An artist’s hopes, dreams, talent, and passion may feed the soul, but the art also has to feed the artist! The public may value certain artists and works of art, sometimes to the level of obsession, but all too often it is assumed that artists are supposed to starve. After all, isn’t that what makes them so poignant and moving?
While there are no guarantees with a career in the performing arts, neither should it be a one-way ticket to poverty and disappointment! The years spent at the ballet barre, in the practice room, rehearsing plays, or otherwise mastering your craft have been essential. But it takes a lot more to have a thriving career and a rewarding life.
Living the Dream: Building a Sustainable Career in the Performing Arts, offers a detailed approach to understanding exactly how you can do that.
SPECIAL OFFER: Get a 20% discount if you order the book through Routledge before 31 July 2024. Use the code SMA22.
SO…WHAT’S IN THE BOOK?
PART ONE – DEFINING THE DREAM
- Understanding your career as a business
- Portfolio careers
- Exploring your mission
- Building your brand
- Creating business plans
- Developing support and accountability structures
PART TWO – SHARING THE DREAM
- Professional communications and materials
- Effective networking
- Establishing and maintaining productive business relationships
- Identifying and working with key allies
PART THREE – FINANCING THE DREAM
- Creating effective budgets
- Understanding your liabilities, assets, and net worth
- Savings—why and how
- Managing risk
- Taxes
- Estate planning
- Business organizational structures
PART FOUR – AS DREAM BECOMES REALITY
- Finding career/life balance at home and “on the road”
- Realistic assessments and benchmarks
- Cultivating resilience
- Knowing when and how to pivot—within as well as outside the industry
ENDORSEMENTS
“At last! A book that offers practical guidance and invaluable perspective to artists in the early stages of building a career. Whatever your creative pursuit, you will find information here about the additional skills and tools needed in the highly competitive field of the arts. Nobody does it alone! Kirstin and Johnathon cover broad and unexpected territory with clear, pragmatic suggestions, allowing room for each artist’s personal journey. It is an invaluable guide and resource. If only this book had been around when I was a student!”
JAKE HEGGIE, composer
“This is a must-have book that offers practical guidance and perspectives about both your career and your life that’s rarely discussed or taught in most training programs. The authors vividly illustrate each part of the career both on stage and off. Most importantly, they remind you that this is your dream, so don’t be afraid to fashion your own beautiful tapestry that embodies and illuminates every unique part of who you are from home to stage, and everywhere in between.“
ERIC FERRING, tenor
Metropolitan Opera, Paris Opera, Glyndebourne, Santa Fe Opera
Executive Director, Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago