We buried my mom on Friday. I played a piece called Shiva in her honor at her graveside. I am amazed I could even read my music because the sun was shining so brightly. It was a blindingly bright, nothin’ but blue sky, perfect day to honor my mom. We now think officially my mom passed away a week...

As I walked out of Lifetime Fitness yesterday morning I felt depressed by the results of my metabolic basal rate test. “1400 calories is all I get to eat if I want to lose weight?   No wonder my life long battle with my weight can never be won. I have mom to thank I guess. She taught me to love...

Our fortune cookies and No More Starving Artist Button Board were a big hit at the Chicago Creative Expo. On Saturday April 10th, at the 7th Chicago Creative Expo held at The Cultural Center in Chicago, The IAE was in full blooming form. Our imagination training ensemble, The Bite-Size Arts Ensemble,...

I wrote this article for the Chicago Artists Resource (CAR). I thought you all might enjoy reading The Artist as Innovator: From Starving to Entrepreneurial by Thinking out of the Box. And besides, if you have not checked out The Chicago Artists Resource site before you should – it is a great Chicago...

I had a dream last night about Tina Fey. I only remember two things: 1. I enjoyed spending time with her and laughed a lot. 2. At some point she took out her retainer and put it on a table. I know it’s April Fools Day but this really happened. What is it about Tina Fey? Wherever I find her –...

A Case for The Institute for Arts Entrepreneurship™ Introduction: Founded in 2009, The Institute for Arts Entrepreneurship™ (The IAE) is a Chicago-based 501c(3) organization committed to helping artists create sustainable artistic careers through achieving self –sufficiency.  Our mission is...

Or can you? Never mind, 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...

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...