When you create and display visual aids during an oral presentation, there are a few general principles that you should follow.

Keep it simple

Use color, but not too much
Color accelerates learning and recall by 55% or more and comprehension by 70% (Dodd, 1997). But too much color can be distracting.

Break complex ideas into simpler visual parts
If you plan to show a complex idea visually, break the image into smaller, less complicated parts. An overlay is a possible option.

Show = Discuss
Do not show anything that you don’t plan to discuss. Explain what’s in each graphic.

Do not talk at your visual aid
Direct your presentation toward the audience and refer to your images with a pointer or pen.

Steady hands
If you’re hands are shaky, a pointer, pen, or pencil will help steady you.

You can use the following options, but beware of the problems associated with each:

Overheads are simple and clear, and you don’t have to depend on a computer. They can, however, get out of order, have poor print quality, and cause other problems if the transition between each one is not smooth. If you are able, have someone else be responsible for turning your overheads during your presentation, so you can concentrate on speaking and directing the overall presentation.

PowerPoint or similar slide-show software programs can produce professional-looking presentations. You can store your presentation on a disk and carry it with you, and it’s also easy to make changes to your presentation.

However, using such software does force dependence on computer technology, and if the computer crashes, or if there are other technology problems, you won’t have your slide-show. Therefore, when you use such software, always have available alternative visuals such as overheads or paper handouts.

Slides give you clear images of photographs and also allow for easy change in the order of your presentation. However, they can be expensive, and you can’t change the images once they’re created.

Whiteboards and paper are convenient if you feel comfortable writing your points in front of the audience. They also let you be spontaneous and incorporate feedback from the audience. However, they don’t look as professional as other media, and they force you to spend a lot of time writing when you should be talking (often with your back to the audience).

Handouts are an excellent accompaniment to any of the options listed above, but they can also pose their own problems. If you distribute them at the beginning of your presentation, you risk losing your audience’s attention; their attention may turn to the handout rather than following what you are saying.

Nevertheless, having the audience follow along with the handout can be a successful strategy. You can also pass out a summary of your speech that the audience can take away with them. A final option is to pass out handouts to support the information you bring up as you talk. However, this can also deflect attention away from you, and cause the audience to miss pertinent points. Be sparing with handouts, but understand that they can be instrumental in helping the audience remember your speech.

In conclusion, the above information is for those who are really attached to using aids.  I prefer imagination and interaction.  The fewer aids the more connected the audience is to me and the less distracted they are by some aid.  I am, however, aware that people have different ways of remembering information, visually, oral, etc.  So keeping all this in mind, remember that your natural, authentic, connected voice is the best advertisement you have for your interest in the audience.  It’s then that they are willing to listen – when they know you care about them.

On the third Thursday of every month, the IAE hosts our own networking night specifically for artists and entrepreneurs called Create.Innovate.Repeat. The event takes place from 7-9 pm at the ING DIRECT Cafe Chicago and features guest presenters from both art and business backgrounds talking about current projects, organizations and ideas that you can get involved with right now.

Last month’s event was BUZZING with conversation. There was so much energy in the room there was plenty left to take home!  So come pick up some inspiration and connections.

You can snag a free RSVP to the event by checking out our Create. Innovate. Repeat page. This is a private event so you need to reserve a ticket to get in the door!

ING DIRECT Chicago: 21 E. Chestnut Street View a map.
Telephone: 312-981-1236

My guess is that the title of this blog caught your attention, because it seems so incredibly unlikely. The world of business and the world of music appear to have very little in common. What on earth could playing a Mozart symphony have to do with leading a budget proposal meeting? Most of us would say, “absolutely nothing at all.”

At one point in my life I would have agreed, but from where I sit now, as a conservatory trained trombonist, the current dean of a major conservatory of music, and a former senior manager at Microsoft with 16 years of experience in the business world, I see the connections between conservatory training and core business skills from a unique vantage point. Over the years, as I analyzed the reasons for my successes as a business manager, it always came back to the skills I had learned as a musician and had honed at my conservatory of music. Now that I am back in the world of the conservatory, many worried parents of prospective students ask me what good conservatory training will do if their child doesn’t happen to become a professional musician. So I thought it might be helpful to devote this blog to the subject.

When hiring employees, Microsoft and every other successful company looks for an underlying set of skills that will bring the most benefit to the business. These skills are easy to list, but very hard to find in a single individual. For this discussion I will focus on five of these traits. The perfect employee should be:

1. Focused
2. Self-motivated
3. Collaborative
4. Communicative
5. Creative

So let’s start by putting aside all of our own preconceptions about music being concerned only with the expression of emotion and beauty. Instead, we will now take a cold hard look at what goes into creating a successful musician.

Focus & Self-Motivation

In most conservatory settings, a student has one hour of intense one-on-one instruction during their weekly lesson. For the rest of the week, they spend 3 to 6 hours a day, all alone in a small practice room steadily working towards that week’s goals. That averages out to about thirty hours of practice for every one hour of instruction. This is not an easy task, either physically or mentally. The student has to develop her own strategies to maintain focus, overcome obstacles and achieve her goals. Focus and self-motivation are vital to success. The goal of any successful conservatory is to help students develop the skills of self-criticism, self-motivation, and self-focus to the point where, upon graduation, they can become their own best teacher. For a business manager, having an employee who can work for days at a time with minimal instruction, solving their own problems and working steadily toward their goal isn’t just nice, it is a dream come true!

Collaboration

In the world of music, learning to work well with other musicians is key. In a quartet, for instance, the four musicians discuss how they want to approach the work before even picking up their instruments. Opinions may differ and there could be disagreements, but the process of collaborating as a team to reach mutually agreeable solutions is key to a successful performance. As you can imagine, this type of collaboration occurs every day in the world of business. But you may be surprised to discover that most employees have nowhere near the depth of experience with the process as musicians!

