The New Arts Entrepreneur

Navigating the Arts Ecologies

Gary Beckman

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2021
• eBook ISBN: 9780429853968
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Entertainment Industry
• Index: Business

The New Arts Entrepreneur is the first uniquely designed pedagogy for arts entrepreneurship educators and students. Melding an arts-first approach with understandable entrepreneurial concepts and newly formulated tools, the text helps arts students to envision themselves as an entrepreneurial CEO, not simply another random entrepreneur flailing through a maze of well-worn entrepreneurial suggestions that don't fit.

At the core of the text are the entrepreneurial ecologies of the arts. The ecologies provide a framework to envision an entrepreneurial horizon for almost any arts-based business, included those ventures seeking to impact the production of art. In addition to this revolutionary framework, the text also introduces tools designed to compliment the ecologies.

Designed with arts students in mind, it accomplishes two critical tasks not found in other textbooks: venture sustainability and decision-making. This newly developed approach focuses on the decision-making required to sustain new arts ventures and will be of interest to arts students from all disciplines.

Part I

Basics

DOI: 10.4324/9780429457180-2

1 Setting the Stage

DOI: 10.4324/9780429457180-3

Key Concepts and Discussions

• Why artists and entrepreneurs are similar
• Identifying myths and embracing reality
• Creativity and decision making unites artists and entrepreneurs

Offering a new approach to arts entrepreneurship education, this text connects the college arts training experience and a student’s entrepreneurial desire with fundamental business/economic and entrepreneurial concepts. What follows aims to help emerging arts entrepreneurs (regardless of discipline) make informed decisions about how their creativity and knowledge can fuel their entrepreneurial desires. However, this requires embracing a new skill set—something all artists encounter during their college years.

Part I: Reading from the Same Script

Who is this for?

At the outset, it is important for the reader to know that this text makes no distinction between the Fine Arts and popular arts because of their aesthetic impact, popularity and entrepreneurial potential in both the for- and non-profit realms. While this textbook is for artists working in all arts disciplines and genres, it is also for those not formally trained in the arts, yet desire to create an entrepreneurial lifestyle supporting artists. This includes impacting the production of art through new or improved tools or services such as new music editing software, arts marketing/PR firms, lighting and costume design, production services, arts consulting, festival development, etc.; the term emerging arts entrepreneurs is used throughout this text to describe both groups. Artists and the entrepreneurs supporting them exist in various “arts worlds” (if not industries), and skilled individuals make these worlds operate efficiently. The arts (regardless of discipline) do not begin and end on a stage or a wall or a computer, as there are countless people, entrepreneurs, organizations, non-arts disciplines and sub-disciplines that are just as creative and vital as any art form. Art that is staged, performed, hung on a wall, viewed on a computer screen or experienced on a phone is the result of many acting creatively for art through other disciplines. Without these skilled professionals (many are entrepreneurs themselves), performing artists cannot effectively realize their vision.

Decision Making: Uniting a Legion of Arts Entrepreneurs

Though the “arts worlds” are vast and may appear overwhelming, one aspect all emerging and established arts entrepreneurs share is making decisions. Decision making is a critical aspect of entrepreneuring, as it directly determines the outcome of an entrepreneurial idea. However, in order to make the best decision possible, one must have a broad understanding of the “worlds” in which an entrepreneurial venture exists. One cannot simply create art, “put it out there” and expect success—even if it is the best art ever produced. While an extremely small percentage of artists find success this way, one cannot reasonably expect an arts business of any kind to thrive without a solid strategy based on the best decision making possible.

By understanding these “arts worlds” (or environments) and the “real world” an artist must inhabit, adapt and react to, one is better able to make decisions about the changes these environments have on a fledgling entrepreneurial venture. For example, an emerging arts entrepreneur starting a for-profit arts business at the beginning of an economic recession or with art losing its popularity is not a good entrepreneurial or business decision. However, using these cycles for planning, then executing that plan when economic growth or interest in a specific art resumes, is a better decision. Likewise, it is a dubious decision to start a non-profit arts organization focusing on the creation and installation of public art in a region with a higher population of cattle than people. Yet if that region recently secured a commitment by a technology conglomerate to host its new software engineering facility (employing 3,000 engineers and managers, thus tripling the human population), starting that specific arts non-profit organization, with that specific mission, in that specific area, for a specific time period may have merit. As these examples suggest, understanding the context of the “arts worlds” and the “real world” are crucial to solid decision making and entrepreneurial success.

