA Faces Serious Financial Problems." Los Angeles Times 11/19/08.

What could this possibly mean to you, as a creative person, or as an artist?
What I see as the relationship is that to have the artistic and creative essentials in our lives sometimes, when life throws a curve ball, people regroup, reassess and make choices to help perpetuate what they feel is most significant during a crisis.

If you're not able to sell enough of your original works, what are you doing to sell lower-price point, mass marketable items with your art connected to it? Who have you partnered with to achieve mutual goals, cut costs and create long-term bonds that may benefit the both of you well beyond the lean times?

• You can live your dreams --- but sometimes hard work is required to make it happen.
• You can make a living as a creative person if you're willing to be creative about the business aspect as well.
• You can find ways to partner with others to keep your dream alive. (In fact, I'd consider that to be essential because community is what creates a demand and buzz around any creative venture.)

Until next time,
keep creating.

Creative Ways to Love Your Body?

October 15th, yesterday, was NOW campaign's Love Your Body day.

One of the T-shirts they designed said "I LOVE  MY THIGHS" and it got me wondering, how can we as creative people combat the messages some fashion folks stoke that we must look a certain way to be beautiful? What art or craft do you make that honors what women ARE instead of what we are not?

I know Carla Sanders does a lot of work honoring the feminine form...but her work is not for everyone (perhaps too spiritual/sexual/New Age for some).

Unessalyn Sweet's My Junky Trunk honors women with rounded backsides by having thier images as inspiration instead of hiding them.

I admit I've addressed child-rearing as a "must do" attitude but not my body....hmm....perhaps today that will be my inspiration.

Best wishes, Creative People. May you love how your maker/mama made  you!

-Mel.

Raising Money by the Storm, What Other Options Do We Have?

This week I received the following quote in one of my Foundation Center e-mails:

"I would like to live in a world where we're not fundraising episodically with each storm Our mission is so much bigger than these epic storms. Our mission is to be there for the American people every day." - Gail J. McGovern, president and CEO, American Red Cross (in the Washington Post, 9-12-18)

This quote seems to reach far beyond the plight of storm victims to the way many of us tend to live. We don't have a store of funds to go to when we have a storm or major life event that hits us somewhat unexpectedly. Sure, we realize that life is full of surprises, yet we fail to plan for them. Then, we bemoan our fate and shake our heads in despair when we're unprepared.

What Other Options Do We Have?

I had a friend named Joe who worked for the Forest Service in Eureka, Montana, where we used to live. He knew every few years he would need a new vehicle because of his lifestyle in living in near wilderness and understood he often had much more available funding during the summer when fire season was busy. So, instead of living it up each summer, he put away the equivalent to one car or truck payment per pay period. When the time came to buy a new vehicle, he had it in CASH. How many of us have paid in cash, upfront for a new car or pickup? 

Don't have a job like Joe's?

You still have other options. Creative people usually have a season when marketing their work traditionally goes much more easily than the rest of the year. This could be during a season or a shopping period such as the holidays. Instead of using the money you've made ahead as funds to pay the bills the rest of the months you're filling your creative well, find an additional way to passively market during the lean times or to recycle the work you're already created. Visual artists who traditionally use flat surfaces can license their work to be in a variety of product from checks to screen savers. Performance artists can still sell recordings of their work.  There is always an option and if you have the guts to follow the creative path, you've also got it brains to invest in learning how to make money at what you do every day of the year.

Until next time,

keep creating!

-Mel.