But for musicians, this is just the beginning of their collaboration skills. Once the discussions stop and the music starts, teamwork moves to a whole new level of refinement. Each musician must be acutely aware of everyone else’s input while still being completely focused on her own individual contribution to the whole. The ability to really hear all facets of the group’s performance while making instant micro-adjustments to create the best performance possible is an amazing skill to master.

You probably agree with that statement, but aren’t quite sure how that particular skill translates to the world of business. After all, meetings where everyone is talking at once should be the exception rather than the rule. This is quite true, so luckily these skills have little to do with handling meetings that have spun out of control! Instead, this highly refined listening ability has everything to do with success at the extreme ends of collaboration, negotiation, and communication. When negotiations or collaborations become difficult and delicate, being able to pick up on the slightest cues and then react instantly and appropriately can mean the difference between success and failure. That minute waiver in a voice could indicate a tentativeness that will give you the chance to step in and lead the conversation; or that hint of aggression, may cause you to step back and calm the waters.

The skill also lends itself to one of the core functions of management–understanding people. As a manager at Microsoft, I spent a great deal of my time listening to people. Often times the real crux of the matter at hand isn’t contained in the spoken words. Someone may be talking to you about diminishing workloads, but their real worry is job security. The key here isn’t the act of listening, it’s the art of hearing. It’s what musicians do every day, and it can help make the difference between a good manager and a great manager. The business world would be better off if every manager spent a few years playing in a quintet!

Communication

Communicating your ideas and thoughts to groups of people is also a critical part of business success. The presentation may be to a meeting room of five co-workers or an auditorium full of conference-goers. In either case it is vital to communicate your point clearly and convincingly. Whether your proposal or idea is adopted can hinge entirely on the effectiveness of the presentation. I have seen many good ideas fall by the wayside because of bad presentations.

As musicians we have a natural advantage. For us, these aren’t presentations, they are performances, and all the same rules should apply. The performance should be engaging, captivating, interesting, and clearly communicate the core ideas. The conservatory provides the perfect training for this important business skill. You would be amazed at how many people in the business world are terrified of standing up in front of an audience to speak. How lucky a conservatory student is to get all of that great performance experience under her belt! When a critical presentation is coming up, who would you rather have delivering the message: a professionally trained performer or an accountant?

Creativity

Finally, let’s consider creativity. A new study by IBM just identified creativity as the most highly valued leadership quality for success in business!  Creativity! Isn’t that both wonderful and amazing? Now I know that studying in a conservatory does not guarantee that you will emerge a creative person, but it certainly is an environment that provides ample opportunities for creative exploration and development.  From composition to improvisation to the interpretation of musical masterpieces, creativity is at the core of what we do.  This topic is so rich it definitely deserves its own blog, but for now, I’m sure you get the point: creativity at the conservatory can translate into creativity in the board room.

Conclusion

The bottom line is not to sell conservatory training short when it comes to developing skills that extend well beyond the realm of music. Whether in the concert hall or the board room, conservatory graduates can give truly great performances! Our challenge as musicians is to successfully convey this message both to disbelieving conservatory students, and to disbelieving HR departments of leading businesses. If we are success in our efforts, we can help change the world!

—

Brian Pertl has led the life of a savvy musician. He lives by the motto: “be prepared for anything and anything just might happen!” He received his BM in trombone performance and a BA in English from Lawrence University. Then the fun really began!  As a Watson Fellow, he studied didjeridu in Australia and Tibetan sacred music in Tibet, Nepal, and India. While pursuing higher degrees in ethnomusicology, he lectured on world music themes and performed widely on didjeridu, trombone, shell trumpets, as as a harmonic singer.

When Microsoft called in the early 90s to get a 30 second didj sample, he managed to turn that opportunity into a full time job as an ethnomusicologist at Microsoft!  After 16 years at Microsoft, first selecting music for the Encarta Encyclopedia, then as a high-level manager, he was asked to return to Lawrence University to give a recital.  This visit back to his alma mater got the Lawrence faculty and administration talking about a crazy idea: what if Brian left Microsoft and returned to Lawrence to become the Dean of the Conservatory of Music? And this is exactly what happened!  He is now the Dean, and he is thrilled having the chance to help the current class of students “get savvy!”

1. Headspace: Artists, and creative people of all kinds, need intellectual room to breath. Headspace requires time, and – depending on one’s personal preferences – a certain amount of solitude and quiet. When interacting with others, creative headspace needs constructive feedback (both positive and not) and an emotionally supportive atmosphere. Too many conservatory environments, to provide one counter-example, include teacher-centered classes in which the master teacher expounds on his or her own work, negating the validity of the budding student artist. This teaching method does not promote the kind of headspace needed for students to be innovative and creative. Headspace is akin to the image I included last week as well as this: a wide open expanse filled with possibilities – ideas don’t happen inside closed minds!
2. Physical incubator space: Artists need physical space in which to develop work. Artists need physical space in the same way scientists need laboratories – a place to experiment and evolve ideas long before they are ready for exhibition to or performance with the public. Many of my region’s emerging visual, media, and performing artists were bred at the university at which I work, but once graduated, they lose access to the physical space in which to create the new work they were taught to value and create. Without physical space in which to develop work, the fertile headspace will lead only to frustration.
3. Networking space: Artists benefit tremendously from interaction with one another. The coffee shop next door (or inside) of the incubator space can serve this purpose physically, and the web provides those networking opportunities virtually. My colleague Jake Pinholster is developing a networking web-based space for metro-Phoenix artists called AMOK: Arts-Materials-Organization-Knowledge that, once it goes live, will create a networking space not only to facilitate the exchange of ideas, but the exchange of materials as well. How cool would it be if artists could use a site like this to create a local barter economy in art-making materials (and I don’t just mean visual arts, but performing arts as well)? There are some models for this nationally (the Ohio Theatre Alliance comes to mind for materials and Springboard for the Arts (Minneapolis) for knowledge sharing and other important infrastructure support – like healthcare) so we need not re-invent the wheel, at least not from scratch, to create such space.