To be fair, understanding these “worlds” and their effects on an arts business both in the present and future can be challenging, yet these decisions are no different than the decisions an artist makes. How will changing a single costume communicate a different aspect of a character of a stage? What is the best filter to apply in Photoshop to produce a desired effect? Does a musical composition require a specific instrumental technique to produce a desired effect? The only real difference between the decisions that we make as artists and the decisions made as emerging arts entrepreneurs is the known experience of art making versus an unknown experience in the “worlds” of arts entrepreneuring. This text intends to help emerging arts entrepreneurs understand these “worlds” quickly and effectively to make the best decisions possible in service of their entrepreneurial goals.

No Whining Part 1

“The Math Thing”

Inevitably, any serious text on arts entrepreneurship written for specifically arts students must address “The Math Thing.” While it is true that some artists have an aversion to (or perhaps fear of) math, many use basic math and geometry skills in their art. We use math our entire lives, whether it be for basic personal finances or the determination of proportion in a work of art. Math is a part of arts entrepreneuring as it is in art, and there is simply no way getting around this fact. However, this text asks emerging arts entrepreneurs to employ only basic math skills such as simple addition, subtraction, observation and basic algebra.

While the required math skills are minimal, readers will learn new ways of understanding how a subset of the “real world” works outside of a practice room, stage or studio. While this may seem daunting, it is no different than starting a new, non-arts related job; learning how tasks are executed demands being open to new ways of thinking, acting, strategy development and execution. Keeping with the example, a new supervisor (or colloquially, “boss”) understands in varying degrees that a new employee will make mistakes, learn basic tasks, enter and leave the “knowing enough to be dangerous” period and, finally, execute the position’s responsibilities adequately. A supervisor knows a new employee must experience “ifs, thens, thats & ors:” if you do this to a process, then that happens or that might happen.

New Skill Sets

This text approaches learning new decision making skills similarly through a simple metaphor: watching dominos fall. If one sets up a row of dominos in a straight line and pushes one into the next, we have some certainty in knowing how the dominos will fall: one after another in a straight line. However, if the size and weight of the dominos are not the same, we have no certainty in knowing exactly how the line of dominos will fall, if at all. Since we know how they would typically fall if all the sizes and weight were the same, we could likely predict how they might fall if the sizes and weights were different.

Note that the domino metaphor is no different than what we do as artists. An artist painting in two dimensions must make a decision about color when loading a brush or knife. When sufficiently loaded (the first domino), it is put on the canvas (the second domino) and applied (a third domino). The artist then observes if the stroke (the fourth domino) is desired, the color appropriate (the fifth domino) and the shade (a sixth domino) matches the desired light source direction. (This is an example of dominos with equal weight and size). Yet if the artist’s hand waivers on the canvas or there is not enough paint, the entire work may suffer or perhaps reveal a new artistic opportunity. (This is an example of one domino not of equal weight or size). Remarkably, this describes how arts entrepreneurs can react to basic “business” decisions: sometimes mistakes are mistakes, and sometimes mistakes are opportunities. Entrepreneuring as an artist is similar to being an artist; the only difference is that the medium (an arts venture) may be unfamiliar.

Part II: Yes, this is going to be Different

No Whining Part 2

Fine Arts Training

Arguably, some topics addressed in this text might seem better suited for a business school course. This is inevitable when speaking about entrepreneurship as it is presently understood and discussed. Unfortunately, we simply cannot run away from the “business” side of arts entrepreneuring, as it is the “real world.” However, there is an alternative way to think about the issue.

Let’s address the “art part” first. All arts disciplines have varying degrees of imbedded cultural constructions. In the Fine Arts, one predominant construction is termed “Art for Art’s sake.” This is a nineteenth-century view that (abstracted) regards “True” or “Good Art” as pure and removed from the “real world’s” more mundane concerns, and thus, is somehow (at least) “inspired.” Since many higher education arts programs focus on the Fine Arts, this view is somewhat embedded—in varying degrees—in how artists are trained. This is not necessarily a bad thing in and of itself. Unfortunately, this view tends not to acknowledge that artists need the basic structures of modern life to create art. Food, shelter, money and socialization are basic structures.

