In honor of achieving independence as artists,  back in 2007 during the Fourth of July holiday, I wrote a story called Do Not Enter.

Writing this story motivated me to write more stories about people who have a dream but are struggling  to realize it.  What all the characters have in common is their interest, for different reasons, in patronizing Miya LeBleu’s Blue Bike Shop in a town called Nowhere.

Eventually I combined these short stories into a book called Build A Blue Bike. It was picked up by New York literary agent, Susan Schulman, but was never published.  If you are interested in reading some more of my stories a few more are on the blog. You can search under The Blue Bike Shop. Here is a link to one more about Miya LeBleu the bike shop owner.

This story, Do Not Enter, was also the inspiration for my design of The ETA logo.

Do Not Enter

Do Not Enter cautions the sign on the red door.

John stood there looking at it wondering what to do. The guy at the bike bar told him that the first red door was the fastest way out of The Blue Bike Shop but surely he must have been mistaken, thought John.  And yet, all down the hallway John saw nothing BUT red doors with the same white sign, with the same Do Not Enter boldly lettered red on each.

What a strange place thought John.  Nothin’ but blue bikes and red doors.

The Blue Bike Shop was a brand new shop in downtown Nowhere. It was filled with blue bikes in every configuration imaginable: trikes, unicycles, bicycles built-for-two, mountain bikes, racing bikes and blue peddlers for the leisurely traveler.

The Blue Bike Shop had quickly become a hot spot in Nowhere. After all, The Blue Bike Shop served lunch and drinks at the Bike Bar; what a great excuse for John to check out all the blue bikes and dream.

John had grown up in Nowhere and had never been outside its city limits. John lived down Rural Route 7, a long dirt road, which eventually, if you stayed on it long enough would take you out of town.

Today was the day John was going to begin that ride. Impulsively, after lunch at the Bike Bar, John decided that he was ready. With every dollar he had saved in his pocket, from his job at Solo Staffing Services, he was going to buy that blue Schwinn he had his eye on.

The cash in John’s hand quickly became the bike in his dream. As a celebratory gesture the sales clerk stepped behind the bar and handed him a shot of Don Julio. With John’s throat on fire and his heart pounding with excitement, he asked ”What’s the fastest way out of town?”

The clerk smiled and said, “Go down the hall and take the first red door you see. It’s the fastest way.”

Several minutes had passed as John stood in front of the red door with his new shiny blue Schwinn, reflecting on the clerks last words.

Why in the world would this guy have told me to go through this red door if it was not the right door,   thought John.

John had never walked through a door that said Do Not Enter in his life. He also had never spent his entire life’s savings on a blue bike. John looked down the hall at the other red doors with all of their Do Not Enter signs and then he reached for the knob to his own.

“What the hell. All my life, people have been telling me ˜Do Not Enter this, or do that, or try this, because it is too hard, too risky, too much work or too something. It’s time I try to go somewhere.”

When John opened the door, this is what he saw.

DISCOVER HOW TO OPEN YOUR OWN RED DO NOT ENTER DOOR TO YOUR INDEPENDENCE:

WRITE DOWN THE ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS.

What red door with Do Not Enter written on it is stopping you from continuing to develop your artistic vision? What road blocks do you need to tear down in your mind? What about yourself do you need to accept, learn about or change to deepen your creative work?

What investment do you need to make to create a sustainable independent creative life? Write down everything you need to do in no particular order.

Who do you need to stop listening to and how will you do it? Write down every person who’s words and actions stand in your way of making true artistic, emotional and financial progress.

Where will you put your trust and who will help you in earnest to move your creative life emotionally and financially forward? True independence cannot be reached alone. It takes a village of support to make really impact FILLED life changes. Write down your plan to help you accomplish this for a minimum of 2 years. Write from your stream of conscious and don’t stop until you can’t think of anything more to write.

Our 2010 most read posts are interestingly some oldies but goodies. From our top 25, 14 are from 2007 through 2009. Our oldest post from 2007, which also happens to be our #1 post, is about my  journey writing a book.

So for all you writers out there, this list just goes to show you that it’s important to get your writing our there because its more likely to become well read with the passage of time.

#1 Starving Artist Not
#2 The Four C’s of 21st Century Education
#3 Oh the places you’ll go by Dr Seuss
#4 Tongue twisters for actors and speakers
#5 Characteristics of successful entrepreneurs
#6 Ten steps to finding your artistic voice
#7 Best and worst marketing campaigns
#8 How to create a badge for your blog
#9 An artistic entrepreneurial case study: The story of blue man group
#10 Ben Cameron on change transformation and renewal in the arts
#11 One blank piece of paper
#12 Dinner in the sky
#13 Conservatory made me successful in business
#14 How to make your creativity explode create your own strategic implode
#15 North Africa Economic Partership announced between Aspen Institute and U.S. Department of State
#16 Top 20 arts entrepreneur blogs
#17 What does fame mean to you?
#18 I’m not an entertainer. I’m a lot closer to a paramedic, a firefighter, a rescue worker
#19 Artists as social entrepreneurs
#20 Our dirty little family secret
#21 The definition of a calculated risk
#22 Innovating through artistry
#23 Paradigm shifts build innovative companies
#24 Overcoming mediocrity
#25 What is your imagination worth to you?

The Creative Chicago Survey is live today!  Sponsored by The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA),  all creative practitioners who live and work in Chicago are asked to take it to describe who they are and what they need to thrive, including specific space and business assistance information. This information will help the City determine policies and programs to support the Creative Sector, and be shared with interested organizations, research and advocacy efforts. The Creative Chicago Survey is unique because it invites the creative community to opt-in and define itself, rather than working from a pre-determined list.
To have the greatest impact, our goal is to hear from all creative people who live and/or work in Chicago.