My own headspace is opening up significantly as I begin a much needed sabbatical. No doubt my imprecise ideas on this subject will continue to evolve over the next several months.

Since I touched on the subjects of networking and virtual spaces, I’ll let you know that the p.a.v.e. symposium website has just gone live. It contains a mere tickler of information at the moment, but as the schedule develops, we’ll be posting updates. Registration for this free event will open in October. See http://theatrefilm.asu.edu/initiatives/pave-symposium.php

Mom's mass was held at this beautiful church.

Since her passing I have been gifted with a string of  JOY-FILLED miracles. There is no other explanation for WHY my life has ALL OF A SUDDEN lite up like a giant birthday cake with stunning sparklers and firecrackers going off. Maybe mom’s birthday card after all has arrived and her soul has been saved.  Let me explain.

For starters a university who I will not for awhile be able to name,  has stepped forward and is ready to explore how they can become The IAE’s  academic accreditation partner. Breathtaking all by itself and THE VERY NEXT THING we MOST need right now.

A general manager from a mid level theater but 7 blocks down the street from where the IAE will open, emailed me the other day and offered to donate rehearsal space to the school.  While  Flourish Studio’s is an IDEAL classroom setting, it is NOT an artistic noise producing one. We have been pondering how we would solve this problem close to our location and then this magically appears.

Next came a wonderful opportunity for me personally to present a workshop at the 2nd annual P.A.V.E. conference at ASU. I have always wanted to meet Ben Cameron from the Doris Duke foundation and now I will finally be able to! I am so honored to participate.

Last Thursday I had lunch with the chief editor of an established AND up-and-coming Chicago based magazine. She asked if she could help me edit my revised book proposal to repackage the book I wrote 3 years ago that did not sell; Build a Blue Bike. She wants to help because she believes my book needs to be published by a big publisher and wants to do what she can to help me finally get it sold.

Incredibly, as we were returning to her parking lot, and I was about to pull into the first open parking stall to drop her off, there was a Blue SCHWINN Bike chained to the fence.   I have a 1960′s Blue SCHWINN Bike I bought for my book still in boxes in my garage, and a whole presentation I created around the material in the book that involves taking it apart and putting it back together. There is also a blue bike that roles in on my flash intro to LisaCanning.com. It too is a Blue SCHWINN. I intentionally wanted a Schwinn because the bike I rode as a child was a blue Schwinn. I even had an exchange with the marketing people at Schwinn to gain access to their image files so that I could use their brand of bike to promote my book, when it was published.

According to my new publisher friend, there has never been a bike before chained to the fence in the lot; nor have they EVER seen this bike before. ( For those of you who don’t know-Build a Blue Bike was picked up almost three years ago by NY literary agent Susan Schulman and never sold; Susan has represented Richard Florida and Julia Cameron.)

In hind site I now realize what Build a Blue Bike was missing- a hook. And dear reader, my mother, through her death, has given me the hook my book NEEDS –the stories I am now FREE to share about our dirty little family secrets.  My mothers creativity in life and through her death is simply otherworldly; breathtaking. As spectacular as all my mom could be.

This week has TRULY offered me DEEP and PROFOUND blessings. The passing of my mother, and my tormented relationship with her clearly, finally, undeniably has ended through her physical death. I TRULY feel a profound peace and gratitude for this to have happened to me. I feel 20 pounds lighter and free. I can FINALLY TELL MY STORIES ABOUT HER TO HELP TRANSFORM so many artists creativity into something valu-ABLE; NOT rudderless!

And yes, while it made me sad that so few people loved my mother enough to say their goodbyes at her funeral other than my husband, my ex-husband, my brother, the mother of my best friend when I was 10, four of my friends and two of my mothers;  I have to tell you that all of this last week has offered me NOTHING short of divinely sent miracles.

You see, when you PLAN to clear your life of the debris that is IN YOUR WAY to lead the LIFE YOU WERE MEANT  to live– it’s not total destruction and annihilation you find at YOUR ground zero- but instead the source of true miracles that will define you for the rest of time. And trust me you will know when you have arrived at your Ground Zero and when your transformation has begun.

Although I do have to tell you that I felt as though the heavens above were playing a little joke with me on Thursday afternoon when I went to pick up my mothers remains at the funeral directors office.

When I arrived at the building, I walked down the hall the wrong way.  Quickly I realized that not only was the building being dug up all around it- just like ground zero- but that indeed the funeral directors office was inside DePaul University’s Rosemont Campus and was next to be torn down. I successfully helped build a program at DePaul but it was never the arts entrepreneurship program I had hoped it would be.  Symbolically, the school I had taught at for 10 years was being dug up and replaced by a casino.  My school FOR NEW LEARNING IN THE ARTS will NEVER BE REPLACED BY A CASINO! 

So here I am picking up my mothers remains at my true ground zero. All that preceded this moment was meant to help me grow but not meant to be permanent. All that is unfolding before me NOW IS my true and undeniable destiny. THIS IS one of the hardest lessons to learn, really; how to truly change our destiny through the choices we make and the emotional shifts we must learn.

Are you ready to learn?  Are you ready to find your rudder? Won’t you please apply to the IAE, or help us promote the IAE to others you know, or add our button badge link to your website?

Isn’t it time for ALL ARTISTS to learn how to make THEIR VERY OWN MIRACLES happen at a SPECTACULAR ground zero of their  VERY OWN?

While the artists featured in the 2010 Old Town Art Fair are chosen by an independent jury of professional artists, gallery owners and museum curators, who looks at their professionalism and how they interact with the public?  I think the answer is no one because it’s art right? It should sell itself, right?  I can also tell you there were far too many booths that offered no artist statement, or ONLY offered a hand written statement on a scrap of paper that was pinned to their booth… I kid you not.  Even worse many had no story about them or their artwork woven into their display. There was no “Why” to latch on to… And the really sick part was that the majority of the art at the fair was indeed pretty good. But yet, no one was inside these faceless art filled booths could tell their potential customers a compelling story about why they do what they do. NO wonder everyone walked right by them and instead mobbed those that could.

Out of the roughly 20 artists Chuck and I were seriously interest in, less than 1/2 of them had functioning websites. The common excuse was it was being updated or had only been down for a short period of time for some reason or another. In fact, one artist proudly told me she had been featured in “the” ceramic magazine and had 6 galleries representing her and did not need a website because all anyone ever did was go and look at “the pretty pictures”. This particular artist even won a prize at this years fair which was juried for the first time.  Her work indeed was good but clearly she does not care to be connected to her audience or know who they really are- I found this, and her attitude, totally scary. I know another visual artists just like her who has had a great deal of success selling the same way- until the bottom fell out on the economy and now she has no idea who her clients are because she directly sells to so few of them…And what about trusting your brand to a gallery? While they may represent your work do you really want to leave your image and “brand” up to them? Yikes.  How do you build Why? with no direct connection to your tribe?  No wonder there are SO MANY STARVING ARTISTS!!

But what is THE MOST troubling about this experience today is this is a well established, higher end fair. Most of the art is at least a couple of hundred dollars and a significant portion of it falls in the $2000 to $8000 range.  It costs $500 to $575 for a 10X12 and is considered 37th out of 200 best art fairs around the country.

Our newest addition: JOY

But, my husband and I went to enjoy our day and indeed we did. My 46th birthday was yesterday and in celebration we bought “Joy” from clay sculpture artist Steven Olszewski from Pinckney, MI. (734.878.6439  clayart@cac.net)  When I entered Steve’s booth his sculptures really spoke to me through their serenity. Steve was, coincidentally, indeed, one of the two artists who also was quick to speak to me and also quick to tell me he needed to sell some of his work and if I liked it he would make me a deal. He was sincere and not pushy in the least. Of course I took him up on his offer for a discount, but truthfully if he had not offered first, I would have paid full price.

Steve’s booth did not tell me Why? at all. His sculptures did with their serenity, peace and joy written all over their faces and poses, but there was no story in his booth had I needed more encouragement to connect to his work. Steve does not have a website and also readily admitted he needed help with his marketing and connectivity to his market. He even said he wanted to come to Boost Camp, which of course made me feel a little more Joy.

This peace filled man is another one of Steve's sculptures. Chuck and I really liked him but he, and a slightly smaller one like him, were both out of our price range. I did however help Steve sell the smaller one to another couple while I was in Steve's booth.

Ironically, when I first saw Joy I said to him, ” Her name must be Joy because she looks full of it..”  and ironically and magically it turns out indeed it is her name.

This is a great interview but it will take about an hour to listen to.

Dan Pink and Christie Kahil Interview

“CEOs are telling us they have to be more creative,” says Saul Berman, Lead Partner, Strategy and Change, at IBM. “We’re not going back to the old normal.” Creativity was the highest ranked leadership quality at 60%, followed by integrity and global thinking (Thanks to Fast Company for this graphic, right).

The great challenge for CEOs is dealing with increasing complexity and change on all fronts, and because of that, according to the report, “Creativity is the most important leadership quality.” The best corporate executives “practice and encourage experimentation and innovation throughout their organizations.” The survey was based on interviews with more than 1500 CEOs worldwide, the largest one-on-one sample known.

So what are the characteristics of a creative leader? As the graphic below reveals, the creative leader is one who invites disruptive innovation and change, can tolerate ambiguity, challenge the status quo and invent new ways of doing things. For more on this study and to get your own copy of the report, click here.

Want more on creativity from Adam? See his Innovation On My Mind blog.

THE WINNER

The designer who submitted the winning entry, and OUR NEW LOGO, said this about their submission: ” Your website presents the picture of a dynamic, community-oriented organization and I’ve tried to express those attributes in the logo I’ve designed for your institute.”

We could not agree more! We felt, like so many of you, that this particular entry stood out because it was unique, very clever and creative, reflected a diverse collaborative community and most importantly embodied an entrepreneurial spirit!

Thank YOU Ryan Swanson, instructor from the School of The Art Institute of Chicago,  for referring our winning entry to us!

And with out further ado….(drum roll please!) the winner is…

Written by Nancy Davis Kho, Special to The San Francisco Chronicle

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Standing next to a barbecue shaped like a flying buzzard on a recent sunny afternoon, the winds coming over the top of the Santa Cruz Mountains to ruffle the ashy edges of a cooking fire, metalsmith Bill Sorich can be forgiven for waxing poetic. “Fire was the first entertainment, the first television,” Sorich says, adjusting the height of the grill holding homemade elk sausage by means of a pulley system rigged through the mouth of the bird, which stands 6 feet tall. “People just like looking at fire.”

Architectural designer Kristen Harrison understands the appeal – so much so that in the 20 years she’s known Sorich, she’s purchased five of his custom-made barbecues. “I keep two at my office, two at my house, and one at a house up in Oregon,” Harrison says. “I’ve had perfectly good steak cooked on a propane grill. But with these barbecues, once we’re done cooking, we throw a few logs on and everyone gathers around the fire. It’s really the original concept of barbecuing.”

