As threatened/promised last week, I've made a wiki to clarify my own ideas and incorporate those of any readers who care to contribute. It's now ready for public exposure, so heave yourself over and have a squiz. Theoretically, you should be able to contribute your own editorial once you sign up. Those intimidated by the wiki software can just email me (email alisoncroggon at aapt dot net dot au). I'm working out the wiki format as I go, so bear with me on any glitches...Over to you!
I feel it more appropriate to comment here rather than via the wiki, as I don't have any ideas at this stage to contribute - just a big fat HELL YEAH.
ReplyDeleteI've been a practising artist for 10+ years now, and am just completely spent and exhausted by the effort of trying to make my art a 'business' that will support me in a manner that doesn't have me relying on Centrelink or my family for support.
The need to pay the rent and be self-sufficient has ended up ruling my artistic choices - what opportunites I take and the quantity I do. I feel sometimes that there is just no room for the 'art' anymore, let alone development,training or reflection.
I can really see a downward spiral in the quality and satification I have in my work, so much so that I'm feeling like a machine that just churns out saleable and profitable product.
For me, the marriage between business and art has been a difficult and unhappy one, soon I'm afraid to end in divorce. I am so very curious to read what others think on the matter on the wiki, and feel at once comforted and distressed that my peers appear to be in the same boat.
Thank you Alison for the read so far, and for indulging me my little 'me too' sob and wail session - I do understand there are more constructive things this subject can become!
Commisersations, Anon. You're allowed your wail. It's much tougher for artists than most people realise; and also most people don't realise how bitterly hard artists work. One thing that worries me deeply is how many people think that the arts should not be funded at all (the tax payer's money argument) while remaining blithely ignorant of how much the arts contribute to the economy. And meanwhile the people who make the least amount of money are generally the artists... in which parlous state they have rather a lot in common with other primary producers. Maybe we should get together with the NFF...
ReplyDeletePlease Twitter the Summit at http://twitter.com/a2020 as we'd love to have it interactive for those of us not there, imagine getting live thoughts along with the live broadcast. You can change this into an interactive event.
ReplyDeleteFor the best Windows client try Witty http://code.google.com/p/wittytwitter/ or better Thwirl http://twhirl.org/
For mobile web: http://m.twitter.com/ on your mobile browser or a client is TinyTwitter: http://www.tinytwitter.com/
For real time scans http://www.tweetscan.com a search engine for Twitter posts, can do your searches automatically and email them to you.
Happy Summit and Happy Twittering, looking forward to seeing your twitters.