Who is a creative and should take it? Every person who engages in a creative practice as their job or their hobby is considered “a creative”…. This means YOU, Your members, your audience, your staff and your friends. Invite your Chicago creative community to take the survey today!

The survey will be available between February 4 – February 25, 2011.

Here are the links below:

Spanish – http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/EncuestaCreativadeChicago

English – http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CreativeChicagoSurvey

Written by Tom Tresser http://www.tresser.com

President Obama delivered his 2011 State of The Union address on January 25. It was 69 minutes long and contained 7,445 words.

Three of those words were “innovation.” “Science” was mentioned three times. “Education” was mentioned five times.

Here are the relevant passages:

“China is not waiting to revamp its economy.  Germany is not waiting.  India is not waiting.  These nations — they’re not standing still.  These nations aren’t playing for second place.  They’re putting more emphasis on math and science.  They’re rebuilding their infrastructure.  They’re making serious investments in clean energy because they want those jobs.  Well, I do not accept second place for the United States of America.”

“We need to encourage American innovation.  Last year, we made the largest investment in basic research funding in history — an investment that could lead to the world’s cheapest solar cells or treatment that kills cancer cells but leaves healthy ones untouched.  And no area is more ripe for such innovation than energy.  You can see the results of last year’s investments in clean energy -– in the North Carolina company that will create 1,200 jobs nationwide helping to make advanced batteries; or in the California business that will put a thousand people to work making solar panels.”

“We need to invest in the skills and education of our people. Now, this year, we’ve broken through the stalemate between left and right by launching a national competition to improve our schools.  And the idea here is simple:  Instead of rewarding failure, we only reward success.  Instead of funding the status quo, we only invest in reform — reform that raises student achievement; inspires students to excel in math and science; and turns around failing schools that steal the future of too many young Americans, from rural communities to the inner city.  In the 21st century, the best anti-poverty program around is a world-class education. And in this country, the success of our children cannot depend more on where they live than on their potential.

When we renew the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, we will work with Congress to expand these reforms to all 50 states.  Still, in this economy, a high school diploma no longer guarantees a good job.  That’s why I urge the Senate to follow the House and pass a bill that will revitalize our community colleges, which are a career pathway to the children of so many working families.”

“That’s the leadership that we are providing –- engagement that advances the common security and prosperity of all people. We’re working through the G20 to sustain a lasting global recovery.  We’re working with Muslim communities around the world to promote science and education and innovation.  We have gone from a bystander to a leader in the fight against climate change. We’re helping developing countries to feed themselves, and continuing the fight against HIV/AIDS.  And we are launching a new initiative that will give us the capacity to respond faster and more effectively to bioterrorism or an infectious disease -– a plan that will counter threats at home and strengthen public health abroad.”

I’m not too inspired.

Presidents have been throwing the word “innovation” into their State of the Union addresses for decades.  But we really don’t have a coherent or powerful innovation policy, program or mindset.

Thomas Kuczmarski,  a Chicago-based innovation consultant, wrote an op-ed for Business week in March of 2009, “An Innovation Action Plan for Obama” where he called for, among other things, Innovation Booster Grants, Innovation Awards, special tax credits, innovation training, a special innovation fund and a cabinet level Secretary of Innovation.

The Athena Alliance,  a nonprofit organization dedicated to public education and research on the global information economy, based in Washington, DC, published a white paper in December 2008, “Crafting an Obama Innovation Policy” with a long list of significant short-term and long term investments.

We’re still waiting on most of these suggestions to take place.

Business leaders have been calling on America to get more creative and to boost its innovation chops for years.

Charts like this showing that the United States is no where near the top of any global educational achievement measures are becoming depressingly familiar.

I have a different path to innovation and keeping America competitive and prosperous.

I would argue that the arts are the pathway to broadening  and deepening America’s creative muscles.

I would argue that teaching the arts at every level of education would be an excellent way to build our collective creative capacities.

I would argue that having America’s children proficient in the arts – be it music, theater, design, computer coding, architecture, singing or painting would build skills needed for a robust economy and would also strengthen our communities.

So as the President and his team put together the federal budget for 2011 and beyond. I would say that one way to achieve this goal of getting to a creative America would be to fund the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities at one billion dollars each. Let the Department of Education be funded to enable states to pass funds to local school districts to hire artists to teach the arts full-time. Let’s make sure every community has a place where people can go to learn about and make art.

Remember the mysterious figure of “Deep Throat” from All The President’s Men? He was coaching the young reporter trying to unravel the Watergate Break-in cover-up. “Follow the money.” He said. I agree.

If you want a creative, more innovative America we’re going to need citizens who are literate, inquisitive, open-minded and creative. That’s going to cost. Let’s follow the money and see if the President puts our money where his mouth is.

Tom Tresser is an organizer, educator and strategic planning consultant. He was the Green Party candidate for Cook County Board President in the November 2010 election.

There is no doubt about it, all of us are happy to have behind us the first decade of the new millennium. What a crash landing it was into a new age. Book-ended by 9/11 at the start and a financial wipe-out at the end, the first 10 years of this century will very likely go down as the most heartbreaking and disillusioning decade Americans have lived through in the post–World War II era. Call it the Decade from Hell, Our Lost Years, The Deconstruction of The American Dream or an opportunity to re-think who we are as a people, a country, and one world. Regardless of the label, it is time to reinvent who we think we are, and to initiate a course of action that will allow us to transform our lives and those of others. And to do this will require A LOT of creativity.