This being Memorial Day weekend, there will be plenty of people flipping on the gas barbecue or dumping charcoal briquettes into a Weber. But for those who see grilling as more contemplative, there are a few Bay Area artists who have elevated the humble barbecue into art – art that cooks.

Surrounded and inspired by nature, Sorich, 62, lives with his wife, Lisa Hedstrom, a textile artist, in a house the couple built high in the Los Altos hills, near Skylonda. The house and expansive workshop, like much of Sorich’s art, make liberal use of recycled materials, and power is generated in part through solar panels and a windmill. Given the seclusion of the rustic property, it’s no surprise that animals are a recurring motif in Sorich’s whimsical fire pits and barbecues.

There’s an armadillo made from a discarded beer barrel, its individual stainless-steel tiles welded on and the sinuous tail working as a handle to open and close the top. With the top closed, the grill looks like garden statuary. “That one took me 10 years to think up, and three weeks to make,” says Sorich. Two tall iron barbecues, one shaped like an emu and the other a flamingo, have weathered to an orangey red, while a mini-grill shaped like a sea turtle looks ready to swim into the current.

“My idea of art isn’t something you hang on a wall,” says Sorich. He trained as an industrial welder and worked for Westinghouse for years but liked the creative challenge of making something from discarded materials. “I come from industry, so they have to work,” he insists of his fire pits and grills, which range in price from $500 to $15,000. “They’re guaranteed, for my life or yours.”

Q-ing up the ‘cues

By day, Don Carlson, 47, teaches welding to middle school students at Marin Country Day School. But by night, Carlson, who learned his skills as a pipe welder in the Navy, creates monstrous barbecues from recycled materials in his Richmond garage. Bobby-Q, Rooster-Q and Q-Ball are a few of the Monster-Qs that have emerged from found objects through Carlson’s artistic vision.

While they share a certain asymmetry and ferocious looking “mouths” that act as the grill’s opening, each barbecue is unique. “Finding the right pieces takes a while,” he says. “It’s a good thing I don’t do it to make a living,” Carlson quips, “because I have to make them at my own pace.” A typical Monster-Q, most of which are built around empty halon tanks once used in fire extinguishers, might incorporate wrenches, railroad spikes and chipping hammers in its quirky design. One Monster-Q even sits on discarded cafeteria table wheels for easy rolling.

“I go in with an idea of what I want to make,” Carlson says, “but the personality evolves as I work on it.” Carlson’s otherworldly barbecues, which cost $500 to $3,500, are mostly sold by word of mouth and at open-studio events. His next open studio is in conjunction with Pro Arts East Bay Open Studios.

Carnivorous art

After Brian McConnell finally finished redesigning his backyard in Twin Peaks, he didn’t want the standard barbecue setup. “I wanted to have a grill that looked like part of the garden and that was not immediately recognizable as a grill,” McConnell, an entrepreneur, said.

He turned to Oakland blacksmith Daniel Hopper to create something that would fit into the plant theme. Hopper, who tends toward organic, industrial designs, came up with the perfect form for a backyard barbecue: a carnivorous Venus flytrap. Using a cut-up Weber grill as a form around which to shape the sheet metal, Hopper designed two enormous flytrap-shaped barbecues and three companion metal pitcher plants for lights. Originally, one of the forged steel flytraps was meant for vegetarian fare and the other for meat, but McConnell says, “I think we lost track of which side is which.”

Of the design Hopper says, “I like my work to incorporate an element of danger that people feel compelled to address physically.” In the case of the flytrap, it’s evident in the long metal trigger hairs made from forged pipes: They’re handy to hang a utensil on but undeniably menacing. Extending well beyond the barbecue’s closed mouth, guests ignore them at their peril.

McConnell appreciates the fact that Hopper’s art isn’t static. “I entertain a lot and like the idea of functional art that people interact with. Paintings are nice, but a barbecue does something useful.”

It’s easy to get sucked into the social vacuum of the Internet and be fooled into thinking you’re making actual connections.  I spend as much time on Twitter, Facebook, Google Buzz and the blogosphere as anyone (let’s be honest, probably moreso…it’s an obsession), but the bulk of those connections aren’t technically real.  The thread connecting me to many of the people who I communicate with is an invisible, digital one…and at the end of the day, that can’t hold a candle to looking someone in the eye and shaking their hand.

That’s why we created Create.Innovate.Repeat. to begin with…to facilitate more of those handshakes.  This time, we’ve teamed up with the ING DIRECT Cafe Chicago in downtown Chicago to host a free night of networking and presenting designed to bolster your real world contacts and make connections that could prove invaluable as you continue building your business or brand.  We’ve been inspired by the PechaKucha networking nights (if you’re unfamiliar, look it up…they have a great following) to do our own form of show and tell for adults.  We have ten presenters lined up, representing an assortment of artists and entrepreneurs from all over Chicago, who each have 10 slides and 5 minutes to share the art or business concept that drives them.  From them, you might find inspiration…you might find a way to get involved with a new project…or you might find a partner that you never knew existed who could provide a mutually beneficial team-up opportunity.  Check out the list below to get a taste of who’s presenting…and we still have a slot or two open, so if you’re interested in being one of these folks, e-mail me at Shawn@TheIAE.com and I’ll get you set up.

Again, the event is totally free, but registration is recommended.  Go to createinnovaterepeat.eventbrite.com to RSVP for yourself and up to 3 friends…and pass the link along to anyone else you know who might be interested.  We’ll have free cafe drinks, courtesy of the ING DIRECT cafe, and snacks to make sure you’ve got energy for some intense networking.  The event takes place Thursday, June 10th from 7-9 pm.  The ING DIRECT Cafe Chicago is located at 21 East Chestnut Street.

