Or can you? Nevermind, who cares, I was merely trying to tie a Bob Seger lyric into a review of a stunningly fulfilling documentary about the freaks, geeks, and outcasts that are currently molding and personifying the brands most of us grew up with.  Michael Jackson and Ray Charles have gracefully departed,...

Henry Fogel, the most well known executive director to orchestras and orchestral musicians around the world, gave this speech to The National Association of School Music administrators in November of 2009.  As I read it my heart jumped for joy! It is so deeply satisfying to see someone with so much...

So, this Friday The IAE is hosting this real fun private networking event for artists and entrepreneurs at Rockit Bar in Chicago downtown. We have had a lot of people sign up for the event. We even released another 50 tickets for more folks to attend and they, too, all went fast.  Feels great to have...

Happy 10th anniversary SEA! The SEA conference is coming right up and if you have never attended you need to! Come learn more about how to turn your artistic passion into a living from other successful artists. What The Conference Offers In addition to keynote presentations, topic specific sessions...

It seems that every time I am interviewed by someone who is interested in my work, the question always comes up: “Well, do you still play the clarinet? What do you do as an artist?” For some time now, I have been scratching my head and thinking to myself, “What is it that I am saying...

As the owner and founder of the Gorilla Tango Theatre in Chicago, Dan Abbate has done something that so many aspiring arts entrepreneurs aspire to do: he’s found a way to make a profit and make a living while providing opportunities all sorts of opportunities for local producers and performers. I’ve...

There’s a book by Christopher Booker (appropriately titled The Seven Basic Plots) that says there are only seven basic plots in all forms of literature that are used over and over, ad nauseum.  Sure, they look and feel different, they’re told from different perspectives, etc…but it...

In the late 1980’s Phil Stanton and 2 of his friends began giving free performances on the streets of New York City. “We had a character idea,” said Stanton of the group’s early days. “We added to each characters experience, and it –grew—it still continues to grow.”  ...

Following my last posting on the fiscal health of theatres, my fellow ETA blogger Jim Hart contacted me with some provocative questions. I thought I’d address two of them – and forgive me, Jim, for paraphrasing slightly: 1. Can we teach our aspiring theatre artists to avoid the traditional path of...

As you may recall from a previous posting, I’ve been doing some research on the fiscal health of nonprofit arts organizations, specifically theatres. Prior research indicated that one could look at several factors (revenue diversification, operating margins, administrative expenses, and access to equity)...

Looking to other people for cues as to how you are doing as an artist is a trap. It is a trap for a host of reasons. Here are some: 1.    People are not always honest. 2.    Sometimes people do not have good intentions. 3.    When the praise is good, it is never good enough and when it is bad,...

When you engage in the act of creating something new, if that thing develops roots and begins to take hold, you will find a mix of public reactions. You will likely hear lots of support from friends, family, colleagues, peers, well-wishers and others. Simultaneously, you will likely encounter sour pusses,...

If you crave celebrity, this post is for you. It is no surprise when I say that our country is obsessed with celebrity. Celebrity sells and celebrity images are pumped out to the point of exhaustion. I think that most young artists, if honest with themselves, would admit to having celebrity lust. They,...

Uncle Eddie is drinking a little too much and grandma can’t hear. The kids tore the hinges off my office door and another took a crap behind my daughter’s playhouse. Yea! It’s Thanksgiving time! That time of year that many of us cling to the possibility that this time…it will be magical (and...

“Don’t worry if you don’t hear the audience laughing during dress rehearsal. They’re old. They’re smiling as loudly as they can.” -Tim Frawley,Theatre Director, Libertyville High School The high school I attended had an ongoing tradition of inviting elderly citizens...

Last week, I got to do the thing that I enjoy most in my job (I also got to do some things I enjoy least, but discussing those would be digressive).  My colleagues and I made six seed grants to student arts entrepreneurs.  If I ever feel down about arts education, I can go back and read the 24 letters...

Yesterday, I attended the second in a series of events presented by the Chicago Arts Educators Forum, an initiative started by Merissa Shunk and Nicole Losurdo and sponsored by CAPE. This community of teachers, teaching artists, and organizations explores common challenges and opportunities in arts...

What’s up with the resistance? You know the one. The resistance that comes shortly after you decide to launch a new creative endeavor. The resistance that whispers in your ear that maybe the idea isn’t that great, or you really don’t have the time, or you’re really not so good...

If you’ve always wanted to try screenwriting but never felt like you knew where to start, now is your opportunity! The Chicago Dramatists, an organization that supports playwrights and their creative process, is now offering a course on screenwriting. The listing for the course reads something...

For those of you who might remember, back last March, with the help of a number of supportive individuals and their businesses, a set was designed to interview and video tape artistic entrepreneurs for the new ETA website. Since then, much to my dismay, there was a breakdown in communication between...