My friend and colleague John Cimino,from Creative Leaps International, loves to use the portraits created in 1833 of Thomas Cole: The Course of Empire to illustrate where we as a people have been and where we now have arrived. A direct source of literary inspiration for The Course of Empire is Byron’s Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage (1812–18). Cole quoted this verse, from Canto IV, in his newspaper advertisements for the series:

There is the moral of all human tales;
‘Tis but the same rehearsal of the past.
First freedom and then Glory – when that fails,
Wealth, vice, corruption – barbarism at last.
And History, with all her volumes vast,
Hath but one page.

I think these portraits are incredibly revealing. They are rich with lessons about our past, our ethics and lend themselves well to recognizing we are a land, again, in search of a new identity. And what an opportunity this presents for the arts to rise to a new level of meaning and relevance.

The Savage State

The Arcadian or Pastoral State

The Consummation of The Course of Empire

The Course of Empire Destruction

The Course of Empire Desolation

WHAT FRAME IS NEXT?

It’s true we made our own bed and did this to ourselves largely. We deregulating the banking industry that lead to greed and the meltdown of the housing industry. We betted on thin air with the tech dot com bubble which, as all air bubbles do, burst right after 911. We waged the wars in Iraq and then the one in Afghanistan that drag on today and is deadlier than ever. And what about those anthrax letters and the Washington, D.C. snipers and the wave of Wall Street scandals highlighted by Enron and WorldCom? And indeed nature’s strength of hand descended upon us, as a reminder of where true control exists. On Aug. 29, 2005, near the center of the decade, Hurricane Katrina made landfall in southeast Louisiana, killing more than 1,500 and causing $100 billion in damages. It was the largest natural disaster in our nation’s history.

There is nothing natural about the economic meltdown we are still struggling with. A housing bubble fueled by the deregulation of the banking industry, cheap money and excessive borrowing set ablaze by derivatives, created financial weapons of mass destruction and put our economy on the brink of collapse. Meanwhile, the living, breathing symbol of our course of empire lives within prisoner No. 61727-054, also known as Bernie Madoff who rots away in a Butner, N.C. jail cell, doing 150 years for orchestrating the biggest Ponzi scheme in the history of humanity.

It’s time to start things up again and use our creativity to transform our lives, communities and situations because, frankly, we simply don’t have a choice as a people, a country or even as a world. Entrepreneurship has never been more important to set the table for who we are, what we think and value and where our future lies. The arts have so much to contribute to this conversation. Through setbacks and destruction what an entrepreneur sees and feels is OPPORTUNITY. And our current circumstances have blessed us with lots and lots of opportunity. What do you see? What can you do to be a part of redefining your community, our country, our world?

This New Years Eve and New Years Day passed for me uneventfully as I worked feverishly to finish a five year budget, curriculum development for both online classes and course work for the school, as well as our new case statement for The IAE. The Decade of “The Start” has arrived. It’s time.

Integrating the arts, in innovative ways, into business, education, research, science and world affairs will create a whole new age of “whole brain thinking” leaders who can solve complex problems and bridge ingenuity gaps.

Thanks Toni Antonetti for sending this article ETA’s way. As a compliment to this article, you might want to read Entrepreneur The Art’s: Innovating through Artistry which explores the role of innovation of the arts in business.

This article was written by John M. Eger, a Lionel Van Deerlin Professor of Communications and Public Policy, San Diego State. It appeared on Huffington Post on December 7, 2010

Today, the arts are being cut to one of the lowest points in history. Like politics, funding is the mother’s milk of continued prowess in the arts, but more is at stake than most people believe.

As demand for a new workforce to meet the challenges of a global knowledge economy is rapidly increasing, nothing could be more important in this period of our nation’s history than art and an art infused education.

According to the Americans for the Arts in Washington, D.C., this is the only sector where the growth of arts jobs in publishing, television, graphic design and related fields is a bright spot in the present day dismal economy.

But as important as the traditional creative industries are, the payoff in almost every economic activity will be from people who can draw from both sides of their brain. The folks who have had art or art infused training and exposure to the arts are clearly at an advantage.

A number of think tanks argue that the elements are in place for the advance of the Creative Age, a period in which free, democratic nations thrive and prosper because of their tolerance for dissent, respect for individual enterprise, freedom of expression, and recognition that innovation, not mass production of low-value goods and services, is the driving force for the new economy.

The new economy’s demand for creativity has manifested itself in the emergence and growth of what author Richard Florida has termed the “Creative Class.” Although Florida defines this demographic group very broadly, he does a convincing job of outlining the facts of life and work in the new knowledge economy.

As he points out, “every aspect and every manifestation of creativity — cultural, technological and economic — is inextricably linked.” By tracking certain migration patterns and trends, Richard Florida did a huge service for those struggling to redefine their communities for the new knowledge economy. However, many questions remain.

Can the community, through public art or cultural offerings, enhance the creativity of its citizens? And if the new economy so desperately demands the creative worker and leader, what should schools and universities do to prepare the next generation of creative people.

Until recently, there has been only limited evidence of the connection between education and appreciation of the arts, and success in the postindustrial age of information. But now it is becoming increasingly apparent that arts initiatives will be the hallmarks of the most-successful schools and universities and, in turn, the most-successful and vibrant twenty-first-century cities and regions.

Those communities placing a premium on cultural, ethnic, and artistic diversity, reinventing their knowledge factories for the creative age, and building the new information infrastructures will likely burst with creativity and entrepreneurial fervor.

These are the ingredients so essential to developing and attracting the bright and creative people to generate new patents and inventions, innovative world-class products and services, and the finance and marketing plans to support them.