We’ll have social networking stations onhand so you can connect with people online as you talk to them in person, but don’t forget to bring a few business cards just in case!  And come say hi to me, I’ll be the bald guy wearing lots of No More Starving Artist buttons…because we could all use a few more passionate entrepreneurial cohorts, right?

Hi, Lisa-

I just wanted to let you know that I found your ETA and Lisa’s Clarinet Shop websites via David Cutler’s Savvy Musician site, and I really appreciate what you are doing.  I am a clarinetist starting the second year of my DMA in performance at the University of South Carolina, and your ideas pertaining to entrepreneurship as an artist really resonate with me.  I also feel that there is a whole world of opportunity out there where creative people can utilize their strengths and serve others in “The Good Fight.”  I think so many musicians don’t want to talk about business and money because 1.) we are sick of not having it 2.) we believe it is our duty not to have it, and 3.) we don’t want to be a part of “corporate America” as we know it.  Us artistic types are (and thankfully so!) notorious idealists.  We understand—through our intimate, spiritual relationship with the arts— that beauty has real value, that this life isn’t just something to be thrown out with the garbage, yet, so many business capitalize on the ugliness in the world and we would rather be poor than be a part of that!

As artists we are in a position to sell something that heals— not hurts— anyone and everyone.  It is so easy to fault the government, or our culture, or even sports for the sorry state of the arts in America.  However, we are pointing our fingers at the wrong people.  You can’t blame people for not wanting something they don’t know exists and have never really experienced.  Only when we are finally thinking out of the full-time orchestra gig/ tenured-track college gig/ military band gig-shaped box will we become a driving force in this economy, and a force that shapes American culture and changes lives for the better.  All of those jobs are great, but why be limited to them?

Katie Brown

This post was written by Seth Godin and appeared on his blog. Thank you Bobbie Soeder for sending this on to me.  Does this post remind you of any artist you know?  It certainly struck a chord with me…

Society makes heroes out of entrepreneurs and adventurers that tilt at windmills and succeed. Napster slays the music industry! Twitter comes out of nowhere!

The thing about taking on the biggest giants is that most of the time (so often as to be all of the time if you’re willing to do some rounding) you fail. You don’t just fail at the end, you often fail long before the end.

Yet the dreamers persist. These are usually the garage entrepreneurs, people with little market success behind them, those working without a track record or significant resources. People forget that Google was backed with millions of dollars from the biggest VCs in the world when they took on Yahoo.

I know, I know, I’m supposed to be the guy who says, “go for it!” but the fact is, most of the time the choice to take on impossible odds, to challenge the entrenched monopolist is the work of the lizard brain. After all, if you dream the impossible dream and go after the thing that can’t possibly work, you don’t have to worry about being criticized, you don’t have to worry about the responsibility of shipping or serving your customers. After all, it was impossible.

Tangling with the largest possible opponent, when you are severely over matched is a way of giving in to the resistance, of not actually shipping.

My best advice: win little battles. Get in the habit of winning, of shipping, of having customers that can’t live without you. Once you’ve demonstrated you know how to do the art, then go after the windmills.

What struck me from my particular session was the focus students placed on asking specific questions around accounting and legal issues. All of the questions they asked were great and relevant, but I found myself increasingly wondering how many realized that while the answer to their question was certainly instructive, they almost always revealed the participants lack of entrepreneurial intuition and vision.

For example, one question revolved around whether it was worth the risk of, without a license or doing proper research with the city, setting up a public art display in an area that was part public and part private. While the legal answer is clearly no,  the question it raised for me was what kind of image and reputation are you trying to build and how best can you effectively communicate that message? And what kind of public space best will fit that message?  Will breaking the law do it and risking the dismantling or destruction of your work?  Developing entrepreneurial intuition revolves around knowing who you are first, taking a moral inventory of what principals you need to adhere to as your life as an entrepreneur unfolds, and then being able to negotiate along the path that emerges to achieve the results you are looking for.

Or what about this accounting question: I want to attend a bunch of art fairs this summer and wondered do I need to keep books and records?  Well, the bigger question for me is why are you doing this? What result are you seeking from attending these fairs and how will it help you build on the vision for your business?  This question begs a much deeper exploration than its answer.

While it is true, we as artists need an assortment of tools- attorneys, accountants, bankers and access to specific instructional answers to detailed questions ( how to?)  to accomplish the task of building our careers, these sorts of “power tools” are after all inanimate flat objects. While we certainly need to know not only which one to use and what they can each do for us,  no instructions come with them that provide the intuition and vision you need to create something meaningful simply by using them.  What good is it to know what kind of drill bit to use in concrete if you don’t know what to do with the concrete in the first place? And while artists have creative vision, entrepreneurial vision requires the insertion of a second lens to view that creativity through. And with it a new set of skills that require training.

Entrepreneurial vision cannot be found inside of any one power tool, their operating manual, or any accounting or legal issues book either. Specific answers to specific questions can be, but 90% of developing as an entrepreneur is about developing your critical decision making abilities.  Knowing which way to go and when you should  turn left, right or go straight is the real challenge and is what divides failure from success. Timing, effectively communicating and knowing how much importance should be placed on what and when is critical to building success.  Developing your entrepreneurial vision requires the development of your entrepreneurial intuition first which, with practice and guidance, becomes a clear entrepreneurial vision that will guide ALL of your decision making. Once you have entrepreneurial vision, getting the answers to specific legal or accounting questions seems perfunctory in nature.

One of the reasons I decided to take on the challenge of opening a two year program for artists, instead of offering a string of workshops on a broad list of subjects, is because you can’t develop entrepreneurial vision any other way than through immersion learning that can only occur with a trusted teacher available every step of the way. Just like one’s artistry was created with the guidance of a teacher, transforming that artistry into an income stream requires the same kind of ongoing guidance and professional assistance.