While this nineteenth-century view suggests that Art is inspired, it also implies that Art is something special humans create to aid in personal enlightenment. To this end, many are trained to spend hours in the practice room or studio to re-create or create Art that (when experienced) triggers an enlightened response in an audience—as opposed to simply “having a good time,” “being entertained” or “seeing something interesting.” Some, therefore, might fear that arts entrepreneuring possess the potential for the commercial appropriation of Art. (i.e.: money and not personal enlightenment). This potential goes against the “Art for Art’s Sake” view.

A common counter-argument is this: artists need to eat to create inspired Art. Some might go further in suggesting that commercial art is a good for humanity, as more people experience Art through a different medium. Yet some would go even further by suggesting that this nineteenth-century view is irrelevant in the 21st century—especially given the prominence of the popular arts.

Without wading into the debate further, most readers would likely agree that 1) “Good Art” (however one might define it) is something many people enjoy, desire, recognize and respect; and 2) artists are human beings, subject to the mundane physiological and cultural concerns of their existence. If we agree on these two statements, then emerging arts entrepreneurs should strive to put forth the best Art, idea or concept possible because ultimately, this is the value we offer humanity. At the same time, meeting our basic needs does not preclude the creation of inspired or “Good Art;” in fact, it is necessary.

The “Business” Word

Many of the “Great Artists” we study were either employed or secured other sources of income to meet their daily needs. The business of art is not new to artists; it is a part of the “Arts Worlds” and always has been. In order for history’s “Great Artists” to meet their daily needs through art making, they required an understanding of their “art world” in the context of their “real world.” With a number of arts disciplines and genres existing as industries of varying sizes (fashion, popular music, arts supplies, culinary arts and perhaps the Fine Arts as well) to ignore “business topics” simply because they are new or uncomfortable is how arts ventures fail before they start. We should note that the “Great Artists” of the past appeared to have little fear of such issues and used “business” to varying degrees with varying results in order to create the “Great Art” presented and performed in colleges and universities today.

Indeed, the “business of art” is critical for emerging arts entrepreneurs, yet this text’s trajectory focuses on the idea that arts entrepreneurs should spend the majority of their time making art. From a business perspective, this make sense: entrepreneurs must have a product or service to sell before anything else happens. Yet from an arts perspective, impactful art is the most satisfying for artists and audiences. To deny an arts entrepreneur the time to create art and instead demand they spend more time on the “business of art” might simply not be a good business decision, as consistent artistic innovation supports entrepreneurial sustainability.

This brief discussion is meant to inform the reader that even though we strive to create the most impactful art possible, “business” has always been a part of the arts. Venues, galleries, printing and publishing, ticketing, political and social concerns, marketing, networking, employers, etc., are critical aspects of being an artist. Whether we agree with it or not, the “business of art” (in all its forms) is vital to artists and yes, it can corrupt Art as well.

New Venture Creation

New Venture Creation (NVC) has been the standard curriculum in entrepreneurial training for many years and with good reason—it works. However, NVC is intended for business students and not arts students, which is why NVC feels overwhelming and unfamiliar to many emerging arts entrepreneurs. What this text describes in basic terms, however, is how to start an arts business based on concepts shared by both art and NVC. In addition, it focuses on aspects of what some might call rudimentary chief executive officer (CEO) training: understanding the “worlds” of an arts business, developing decision making skills and creating/executing strategies.

This text aims to help arts students envision themselves as CEOs of small for-profit arts businesses or executive directors of non-profit arts organizations. What follows concerns developing a decision making and testing platform for emerging arts entrepreneurs who want to spend the majority of their time creating art. And this is exactly how an emerging arts entrepreneur should spend their time: dedicating a portion of their creative energies making decisions about opportunities for their art. Defined in this manner, emerging arts entrepreneurs use the most important skill they have in both roles—creativity. An artist’s creativity and intelligence do not stop at the studio door; it is something inherent in one’s art and should be central to arts entrepreneuring.¹

Accepting Realities and Dispelling Myths

While many artists would like to experience success (however defined), the fact is that almost all do not, and it has nothing to do with the art. The reasons for this are varied and range from life choices to “bus...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Endorsements
• Half Title
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• List of Illustrations
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• PART I: Basics
• 2. Fundamental Concepts and Definitions
• 3. Starting an Arts Business and Economics for Artists
• PART II: Ecologies
• 5. Using the Entrepreneurial Ecology of the Arts
• 6. Advanced Ecologies
• PART III
• Index