Michael M. Kaiser, president of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, created “Arts in Crisis: A Kennedy Center Initiative” to provide free arts management consulting to nonprofit performing arts organizations around the United States. Last summer he embarked on a 50-state tour for the program, bringing his expertise to every state in the union, along with Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.

It may seem ludicrous to say it, but we really need to be spending more on the arts and art education.

Much more.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 2, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Aspen Institute announced the launch of the North Africa Partnership for Economic Opportunity (NAPEO), a new effort between the Aspen Institute and the US Department of State. The announcement was made today at the Maghreb Entrepreneurship Summit in Algiers, Algeria, hosted by the US Algeria Business Council and Assistant Secretary of State Jose Fernandez. The Aspen Institute will serve as Secretariat for NAPEO and will work with US and regional partners to help develop stronger engagement between the US and the Maghreb, as well as create economic opportunities in the following partner countries: Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, and Libya.

“The Aspen Institute has had a long history of success convening the public and private sectors to develop partnerships that turn ideas into action,” stated Aspen Institute President Walter Isaacson. “The North Africa Partnership for Economic Opportunity, like Partners for a New Beginning and the US-Palestinian Partnership, will build networks of US and regional partners in the Maghreb to generate sustainable change in the region.”

President Obama stated in his address to the United Nations that the United States will “seek partnerships with local governments and organizations to give them a voice in setting their priorities.” NAPEO will build partnerships and networks in the Maghreb that will foster engagement between the US and the region in order to enhance economic opportunity in the region.

NAPEO will work to strengthen low-level, cross-border ties and build targeted cross-border initiatives between business leaders and private sector stakeholders throughout the region. It will also work to encourage innovation, foster entrepreneurship, and facilitate job creation in each of the five countries. The Partnership will also harness private sector and civil society resources in the Maghreb in order to advance the vision President Obama laid out in his June 2009 Cairo speech; to renew engagement with Muslims around the world based on mutual respect and responsibility.

The Partnership will focus on five major initiatives: The Young Business Leaders and Associations Network, The Leadership and Training Academy, the Innovation and Technology Incubator, The Creative Industries Incubator and the Center for Entrepreneurship Excellence. Each will work with regional partners to develop economic opportunity and entrepreneurship in the region both online and offline through mentorship programs and training academies that focus on areas of education, technology, and the arts.

The Aspen Institute’s partners include Intel Corporation, Education for Employment, Center for Research Development Foundation, The Institute for Arts Entrepreneurship, Creative Leaps International, the Algeria Start-Up Initiative, and the South Mediterranean University School of Management in Tunisia.

The Aspen Institute mission is two fold: to foster values-based leadership, encouraging individuals to reflect on the ideals and ideas that define a good society, and to provide a neutral and balanced venue for discussing and acting on critical issues. The Aspen Institute does this primarily in four ways: seminars, young-leader fellowships around the globe, policy programs, and public conferences and events. The Institute is based in Washington, DC; Aspen, Colorado; and on the Wye River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. It also has an international network of partners.

Source: The Aspen Institute

Do you know what all these financial terms mean? This list of 35 are the ones you’ve GOT TO know. Thanks Celina Jacobson for passing this along!

http://www.careeroverview.com, November 18th, 2010

A lot of recent college graduates complain that their degree doesn’t include a set of guidelines or tips for conquering the real world once they leave school. Tax forms, credit cards and grocery budgets pose a whole new set of challenges even more daunting than astrophysics or Tolstoy theses. So we’ve compiled a little glossary and study guide containing the most basic financial terms you should know as a college student and recent graduate, whether you’re into business or art history.

Financial Aid and Loans

You’ll need to understand these terms as you review financial aid forms and get ready to pay off loans upon graduation.

1. Ability-to-Benefit: You’ll see this term on forms and websites before you apply for financial aid. It refers to your eligibility to receive Title IV financial aid.

2. Accrued interest: This refers to the amount of interest on your college loans that’s adding up, or accruing, while you go to school, and before you start paying off your loan.

3. Capitalization of interest: Similarly, this term refers to the accrued interest that is being added to the principal amount of the total loan. If you’re paying off this interest after you graduate, instead of as you go, you’ll call this capitalized interest, and it will appear as a lump sum on the total invoice or balance sheet.

4. Cost of Attendance: Also shortened to COA, this means the total cost to you and your family to attend college for one year. That includes tuition, fees, dorm payments, meal plans, books, and more.

5. Financial Need Equation: Directly calculated as COA – EFC = Need, the Financial Need Equation means the Expected Family Contribution — what your family expects to pay for your college education, and what mostly determines eligibility for federal student aid — subtracted from the Cost of Attendance.

6. Default: You never want to default on your loans. If you drop out, change schools, or just decide that you can’t start repaying your college loans within 270-360 days without contacting the bank and coming up with an alternative plan, then you will default on your loans. As a result, you could be hounded by collections agencies, be taken to court, be sued, have trouble with the IRS, have your income or wages slashed, become ineligible for federal subsidized benefits or financial aid, and worse.

7. Consolidation: After graduating, you might find that it makes more financial sense to consolidate loans, or combine loans so that you have one payment and one interest rate to cover.

Credit and Banking

Avoid credit card scams and extra fees by reviewing these terms.

8. Annual Percentage Rate: Often abbreviated to APR, this term is calculated as the monthly effective interest rate multiplied by the number of periods in a year. Credit card offers for college students often have high APRs and can lead to a lot of added interest and debt, so do your research before signing up.

9. Creditworthy: When you apply for a loan, your bank or lender will first determine how creditworthy you are by researching your credit history.