So many times I have heard from those who observe artists that “we” cannot be taught how to sell, or to think like entrepreneurs because we  just are not “wired” that way.  And the truth is we can. If we are willing to make the investment of time and money required to learn MORE THAN what the power tool owners manual says about how to operate the machine.  We all know how badly written those manuals are and how much more quickly we learn how to really use them through the lens of experience…

After all, if you could learn how to be an entrepreneur from a book, don’t you think there would be a whole lot more of us?  Who doesn’t want to be in charge of your own day and make a decent living creating a life you love? But are you willing to risk financially all you have without the educational support you need to succeed? Didn’t you already do that for the love of your artistry? Isn’t it now time to finish the process by investing in the rest of the education you need to learn to have the entrepreneurial intuition and vision you need to thrive?

Check out this story that just appeared today about one (now) flourishing artist, Shawna Lake,  who was willing to invest in the development of her entrepreneurial vision. It does not matter what form of art you create. Insert you and your business idea into this article. This could be you….

But here’s some news: we don’t all have the same orientation to these different phases. Some steps give us energy, some take energy away. In some of the phases we feel at home, as though we could stay there forever. Others we may avoid. The trick is, in the world of the entrepreneurial artistry, we are pretty much obliged to make it through the cycle if we want to be successful. Here are some tips on how to leverage your strengths and support your weak areas:

Determine your style. It may seem obvious to you, but if you haven’t given it some thought, you may be surprised. Which do you get the most energy from: picking a direction, generating ideas, developing the ideas so they’re fully articulated, or implementing them and sending them into the world?

If you have drawers full of half-started poems, perhaps coming up with ideas is your strong suit. If you keep promising yourself you’re just about done with that composition, but you’ve been saying that since Obama was sworn in, you may be into the development stage. Maybe you’re strong on two, three, or even all four of the steps — that’s possible too.

Surround yourself with others who complement your preferences. Working in an ensemble to mount a new production? If the team is full of people who love to get the work out there, the production may risk being underdeveloped. Draw on the strengths of people whose preferences are different from yours.

Be patient with yourself. If being deliberate about what you want to work on is a complete mystery to you, and you find yourself half-way through a project before realizing it’s not what you wanted to do, make a note of that for the next time. Practice clarifying what you want before you jump in.

Understand that preference is not the same as ability. We may be proficient at all phases of the process, but some steps may kick us around the block before we’re done. Forewarned is forearmed for those more challenging steps.

Stick with it. The rewards of bringing our creative ideas from inklings to openings are worth the effort! They help build momentum for the next time around, and inspire the rest of us to go ahead and consider, conceive of, flesh out and finally…post that blog! (and here I go…)

Here are some of my all-time favorite disqualifying statements from cover letters.  And what makes these errors so amazing is that every item on this list is absolutely true.  You can’t make up this stuff!

      1. If the chair of the search committee is named Dr. Shankovich, avoid beginning with “Dear Dr. Frankovich”.

      2. Do not staple a photograph to the right hand corner of your letter, particularly if you’re a balding and overweight middle-aged man.

      3. Your commitment to saving the environment is appreciated. But if you spill significant amounts of coffee on your letter, consider printing a new copy.

      4. A strong design can make your letterhead stand out.  But avoid fonts where the letters resemble hearts or appear to have blood dripping from them.   

      5. Reconsider replacing your cover letter to Dean Marianski with a hand-drawn cartoon including the quote bubble “I’ve always wanted to work with Merv.  He’s awesome!!!!!”

      6. While it’s critical to outline your philosophical take in a cover letter, some statements are best kept to yourself, such as “I believe arts educators should not get married or have families because it shows a lack of commitment to the profession.”

      7. Refrain from spending two paragraphs clarifying your time behind bars. (Save that for the interview.)

      8. Here’s one that I made (ouch!!!) as a compulsive document saver.  After my letter was finished and in perfect condition, I subconsciously saved a couple last times before emailing it off.  But in my haste, “control” and “S” were pressed in the opposite order, adding two “s’s” to my document.  This transformed the phrase “With a strong background in music theory pedagogy” to “With ass strong background in music theory pedagogy.”

      9. Even if you are extremely famous, do not replace your letters of recommendation with the phrase, “For referrals, just talk to anyone in the music business.”    

      10. Do not conclude by writing “I believe my outstanding record of success and diverse profile make me the perfect candidate for Eastern Iowa University.” At least not when the application is being send to Yale.

Check out David Cutler’s

THE SAVVY MUSICIAN: Building a Career, Earning a Living, & Making a Difference

“Hands down, the most valuable resource available for aspiring musicians.”

— Jeffrey Zeigler, Kronos Quartet

SURTEX has really moved from its original purpose of selling designs for fabrics to showcasing artists and their agents for all types of product manufacturing. This year for the first time, SURTEX and the Stationery show were held not only at the same time, but on the same trade show floor, and it seemed to be really beneficial for all.

A Word About Stationery Licensing…

The stationery product category is a great category for starting your art and licensing business, for many reasons. Of course, providing your art fits the stationery product category.

• The stationery business follows many fashion trends and colors, so it’s always looking for styles and patterns, icons, graphics and designs that are fresh and new.  Since fashion changes quickly, the stationery business pushes to keep up. Styles may last one season, or a design doing well may last several (3-5) seasons, and that would be an extremely long and successful run at retail.

• The stationery business, which prints on paper—though not exclusively—can produce new product faster than many other categories, such as ceramics and home décor. The industry is, then capable of changing quicker than most, and utilizes this to its advantage.

• The nature of the stationery business also lends itself to diversity of product and small exclusive product runs for specialty stores and other upstairs retailers.

• The stationery business with its huge need for art and on-trend designs is used to working with artists and creators who are new to the industry, and in fact there are many manufacturers who really don’t care if you have other licensing deals.  They know if they like your art, and if you can agree on a deal, that’s enough for them.

All of this is great news for artists entering the business, since the stationery business requires volumes of art and designs to keep up with trends and to fulfill its various audience, lifestyle, holiday and social occasion needs.

Now a Word About Manufacturers…

As the retail marketplace is being challenged, so is that of the manufacturer. If you have talked to one lately, I’m sure they told you:

• Manufacturers are pressed to reduce their costs to the retailer, so the retailer can keep prices relatively low and still make a profit.

• Manufacturers are trying to keep costs down in several different ways, such as reducing inventory, keeping overhead costs down, managing with fewer employees, using lower cost or lower quality goods.  Each manufacturer must make these decisions for their brand and company.

• Many manufacturers have chosen to keep staffing lean and with that the design departments that are small to nonexistent.  And while licensing is an added expense, it is also one way to keep costs down, and pay you for each product sold, rather than keeping designers on staff.

Again, this has provided an opportunity for artists, as the manufacturers continue to look for new art and especially artists who are skilled in product design and production to help compensate for their shrinking art and production staffs.  Another benefit to the manufacturer is being able to tap into the huge pool of talented artists that bring a variety of different styles simultaneously to their product lines, thus attracting a wider audience.

A Story of Two Artists

Two women, both incredible artists with the burning desire to see their art on products and in the stores decided to take a big first step and market their artwork.

The first one decided to manufacture stationery and note cards. She bought a booth at the Stationery Show, which was quite an investment, in addition to producing all the product for sale and marketing materials. Response to her designs and product was wonderful and several independent retailers purchased product for their stores. The woman wished she could get a representative, or better yet a ‘rep group’ for her line—agents who would sell her product to all of the retailers. When she left the show she had more work to do that when she arrived. Whew, it’s a lot to take in, and she began to wonder if she’d be better off licensing her art to manufacturers directly.

The other woman decided to license her art directly to manufacturers for stationery and other products.  She bought a booth at SURTEX, which was quite an investment, in addition to producing her marketing materials and web site. Response to her designs was wonderful and several manufacturers showed interest in a licensing deal. The woman wished she could get an agent to license her collections to all of the manufacturers. When she left the show she had more work to do than when she arrived. Whew, it’s a lot to take in, and she began to wonder if she’d be better off manufacturing her art on products.

Moral of the story: No matter what you decide to do, it always looks like there is more work in your lane to get to the finish line, but it’s probably just the same amount on a different path.

An Important Business Model Decision

Licensing is really just one of many marketing decisions to be made, as you build a business based on your creative talents. If you have enjoyed your creative endeavors and see them reaching a broader audience and creating larger revenue streams, then you are probably considering manufacturing your own product or licensing your art to manufacturers. Both choices are viable and have pros and cons which are based on your specific needs and goals. No one can tell you which is right for you.

So why would you choose one type of business over the other, when wanting to create product and revenue with your art. The following chart shows some of the key benefits of both licensing and manufacturing. Of course, what is the benefit for one method is the opposite, or a negative, for the other and vice versa…it all depends on your perspective.

Two Different Business Models:

From a creative stand-point, there are reasons to choose manufacturing and reasons to go with licensing. I have known creative people who tried manufacturing and then chose licensing, and some who went the licensing route and switched gears to pursue manufacturing.  It really depends on your skill sets, drive and how you prefer to spend your time and energy.

Jeanette Smith has more than 25 years experience in the licensing industry, including building the Dilbert™ brand from its infancy to a global corporate icon. J’net created All Art Licensing to share her knowledge through coaching, consulting and licensing all types of creators — artists, photographers, painters, designers, authors, illustrators, non-profits and more —  to maximize the power of their talents worldwide, while saving time and money! All Art Licensing offers a comprehensive resource, including online ‘live’ classes, audio downloads, e-books, templates and workshops, as well as a free newsletter, monthly Q&A and blog. Explore your potential with the training, products and services available at www.allartlicenisng.com or contact J’net directly atjnet@allartlicensing.com

Here’s Adam:

Before you make the first call to a presenter, you need to have done your research. Know who you are calling, what their tastes are, and have a sense of what about you might interest them. Be aware of any common acquaintances, shared interests, even alma maters. Just like a good pop song, you need a hook.

Once you get on the line, you need to get that hook in within 7 seconds. If you can’t state who you are, and get traction on the hook in that time frame, your sale is likely done for. The people you call are always going to be busy, so drop whatever names you need to drop toot sweet.

Now that you’ve got their attention, draw them out. Cite aspects of their series you appreciate and ask them to tell you more. Learn about their audience, demographic, and taste. When appropriate, tie in what you learn to facts within your own organization or presentation. If they talk about a runaway success they had with a particular style of performance, share the successes you have found recently—reviews, audience numbers, grants, etc.

If things are going well, send them more information electronically or by post so that they have time to live with your materials, mission, and body of work. Don’t make this first call too long. Rarely will you find a situation where you book a concert on this initial call. Don’t try to make this happen. Send more information, and let them know that you’ll follow up a week later to make sure they received it, and answer any questions they might have. This encourages them to review your materials in a timely manner, consider questions, and potentially be ready to discuss a project with you later on.

Booking a concert is a partnership between performer and presenter. The initial call is really just a cheap pickup line in a crowded bar. Get in there, get the digits, and get out. Better to follow up later if you want it to be a lasting relationship.

Adam is the pianist and Director of Artistic Programming for Fifth House Ensemble. For more information, please visit www.fifth-house.com. Like what you read here? For more music entrepreneurship tidbits, visit www.playingclosetothebridge.wordpress.com, brought to you by members of 5HE.

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