Monday, May 21, 2012
You can't thrive in a world without understanding the shadows. You can't be an artist and decide that an understanding of marketing, financing, logistics, etc. are a job for somebody else. Y…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:43AMFriday, May 18, 2012
. . . is a course that doesn't exist. Some things can't be simplified into a Dummies course. Some things can't be boiled down into seven easy steps. Hell, I've written over 1000 blog posts o…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:30AMWednesday, May 16, 2012
Every project includes a set of assumptions. For example, a theatre may be producing a play on the assumption that 10,000 people will pay an average of $25 to see the show. A painter may ass…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:30AMMonday, May 14, 2012
I say "marketing" and you start thinking tactics. You start thinking about tweets and Facebook posts. You start thinking about the creative copy you can use to describe the shows. Stop that.…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:30AMFriday, May 11, 2012
When the artist presents her work to the world as a gift and is rewarded with engagement, attention and (sometimes) money . . . When the right play, with the right performers, touches the ri…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:30AMWednesday, May 9, 2012
Most of the advice I give to artists boils down to this: If you don't feel strongly about the project, don't do it. You've got a limited amount of energy, time and resources to devote to any…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:45AMMonday, May 7, 2012
. . . that's what the salesman told me as I bought a suit a few weeks back. He was a fantastic sales person. Smart. Helpful. I gladly put my credit card on the table when it was time to...
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:32AMThursday, May 3, 2012
It's really about balance. If you work in a field that has a strong (understandable) thirst for growth, then you need something to balance it all out. So what if you decided not to grow? Wha…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:30AMWednesday, May 2, 2012
If you accept the idea that unchecked, or poorly considered, growth can be a major source of headaches for an arts organization (or an individual artist) then you may end up wondering why it…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:30AMMonday, April 30, 2012
I want to spend a little time this week talking about growth. That growth comes in many forms, from an arts organization breaking ground on a building to an artist getting an agent and a man…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 10:08AMFriday, April 27, 2012
You know that the person answering your phone, or responding to emails is WAY more important then that fancy promotional piece you're working on, right? Right? You know that if one of those …
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:45AMWednesday, April 25, 2012
That's our only rule job now . . . to solve the interesting problems. I didn't come up with that statement, but it is a very true one. To me, one of the most interesting problems we have in …
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 11:07AMMonday, April 23, 2012
The arts are a world with a high variance. In the gambling world another term for variance is "swing". Things swing widely in the arts. Great critical reviews to horrible ones. Major funders…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:56AMFriday, April 20, 2012
You can self publish and produce your work. You can partner with viable organizations. You can start your own organization. You can create and publish part time and ask for little money in r…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 10:46AMWednesday, April 18, 2012
A few unrelated thoughts: 1. I find the whole "people should stop forming arts organizations" conversation to be interesting. It's interesting because people make a very logical case for not…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 11:31AMMonday, April 16, 2012
I'm typing this with a cup of coffee by my side. I paid 1.80 for it. It's a good, strong, well brewed cup of coffee. It is also totally unremarkable. I'm a spoiled consumer. I expect to be a…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:40AMThursday, April 12, 2012
I spent the last week or so out of town. While I was gone, I follow the same set of vacation rules I give my team. No responding to email. No calling to check in. People are only allowed to.…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:44AMTuesday, April 10, 2012
It's not a marketing/fundraising/artistic problem. It's a leadership problem. I know, I know. It would be much easier if it were just a marketing problem. Solving those are pretty easy. Just…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:38AMMonday, March 19, 2012
It's time for me take a small break from blogging. Regular posting will resume on April 9. In the meanwhile, follow me on Twitter, @missionparadox On the Twitters I'll still be sharing thoug…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:29AMFriday, March 16, 2012
The problem is that when I encourage people to connect art and audience by telling stories, people think I mean lie to them. People interpret story as spin. They aren't the same thing. Let's…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:43AMWednesday, March 14, 2012
I stopped trying to sell art years ago. Now I just tell stories. The hope is that the story leads to connection with the like minded. Then the hope is that a portion of those like minded wil…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 10:01AMMonday, March 12, 2012
I want to make art I want to make money from art Those are two very different statements. The path to creating and distributing art is as smooth as it has ever been. No permission needed. Bu…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:38AMWednesday, March 7, 2012
Everyone has their own definition marketing. Here is mine: Marketing is a process by which emotion is transferred. Ultimately, the goal of marketing is make you feel something. Of course, th…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:30AMMonday, March 5, 2012
The future of the arts is small. Smaller organizations. The days of a nonprofit arts organization going from one employee to 20-30 full time employees in a short period of time are gone. The…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:30AMFriday, March 2, 2012
Yesterday I noticed an interesting question from American Theatre Magazine: Is administration an art? I'm an administrator so, I will speak for myself. 60% of what I do, as a director of mar…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:00AMWednesday, February 29, 2012
Put down that 501c3 application for a second. Stop putting together that book of "board member responsibilities". We need to talk. ---------------------------------- Do you really know what …
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:00AMMonday, February 27, 2012
Today I'm handing my tiny piece of the blogging world to Seth Godin as he presents his manifesto, Stop Stealing Dreams It takes a look at our current educational system and how it needs to a…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:31AMFriday, February 24, 2012
What some good news? Here it is: 1. For the first time in modern history, an individual artist can put their art directly into the hands of an audience. The author, the painter, the musician…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:55AMWednesday, February 22, 2012
Things tend to grow organically/naturally. A start up dance company does a show for a small crowd, maybe just friends and family. Over time, a little buzz happens, a little word of mouth hap…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:00AMMonday, February 20, 2012
Disrespecting your artistic competition, or your audience, is a sign of immaturity. It's easy (and fun) to talk about how everything sucks. It's easy (and fun) to blame the rigid, old, infle…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 11:32AMFriday, February 17, 2012
Your flight to Chicago just landed. Your friend picks you up and asks "how was your flight?" "Fine" you reply, and then quickly move on to other - more interesting - topics. Think about all …
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:00AM 