10. Assets: This general term refers to everything that you own that amounts to anything financially. That could mean cash, stocks, IOUs, intellectual property, and more, and can sometimes be used as leverage for securing loans or other agreements.

11. Additional cardholder: If your parents are tied to your credit card account, they’ll be additional cardholders. It’s not necessarily a bad thing: they can review your purchases, but they can also make payments or — if you have a debit card — add money more easily in an emergency.

12. Credit Score: Credit bureaus develop credit reports based on your credit history: how much credit you’re allowed, if you make payments on time, amount of debt, etc. You get a free credit report each year to make sure there aren’t any mistakes or problems that you can easily fix. This number can affect your ability to secure a loan, get an apartment, and get a credit card, so don’t ruin it when you’re young: it can take years and years to improve.

13. Balance transfer: When you want to transfer funds from one account to another, it’s called a balance transfer. It seems straightforward, but some banks charge fees, while others will slap you with a fee or penalty if a certain kind of account is emptied out or falls below a set amount. You may also be limited to the number of times you can transfer money out of savings accounts.

14. Co-signer: Before getting an apartment, car or even a credit card for the first time, you might need a parent or other stable individual to co-sign for you, proving to the company or bank that they’ll get paid even if you’re not particularly financially viable. If you have a parent with good credit and is willing to co-sign on a loan, it’s an easy way for you to build credit, too.

15. Pre-approved: This term is a trick that credit card companies like to throw around to people with bad credit or no credit, including college students. Just because you’re pre-approved to have a card doesn’t mean you still can’t get ripped off with high APRs or that you could be rejected once you fill in the actual forms. You can even opt out of receiving this junk mail by contacting a credit bureau.

16. Teaser rate: Lots of companies use this ploy, not just credit card companies, to lure you away from your current agreement so that you’ll sign up with them. They might offer you a much lower APR, but check the fine print: they could spike your rates after a rewards period or other fixed period once you’re locked in.

17. Pre-paid card: Working like a stored value card, this could be a sensible option for you when you first move away from home and while you get used to paying with a credit card.

18. Principal: Principal means the amount of money that you’re borrowing before interest accrues or is applied. Make your payments on time to avoid principal.

19. Minimum payment: This is the minimum amount of money that you have to pay each billing cycle. Always pay at least this amount to avoid late charges, but it’s a good idea to get in the habit to pay the full amount each month to avoid accruing debt.

Budgeting, Income and Spending

From bills to everyday budgets, here’s what you need to know before you spend.

20. Billing cycle: The time between bills, quite simply. It’s usually a month, so make sure you pay your balance and your bills regularly: setting up a certain day each month for different bills should keep you organized.

21. Bankruptcy: You’ll want to avoid this at all costs, because it can wreck your credit score and future financial health. Chapters 7 and 13 are typically used by individuals versus businesses.

22. Cost of Living: When you start looking for jobs after college, consider the cost of living in different parts of the country. This term refers to the average amount of money you’ll need to pay rent, go food shopping, pay utilities, your taxes, and more. There are several cost of living calculators online to help you figure out how much you’ll need to make if you live in one city versus another.

23. Time Value of Money If you hear someone mention the time value of money, they’re referring to the principle that your money today is worth more than it is tomorrow, because today it has investment potential. Don’t get carried away with planning investments, but it’s an important concept to understand early on and should actually inspire you to save more.

24. Checking account: This is the money that you can spend via cash withdrawals, a debit card or check. There’s usually no limit on the number of checking account transactions you can make, and it’s the safest way to use your money since you can’t spend what isn’t there; however, it also carries no risk and isn’t a good way to build credit.

25. Investment: You probably know what an investment is, but do you think about your money that way? Start researching the opportunities you’ll soon have to start investing and using your money for investments, like property, certain retirement plans, and stocks.

Saving

Learn about the different types of savings accounts you’ll encounter once you get a job.

26. 401(k): You’ll often hear about 401(k)s in the news: it’s a common type of savings and retirement plan usually set up by employers to help employees save for big expenses in the future.

27. Roth IRA: Even if you haven’t started working, you should still understand what you’ll need to do in order to retire. Roth IRAs are Individual Retirement Accounts that require you to contribute after-tax dollars as your savings grow tax-deferred. These IRAs aren’t tax-deductible, but you won’t have to pay taxes on the money you withdraw later.

28. Traditional IRA: Traditional IRAs work in pretty much the opposite way as Roths. Your contributions may be deductible in the future, but that also means that you’ll have to pay taxes on them once you start withdrawing. (Your tax bracket at that time will determine how much is taken out). And depending on with whom you’ve set up your Traditional IRA, you might be able to deposit assets like stocks or certificates instead of just cash.

Taxes

Pay your taxes on time, on the table and in full every year.

29. 1040, 1040A, 1040EZ: These are the names that the IRS gives to different federal tax return forms, and which you and your employer must fill out each year. The 1040 that applies to you will depend on your employment status — if you’re an independent contractor, you may have a different one, for example.

30. Tax deduction: When doing your taxes — or getting someone to help you do them — look for tax deductions, or deductions that reflect expenses you need to spend for work, losses, some medical expenses, and other expenses. The IRS gets suspicious if you start deducting too many things, but a good tax software or accountant will help you sort out legit deductions that could save you a few thousand dollars, even as a student.

31. 1099: In college, you might receive money for side projects and small gigs. The company paying you will have to fill out a 1099 form to report tax information to the IRS.

