Nuit Blanche: Art and Money

Hi everyone!

This post is going to be a bit different from the usual resume I generally write here. I've decided I have a blog for a reason and a website that is being overhauled so I can update it myself, which makes using this blog as a means of updating what gigs I do kinda redundant.

And, while busking during Nuit Blanche in Toronto, I started to form a post in my head that was later spurred on by a couple of people emailing me this pretty awesome blog post written by Amanda Palmer, entitled, "Why I am Not Afraid to Take your Money", as well as recent conversations I've been having with fellow street performer Chalkmaster Dave about making money as artists.

First of all, let's talk about Nuit Blanche. I'm by *no way* against events such as Nuit Blanche. Why would I be against the idea of bringing art and culture to the masses and making it unpretentious (for the most part) and accessible? That's awesome! As a street performer, that's what I do! I am, however, totally and COMPLETELY against the idea of free art. This will lead me into a rant about what I think art is, and, maybe I should go into that rant to contextualize for you all where I'm coming from.

Okay, so what is art? To me, it's a business. Period. Now, it's a great business, where ideas and execution come together to create something amazing, it can change the world, sure, but, at the bottom line it's still a business.

The idea of art being all about sacrifice and ideas and totally useless and the Artist As The Divine Being was fabricated in the 19th century, during the Romantic era. Artists needed to break away from the patron and decided to create their own biblical myth in order to do so. And it worked; patrons went away, art was consumed by the masses and everyone was autonomous and happy. However, people took it further and decided that art was no longer a business, but a lifestyle choice. Excuse me!? A lifestyle choice?

I'm sorry, but I work hard at my craft. And for somebody to turn around and call themselves an artist when they don't spend every day improving their craft in some way just doesn't make sense to me. I don't change a light bulb and go around calling myself an electrician. You don't work as a waiter and call yourself an artist. It's as simple as that. Trust me, folks. I'm not a divine being. I'm not a genius. I'm not a mythical beast like unicorns or Jesus. I'm an adult who took art very seriously and has worked hard to build a career for myself.

Anyway, before I digress too much, that's what art is to me, that's what it is in the context of this post.

The danger of promoting free art is the danger of promoting the well-established idea that experiencing art is entitled to people. This is where business comes in. Now, I love being an artist. I love doing what I do for a living. While I don't consider myself lucky (seriously, if anybody works hard at what they love, it will pay off in the end) so much as happy that I'm dedicated to my work, in the end, I probably wouldn't be doing it if I didn't earn a comfortable living from it. Yes, that's right. As much as I love to create new and interesting things, give something to people to cherish, if I didn't make money, I wouldn't do it. Why? Because it's not profitable. Oh, and just so you know, I failed miserably at the business end for a long time. I still do, sometimes. I am not inherently a business-man. I had to learn it. Just like I had to learn how to play piano, or learn how to mime.

Some of you reading may ask, "but does economy compromise artistic integrity?!" sure. Just like economy compromises the integrity of a variety of industries (look at the medical industry, for example). But you know what: you can work within the context of financial reality and make it work. Just how big of a deal is this integrity thing, anyway? To me, it sounds like something said by people who are afraid of success. I stand behind my work, personally. I think what I do is both artistic and subversive, as well as entertaining and profitable. You can merge the two, people. You can do it. Quite frankly, I think art is supposed to reach the widest demographic possible, and if you create work that is alienating and reaches only a certain demographic, you fail. Miserably. Art should be for everyone, not everyone who went to university. I don't need to quote Dostoevsky to prove I'm intelligent, or legitimize my work.

Here's an example of making things work realistically: Chalkmaster Dave is trying to get out of chalk and into painting. His work is stellar. He's not a fan of 3-D art at all. He believes 3-D chalk art is a gimmick as bad as a one-trick living statue. But, this year, Chalkmaster has decided to start producing 3-D art at festivals. Why? Because it's profitable. Fest organizers clamour for that kind of thing. They can't get enough of it. Now, Dave sure isn't going to do your typical fare with it, no doubt. He's a gifted artist and brilliant person and he's going to make it work with what he loves to draw: Batman. (and seriously, if anybody reading this honestly wants to push the 'Batman isn't artistic!' angle with me... have you READ any of the Dark Knight comics??) And he's not compromising himself terribly. Making 3-D art enables him to ask for more money, which means, he will improve the quality of his life and his family's life. Oh, and guess what. He's going to use some of that money to make paintings so he can eventually make money from his paintings instead of chalk art.

On the topic of having the audacity to ask for money...

Amanda Palmer's entry was emailed to me by a friend who said I should look at it, since it was talking about something I yammer on about all the time: why artists shouldn't be afraid to ask for money. Amanda Palmer used to be a street performer (in fact, she used to perform my very type of act), and her entry totally smacks of a street performer mentality. And that's a good thing. The one thing I've always admired about my industry is the total and completely ballsy way in which we approach our survival. It's also the most honest form of employment: who else gives you their product and THEN asks you how much you think they are worth? Answer: no one other than street performers.

I could go on about some of the misconceptions I've had over the years street performing: people from shelters handing me sleeping bags, suited business-types who act scammed when they see me go home with my boyfriend, I've even had people recognize me in fancy restaurants and ask where my shame is for dining at an expensive place, when they saw me at Yonge and Dundas performing earlier in the day. What the hell is wrong with that? I'm not like that panhandler who's going to inevitably spend your two bucks on some cheap booze. I'm funneling that money into new shows, my rent, and yes, sometimes a night out for some steak! I get angry and passionate, folks, because I find this whole idea so absurd. What is so wrong with me paying my rent on time?

I work hard. Arguably a lot harder than some folks at a desk job, who were hired by an employer, have all their benefits taken care of, all they need to concern themselves with is the task at hand for the day (generally given to them by somebody else). I have to book myself gigs, I have to train, I have to do all my own bookkeeping, my own promotion, build my own contacts... luckily, I work with some rather fine agents who take care of a lot of that work for me, but ultimately I am completely accountable for my own success or failure. Admittedly, my career-choice is even a bit unstable: I've been assaulted, stolen from, almost arrested, shut-down, had turf-wars...That kind of reality is hard stuff! My fan-base keeps me grounded. They are my paycheck. I am so grateful for the regular folks who know my name and make a donation every single day, and for the folks who write me emails or posts on the facebook fan page discussion forum. It's humbling.

But. It's also business.
And I never confuse the two. It's a bizarre career choice to some, I'm sure, but it's my own, and I'm entitled to make it work for myself. If you don't agree with me, then don't support my work. It's as simple as that. But if you do agree, know that your support goes a long way and maybe one day I actually will produce a piece of art that moves that large demographic of people to a satisfactory degree to some art academic with pretentions for Higher Ah-rt. But you know what? It will have probably taken money to get to that point.

I'll let you know when I get there.

Ottawa Super Ex!

Hey everyone!
I am back in Toronto for the time being. The summer ended on a great high note with an awesome time at the Ottawa SuperEx. A great team of people working, wonderful crowds and a real steady gig! Met some wonderful and colourful new people, and reconnected with old friends. I even spent some time working the street in the Byward Market, which is one of my favourite pitches in the country. I love Ottawans and am always looking forward to going back whenever I can.

After the Ex, I took a self-imposed holiday away from the internet and it felt so great! I actually got out and had an AMAZING Labour Day weekend busking at Harbourfront in Toronto, and got a chance to see some friends who will be leaving shortly, going back to various countries or cities to hunker down for the winter.

This upcoming weekend I will be working the Taste of the Kingsway street closure. The season is ending and while there are the bittersweet emotions attached, I feel contented for having a busy and full summer behind me. Now it's time to hunker down myself and work on new and exciting projects for the next upcoming year!

Saint John, St. John's...

Hi folks!

I just got back from my tour out East; Saint John's Buskers on the Boardwalk, and St. John's Buskerfest in Newfoundland. I ate a lot of seafood, smelled the salty sea air and had some amazing adventures that included jumping across the top of the cars of an old timey train. Scratch one more thing off the list of things to do before I die. Nope, the yard dogs weren't chasing me, but there'll be time for that I reckon!

Had a wonderful time performing in some great fests, met some wonderful people, got some great press and gave some AMAZING shows. Thanks to everyone who came out to the fests in New Brunswick and Newfoundland, you guys were amazing and totally rocked!

I'm going to invest in a better computer so I can keep a log of my adventures on the road; since I drove up to both gigs, a lot of fun was had. The Cowguys wrote a great blog entry regarding our trip home from New Brunswick, if'n you wanna read it...

Newfoundland was wonderful. I drove up with Chalkmaster Dave and we had a grand old time taking the ferry across the Atlantic Ocean and spending 20 hrs in a car together. I'm pleased to announce that not only did we make it through the trip without any problems, but we actually enjoyed each other's company and worked well even under pressure! Way to go us!!
We even had some time along the way to take pictures and goof around.

I get so much inspiration on the road and have been writing things down and am looking forward to a productive winter of new stuff up and coming once I get finished with my summer touring season. Not that I want it to hurry up, I'm enjoying every minute of it!! :D

Alright, well, I should get going. Next adventure is in Ottawa, for the Super Ex! It should be an awesomely grand ol' time!

I leave you now with a shot from on the road: hitchin' a ride on the train to get to the NFLD ferry...

Muskoka SummerFest, Windsor International Buskerfest, fest fest fest...

Well, I left Toronto last week and haven't been back much since, and don't expect to be home much in the near future, it seems! This is the part where the tourin' starts.

Last weekend I was in beautiful sunny Muskoka for the annual Muskoka Summerfest, an awesome festival in the heart of Bracebridge right on lake Muskoka. The crowds were great, the atmosphere was fantastic and overall a really fun time.

This weekend I'm off to the Windsor International Buskerfest, which is sure to be a real fun time. I'm looking forward to seeing some awesome folks again and meeting some new people. I will definitely be updated this journal between now and the fest to let you all know how it goes!

Currently, I'm at home cutting together a demo-reel! I'm amazed I've been working this long without one! I've gotten some footage together and will be shooting some more in the near future, but as it stands, I want something up ASAP and the footage I have currently is really good. It's coming along nicely, although, it's pretty obvious why I don't work in film full-time; editing takes me forever because I have zero interest in sitting at a computer for hours on end. I'd much rather be entertaining crowds. Ha ha.

Next week I'll be road trippin' with the Cow Guys to New Brunswick! I love out East! I can't wait to eat more oysters!

Canada Day

Hi everyone!

Hope you all had a great Canada Day. I sure did!
This year, I was lucky enough to have the day off from gigs to check out the busking on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. I'd never been to Ottawa for our national holiday and found it to be an amazing experience. The crowds were friendly, amazingly patriotic and very enthusiastic. I gave some wonderful performances and the audiences really loved my act!

Something to look forward to in August when I will be back for the Super Ex!

This weekend I'm in Toronto, working at the Harbourfront pitch. Next weekend is the Muskoka Summerfest! It is sure to be a blast. Looking forward to performing with Errheads again. They are brilliant.

Dundas Buskerfest, Lunacy Cabaret, Update!

Hi everyone!

June has been a crazy month and it's not even over yet!

From the 5-7th, I was lucky enough to participate in the Dundas, ONT Buskerfest! The lineup this year was incredible with old legends and rising stars alike. The shows rocked at this truly world-class festival! I had a great time: met some wonderful people, got to see other wonderful people I hadn't seen in a while and totally gave wicked shows. That was definitely an amazing experience, one of the best fests I've done to date!

Last weekend, I participated in the last Lunacy Cabaret of the season at the Centre of Gravity in Toronto. I performed a surreal cabaret variety piece and it went awesomely! Thanks to everyone who came out to support.

This weekend, I'm in Ottawa for North America's largest Dragon Boat race. It is sure to be a wonderful weekend.

Sierra Leone Update

Well, I haven't posted about the upcoming gig in Sierra Leone for a while now because it's been off the ground/grounded/off the ground/grounded so many times.

Our scheduled attempt for June has been foiled again due to funding issues from the Government. Accountable Development Works has made my contribution top priority and there has to be a trip to Sierra Leone this year (once funding goes through) so we will be going as soon as my personal schedule will allow.

So, from our meeting this morning, I'm on standby for July, but it looks like we will most likely be leaving later. I've been thinking of returning to Arizona this year for a month to train and spend some time working with Flam Chen, and Malaysia for a couple of months to shoot a film, so with this trip being postponed yet again I may have to re-organize my whole schedule.

Plus, there's a whole other person(al issue) that I'd love to be in Toronto for, to dedicate time to...!

...Oh, Africa! Even before I get there, it's quite an adventure just to get off the ground!

Meh. Such is life. "The best laid plans of mice and men go oft aglay." Everything cast to the winds. Such is the life of a perpetual traveler, right?