Friday, 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 09:00AMWednesday, February 15, 2012
Over the last five years I have had the honor of working with all types of folks. In theory, the goal was for me to teach them stuff. In reality, I have learned as much from them as they hav…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:00AMMonday, February 13, 2012
Let's be very clear, the art you create is the marketing. You can't separate the two. You can't make predictable, boring, art exciting. You can't use advertising to make art intended for a h…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 10:00AMFriday, February 10, 2012
It isn't what people say, it's what people hear. You can say "risk" but then keep doing the same limited range of artistic stuff . . . people hear "safety". You can say "we welcome all" but …
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 10:00AMWednesday, February 8, 2012
For marketers, the Super Bowl demonstrates the power (and price) of attention. Think about it. Why in the world would anyone pay milliions of dollars for a handful of 30 second commercial sp…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 10:00AMMonday, February 6, 2012
Every few months I like to do a workshop with the staff and board of a nonprofit arts group. I see the same thing over and over again. People lose sight of the art. It's so easy for the day.…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 10:00AMWednesday, February 1, 2012
The arts are a reflection of the real world, which means it has a lot of love, a lot of surprise and a lot of joy. That also means that it is a world that has sexism, racism, unbalanced powe…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 12:58PMMonday, January 30, 2012
When it comes to the future of the arts, especially the industry I work in - the live performing arts, I am very optimistic. I see the wide range of work being produced, from sold out theatr…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:57AMFriday, January 27, 2012
Life we go easier if you accept the following: 1. You will always be conflicted about the interaction of art and commerce. 2. You will never find a perfect balance between giving your audien…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 10:00AMWednesday, January 25, 2012
In 2009, entreprenuer Derek Sivers shared his "Hell Yeah" philosophy to making life decisions. Here's a quote: "If I'm not saying 'HELL YEAH!' about something, then say no." I think it's a g…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 10:00AMMonday, January 23, 2012
I'm not suprised that a lot of people dislike the idea of marketing/selling/advertising/etc. Sometimes, I dislike too. Marketing can be the ultimately dark art. I cringe when I see a commerc…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 10:00AMWednesday, January 18, 2012
It's a trendy thing to talk about failure. In the arts world we are always discussing the need to take risks, try new things, etc. Of course you can't discuss those things without considerin…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 10:00AMFriday, January 13, 2012
I like this one so I'm reposting it. New blog post on Monday
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 12:29PMWednesday, January 11, 2012
Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, offers his thoughts on selling the live experience "We in the (live) sports business don’t sell the game, we sell unique, emotional experiences. …
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 10:00AMMonday, January 9, 2012
This is my 8th working in the arts as some sort of a "professional". I've learned a lot in that time. One of the most important lesson is the need to pick your battles. The arts are an imper…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 10:00AMFriday, December 23, 2011
Here's my last thought for the year. The world of the arts is just like the world itself. That means it can be beautiful, ugly, fair and unfair at the same time. The people in the arts are j…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 10:06AMWednesday, December 21, 2011
A few days ago I found out that my day job is going to receive an honor that recognizes their efforts to bring diversity to the stage and the audience. This isn't the first time that such ef…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 10:07AMMonday, December 19, 2011
Few things annoy me more then the myth that if you just "try hard" success in the arts (or any field) is inevitable. Effort is really overrated. You can try hard and flop just because you're…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 10:27AMFriday, December 16, 2011
Here's the deal: Every once in a while I work directly with a handful of individual artists and arts organizations. For example, this year I worked with a visual artist, a theatre that focus…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 10:00AMWednesday, December 14, 2011
Comedian Louis CK on how he got the authority and freedom to due his well respected sitcom: "I got it by demanding it and refusing to do the show any other way at all and by having the lever…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 10:00AMMonday, December 12, 2011
When's the last time you actually looked at your website? Are all the links working? Is the relevant information current? And (more importantly) are you using your web presence, some of the …
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 10:12AMFriday, December 9, 2011
Value. Above. Replacement. Player. It's a sports statistic, but I think it's a useful way of thinking about your value to the people you are associated with. I don't just mean your job. I me…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 10:00AMWednesday, December 7, 2011
I don't have many rules, but here's one: Never outgrow your audience. Stick to that and everything else is cream cheese. Here's a bit of explanation: The audience for your play/handmade craf…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 10:22AMMonday, December 5, 2011
For about 50 years seeking permission to do art, get people to see it and getting paid for that art were connected concepts. Sure, it was hard to get the attention of that book publisher, bu…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 10:10AMFriday, December 2, 2011
I get asked: "What's the ideal size for an arts organization?" My answer, one person. Any organization that involves more then one person is really a b*tch to operate. Folks laugh, but I'm b…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 10:03AMWednesday, November 30, 2011
One of the arguments I frequently hear about why the "fine arts" are dead/dying is because of the poor taste of the American people. Things would be so much better if we were not all caught …
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 10:00AMMonday, November 28, 2011
Sometimes I get asked why I don't try to make Mission Paradox bigger. People wonder why I don't hire employees and try to expand. The short answer is that I don't want to be responsible for …
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 10:00AMWednesday, November 23, 2011
At my day job we are in the middle of one of those "critical acclaim" moments. The professional critics have signed off on the current production and it has had an immediate impact on sales.…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 10:16AMMonday, November 21, 2011
"How do you built a small fortune in the arts?" "You start with a large fortune." The arts are a horrible business. For profit. Non-profit. It doesn't matter. Any business where costs can sk…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 10:18AMFriday, November 18, 2011
During my travels I tend to run into two types of folks: 1. Gig hunters - These are primarily artists, freelancers and other creative types who are looking for short term opportunities to di…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 10:00AMWednesday, November 16, 2011
So a guy with a relatively high profile in the little world of the arts writes an article for the Huff Post. In the article he talks about the "death" of traditional arts criticism and the g…
SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 10:00AM 