32. Tax bracket: The amount of taxes you pay largely depends on what tax bracket you belong to. Those earning higher incomes usually pay more taxes, though it depends on what laws have most recently passed in Congress. Look at a table like this one to determine your taxable income and your tax bracket so that your taxes aren’t a surprise, and you’re a more educated voter when it’s relevant.

Miscellaneous

These terms will keep your finances organized, from health insurance to taxes to your overall net worth.

33. Net Worth: Your net worth is the total value of your assets, minus any debts or liabilities you have. That includes investments, property, etc.

34. Fiscal year: In finance, the year doesn’t follow the standard calendar months. The United States government actually starts its fiscal year October 1, 2010. There are four quarters, beginning October 1, January 1, April 1, and July 1.

35. Deductible: Part finance and part health care, this term refers to the amount of money you have to pay out-of-pocket before getting benefits. If you have a $1,000 deductible on your health insurance plan, that means that you have to pay everything up to $1,000 before your insurance company jumps in to pay the rest. You may have a set amount for co-pays and prescriptions, but if you land in the hospital, everything up to your deductible is your problem.

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You remember that book Random Acts of Kindness, don’t you? It’s based on the idea that life is better when you pay it forward: pay someone’s toll behind you, or offer the dollar to the guy who’s just “.50 cents short” for the cookie or coffee he just ordered in front of you.

Well, I think artists are well positioned to orchestrate random acts of connectivity. We can sprout up all over and touch people INSTANTLY. All we need to know is HOW to set the table to do it and not have it leaving us broke.

When I started creating small random acts of kindness, just like in the book, a whole new world opened up to me. One that showed me INSTANTLY what a BIG impact something so small can bring to a TOTAL STRANGER. What cool energy to be able to share with someone you don’t even know. That’s what’s suppose to happen when money flows through our hands into anothers. We exchange energy. And positivity.

It doesn’t have to be so foreign to us artists. We really can embrace prosperity–if we can learn how to model a behavior that demonstrates our ability to manage it.

Joyce Thomas from University of Illinois sent me this video clip and, being the emotional one that I am, it reduced me almost instantly to tears. It made me realize how much I want to continue to push my own boundaries around the intersection between my art form and my (ad)venture. What about you?

I am taking my clarinet to Algeria with me. I never leave home without it. I wonder if I can create a connecting random creative act while I am there of my very own? As a classically trained clarinetist, I have taken to improvisation. I have never taken the time to learn jazz, I dabble at klezmer, but its simply fun to “let go” and see what kind of music I can create from my classical training. And becoming an entrepreneur requires skilled improvisation–so the words artist and entrepreneur really do fit nicely together. It takes a lot of flexibility to launch a career in the arts and you have to have the skills and the know-how.

www.CreativeMinorityReport. com( There is a good clip on Macy’s floor here. Sorry I could not find the direct link.)
In early November, shoppers at the the Macy’s in Philadelphia were surprised when over 600 choristers who were there mingling with regular shoppers suddenly burst into Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus.

The Opera Company of Philadelphia was instrumental in bringing it together to perform one of the Knight Foundation’s “1000 Random Acts of Culture” which they’ll be doing over the next three years across the country. Accompanied by the Wanamaker Organ – the world’s largest pipe organ – the singers burst into song at exactly noon.

Are you brave enough to become the entrepreneur you need to be to launch a career in the arts? Are you willing to make the investment you need to develop your skills? My good friend Diana Haskell, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, forwarded me this article written by Maria Goodavage. While its a great read I only have one point to add: It takes a MINIMUM investment of 2 years of training to develop the skills you need to build the career you want. While taking a marketing class or reading David Cutler’s The Savvy Musician is a great start, it simply isn’t enough to do the job.

November 16, 2010 San Francisco Classical Voice
The Brave New World of Today’s Music Professional
By Maria Goodavage

Zoe Keating

But at the audition, the confidence she entered with disintegrated quickly after some judges looked at her askance for not having a current teacher. Stage fright kicked in. “My hands shook, my bow shook, I couldn’t remember the music. I could barely scrape the bow across the strings. I even dropped the bow,” she recalls. Someone stopped her after a few minutes, just as she felt she was getting over her shakiness, and suggested “condescendingly, patronizingly,” that she come back when she was more prepared.

“It was so incredibly humiliating,” she says. “It was the moment I turned my back on a classical music career.”

Little did she know it was the best thing that could have happened to her. The loss of a traditional classical music career forced Keating to think of new ways to make a living with her passion for cello playing.

Fast forward 15 years. Keating is a resoundingly successful cellist — a one-woman orchestra who uses her cello and foot-controlled electronics to create music a reviewer recently described as “swoon-inducing. Like taking a triple-shot of Absinthe before stepping outside of the bar just in time to see the sun exploding.”

Her album, One Cello x 16: Natoma, rose to #1 on the iTunes classical charts four times, and to #2 in electronica. She describes her style as a mélange of classical minimalism, experimental electronica, and steampunk. She has more than 1.3 million Twitter followers. Her signature vibrant red dreadlocks, sumptuous outfits, and groundbreaking compositions and playing style have helped bring the cello out of the musty closet and into the vibrant mainstream. “She is awesome! God, I love the cello now!” is typical of comments about her videos on YouTube.

Keating is the poster child for today’s successful musician.

“To succeed these days, musicians have to be willing to diversify, to branch out, and take chances as never before,” says Michael Aczon, a Bay Area entertainment attorney and talent manager who teaches classes on the music business at local universities. “You have to learn the industry as much as you learn your instrument.”

So what does a music career look like today? One thing most experts agree on is that it doesn’t look like music careers of previous generations.

“Gone are the days of being purely a jazz saxophonist or classical string player,” says multidimensional musician David Cutler, associate professor of composition and musicianship at Duquesne University and coordinator of the school’s music entrepreneurship program. “Today’s musicians have to diversify and to be more entrepreneurial than ever.”

That’s because the playing field has changed in just about every square foot of the music landscape. The traditional model of the commercial music business has been in crisis for years, points out Lenny Carlson, instructor in the Music Department at City College of San Francisco. Much music can be downloaded freely; many record labels have downsized, or even gone out of business. “A big part of what a lot of people do for a living in the business doesn’t exist any longer,” says Carlson.

Adding to the pain, in the classical world the number of orchestra jobs continues to dwindle, while highly qualified musicians saturate the market. Competition for orchestra jobs is fiercer than ever.

“The chances of getting one of the major metropolitan symphony gigs in the U.S. can be compared to trying to make it on a major league baseball team,” says Aczon, author of The Musician’s Legal Companion. “It’s not impossible, but the odds certainly have to be taken into account.”

Sure, some lucky and talented souls do make it into long-term orchestra gigs, or manage to make a living doing what they were trained to do without putting a lot of extra time in, beyond practicing their craft. But increasingly, the musicians who don’t have to resort to a day job are the ones who diversify and become highly entrepreneurial.

Take Cutler. He’s a classically trained pianist and composer with all the talent, dedication, and advanced degrees that in the past could have kept him in a single music job for decades. But now, his poster could hang right beside Keating’s for the prototype of the entrepreneurial, diverse, socially relevant, successful musician.

On his bio on the Duquesne Web site, instead of a more traditional description like “pianist with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra,” we find this intro to him: “… jazz and classical composer, pianist, educator, arranger, conductor, collaborator, concert producer, author, blogger, consultant, speaker, advocate, and entrepreneur.”

“My brand is that I’ll play anything and I’ll do anything,” says Cutler, who, among his current undertakings, is working on a two-person show with a dancer. They explore music and movement. He even wears a superhero costume for one number he wrote and she choreographed.

His is definitely not your grandfather’s music career.

Cutler also penned a book, The Savvy Musician: Building a Career, Earning a Living, and Making a Difference. (Jeffrey Zeigler, of the Kronos Quartet, called the book “Hands down, the most valuable resource available for aspiring musicians.”) In the book and in his music entrepreneurship classes, he highlights the myriad ways musicians can succeed in today’s changing climate.

What surprises him most is that he still sees students who believe that if they practice really hard and get good grades, life will work out for them. He says many teachers still impart this antiquated model.

“But these days, being a great player is not the goal — it’s the minimum,” he says.

So, beyond being exquisitely good at your craft, and being passionate about it, what does it take to make it as a musician today? Fine-tuning your entrepreneurial skills is key to adapting to the changing marketplace, say experts. Here are some of their tips for ways to make this work for you:

“Get outside your music ghetto,” advises Keating. That means thinking of unconventional venues for playing your instrument. For instance, if you’re classically trained on the French horn, look beyond auditions for orchestras and classical ensembles. “Maybe you have friends in a rock band. Talk to them about playing your French horn with them,” says Keating. “It’s unique, and something most people haven’t seen, and it can open many doors.” Aczon concurs that crossing genres is one of the best ways to diversify. “It’s an absolutely huge opportunity.”

“Take advantage of the Internet,” suggests Cutler. The Internet has helped even out the playing field for musicians, who no longer need to have the backing of a major record label to create a national profile. “With the Internet, entrepreneurial musicians are in control of their destinies,” he says. For instance, showcasing your music on YouTube and iTunes can cost nothing and lead to picking up a strong fan base and sales.

“Be really good at building relationships,” says Keating. It’s not new advice, but it’s particularly essential today. Both online and in “real life,” connecting in a genuine way with your audience and other musicians is an essential ingredient in cooking up a successful career. Keating’s 1.3 million Twitter followers are there because of her music, of course, but also because of her outreach to those who are interested in her music —not because of some slick SEO publicity machine. In a recent tweet before a performance at Yoshi’s jazz club in the Bay Area, Keating wrote: “I hope I remember (1) how to play the cello, (2) all the parts at the right time, (3) what button to press when.” Fans love the down-to-earth inside look she provides.

“Be willing to wear many hats,” remarks Cutler. The hats he wears could fill a hat shop. Likewise for Keating. As busy as she is on the musicianship end of the business, she does her own publicity and marketing, produces her own albums, arranges her own tours, and is available at the drop of yet another hat to deal with anything related to her music.

“Realize that TV is the new radio,” says Aczon. Thanks to the tremendous number of channels, there’s a big need for programming and for music to support the programming, he says. “Session recording, production music, composing for TV are all very viable options for the musician who thinks outside the box,” he says.

“Take a marketing class,” advises Aczon. Business courses in marketing can help today’s musician learn about marketing opportunities and come to understand the all-important role of branding in the arts. If you can get hold of an arts or music entrepreneurship class like Cutler’s, better yet.

It may seem like a fatiguing amount of work just to be able to have the joy of making a living as a musician. But while the challenge is certainly great, the potential benefits are even greater.

“Musicians have a job to do that doesn’t always mean playing the music of long-dead white people, in the same concert hall, to the same audience,” says Cutler. “Once you embrace what it takes to be a musician today, you open Pandora’s box, and it’s a whole new world of opportunity for musician and audience.”

Maria Goodavage is a journalist and book author who has written on a wide variety of topics for USA Today and other publications. She has a regular column at www.dogster.com. The seventh edition of one of her books, The Dog Lover’s Companion to California, will be released in May 2011.

EFTN Students performed 3 original theater pieces in 4 cities in 2 different countries between 30 August -14 November 2010.

This autumn, thanks to the generous support of Lisa Canning and Jennifer Kincaid, Ensemble Free Theater Norway has had the opportunity to work, rehearse, and experiment at the Greenhouse Theater Center in Chicago.

The decision was not made lightly.  In fact, it was a huge risk for myself, the Norwegians in EFTN, for Lisa (whom I had only met during a panel we shared in 2009, hosted by Columbia College), and for Jennifer (Greenhouse´s General Manager, whom I had never met).

We all had something at stake.  We all wanted the experience to be a successful one, but we didn´t know in advance.  We had to take a chance, to think creatively, to Go For It.  In essence, to practice artistry and entrepreneurship on a big scale.

EFTN and I are now 3 weeks away from the conclusion of this 12-week residency in Chicago, and I am happy to say that the risk has paid off, for all of us.

The fact that the emerging Norwegian theater makers enrolled with EFTN this autumn have had the opportunity to work in the Greenhouse–which houses not one, but four–theaters is H-U-G-E-  Not only do they get to practice scenes for acting class or movement sequences in improvisation & composition class, but they get to try original scripts on their feet, under real conditions.  This past weekend (11-14 Nov) our students got to perform two original plays of their own for the public: “Come Closer” by Mette Fjæreide, and “The Anxiety, The Panic, and The Hatred” by Ida Mailen Hagerup and Dina Narverud.

They got to premiere two of their works in Chicago!  While in school!

Further, because the Greenhouse hosts 7 resident theater companies–from Remy Bumppo and Theatre Seven to Eclipse Theater and MPAACT–EFTN students have gotten to meet countless professional actors, directors, playwrights, literary managers, dramaturgs, and more, simply by being in the same building in Lincoln Park.  We have been offered discounted or free tickets to shows, and some have volunteered to come in for Professional Development courses with our students.  One of the companies was so impressed with our group that they have asked us to participate in a play-reading series of theirs next month.

Lisa, along with her colleagues at the Institute for Arts Entrepreneurship (IAE), have also provided EFTN students to participate in two intensive “Boost Camps“, where they are given tools in marketing, writing a mission statement (and how it is distinct from a vision statement), doing a SWOT analysis on their artistic-business models, practicing negotiating and pitching.  All of these essential skills dovetail perfectly into EFTN´s mission of creating artists who are truly independent and autonomous, who can create their own sustainable economy.

Simultaneously, Jennifer and I realized that we have a number of common goals in terms of how we want to contribute to the Chicago theater scene, and how we can provide resources to incubate emerging theater artists and theater companies.  These discussions have lead to EFTN being invited back to work at the Greenhouse in the autumn of 2011, for another 15-week period.

Lisa has also offered me to join her esteemed faculty at IAE for their inaugural year, which promises to be exceptionally exciting.  Not only is she going to be working across disciplines with her students here in Chicago, but IAE is getting support from the Aspen Institute and the US State Department to create arts entrepreneurship education with select partners in North Africa.

But let me get back to my original point: we all had to take a risk, for any of this to occur and unfold in our lives, in our artistic businesses.

None of us knew in advance how successful this fall would be, with all of us working together.  Would we get along?  Would our goals be in accord?  Would we see any possibilities for future growth or collaboration?

When taking a risk, as an artist or an entrepreneur, I think it is important to trust your gut.  Listen to your heart.  In my life, my own mistakes tend to happen when I don´t listen to that Sixth Sense, and try to rationalize my way into (or out of) something.

In this case, I thought that the fall would be Pretty Good, given the people involved, and the information I had before booking tickets from Oslo.  I felt confident that we could all have a good time, and that it would be a good fall term.

I did not realize that it would be Extraordinary, or so Supremely Fulfilling.

But none of this would have happened, if I would have waited for all of the pieces to fall into place.  I had to take a risk: to just Trust that things will work out, that possibilities will reveal themselves through time, and that such risk-taking is worthy of time, money, and energy.

I had no idea that such risk taking would be yield such a tremendous return.  Jennifer, Lisa, and I now have the “luxury problem” of coordinating how to manage the time to do all of the creative projects that we want to, for the coming year.

I encourage all artists and entrepreneurs to have such luxury problems in their own lives, in their own businesses, in their own work.  There is a front row seat for everyone, I believe.  But the price of admission is risk.

Brendan McCall

Director, Ensemble Free Theater Norway

www.ensemblefreetheaternorway.com

Ensemble Free Theater Norway creates an artistic international community that is independent, sustainable, and dynamic. Through performance, collaboration, and international educational programs, EFTN aims to nurture new playwrights and theater-makers, especially within the Nordic region.

EFTN was created in 2010 by American theater artist, Brendan McCall.  Originally from New York City, Mr. McCall has worked professionally as an actor, choreographer, and director in over 20 countries on 4 continents.  He has taught for undergraduate and graduate Theater & Dance Departments since 1994, including: Rektor, The International Theater Academy Norway (2008-10), Yale School of Drama (2002-08), New School for Drama (2005-08), New York University´s Tisch School of the Arts (1994-2001, 2004-05), and others.

To learn more about our upcoming productions, or how to enroll in one of our international theater-immersion programs, contact the EFTN Director at brendan.mccall.norway@gmail.com.

It is always challenging, as an artist, to realize that your performance is in fact a “product.” You are indeed creating a “brand” with how you show the world what you do. Let’s learn how to build a stronger brand as well as an audience together. Come create, perform or simply come as an audience member to make a scene with us on Dec 7th and 14th at Greenhouse Theater.