Entrepren-artist?
During my research into my inquiry topic one idea has been cropping up time and time again, that of artists (and thus dancers), sharing numerous qualities with entrepreneurs. The main reason for this according to the literature seems to be that the high level of self-employment among artists naturally fosters an entrepreneurial attitude, since artists have to actively seek employment and they primarily gain this through self-promotion.
The definition of ‘entrepreneur’ according to Cambridge Dictionary is as follows:
“someone who starts their own business, especially when this involves seeing a new opportunity”
This definition feeds into the idea of dancers marketing their skills to potential employers, but also marketing themselves for the general public to engage with. Within the contemporary dance world, it is increasingly common for individuals to form small collectives with other artists in order to create work, or to simply create work independently. There could be multiple reasons for this, such as the limited job market, creative liberty, and the freedom and flexibility that comes with being an independent artist. In addition, the sometimes toxic atmosphere and hierarchy of traditional company culture can be a strong motivation for artists to move away and make their own work.
However, this ‘entrepreneurship’ is not limited to artists and dancers running their own companies and making independent work. Dancers have to relentlessly self-promote, both in person and via social media, in order to be active on the job market. Dance teachers also promote their classes and courses on any available platform, and this culture has only grown over the last year, during which COVID-19 forced the dance world to move increasingly online. Let us not forget that dancers are often hired as independent contractors for short-term dance jobs, hence even dancers temporarily working for others have to be in control of their taxes and finances and constantly think about where the next pay check is coming from.
The last point to consider, and perhaps one I will look more deeply into now, is whether entrepreneurship can be taught. During my training, I only recall having one brief lesson on self-employment and filing taxes in first year, yet this was not comprehensive and was never touched upon again. Obviously, this was nowhere near sufficient, but it appears to me now that not only do dancers need to be educated on their future tax status and how to manage it, but also on business models, funding applications, and how to use social media to advertise themselves and their work. Then we can perhaps question how we draw the line between making dance work profitable but also ethical. Have we lost the true essence of art when we turn it into a commodity to be bought and sold, and does this in turn devalue us as artists?
Available at: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/entrepreneur
[Accessed 2 March 2021].
Hi Alys,
ReplyDeleteThis was a really interesting blog. I love the parallels you've been able to draw between dancers and entrepreneurs. We are frequently told "you are your own business" so this really does make sense. I agree there needs to be a lot more education on self-employment and the financial aspect of the career as well as marketing and media.
This is certainly something to research but I sometimes wonder if the 'fear' of losing art is the barrier to making it a profitable career - would people argue the essence of sport has been lost in the professional level business? Maybe for football they would, maybe for rowing they wouldn't? Would people argue the essence of cooking has been lost in the restaurant/hospitality business? Maybe they would if a chef can't experiment and has to stick to a set menu, maybe they wouldn't if the essence of cooking remains whatever is made? Is the essence of science lost when it is used for a mundane, simple task? Perhaps this doesn't initially matter and the priority should be establishing financial security, legally and personally, and then we might be able to collectively work out how to bring as much 'art' as possible to a stable career in art? To compare this to entrepreneurs, many get up and running however they can and aren't functioning with the full potential of their business/ideas/creation in week one - they have to lay a stable financial foundation first. To link this to my topic a bit, maybe business needs more artistry and artistry needs more business ??
Always love reading your blogs :)
Roanne x
Hi Roanne,
DeleteYou have some really interesting thoughts on this! I think one of the biggest barriers to making art profitable for the individual is because of a culture of 'needing to suffer'. I read a really interesting article in Pointe magazine which spoke about the toxic culture of ballet and the idea that one needs to be 'broken' to make good art. I think this mentality applies to the financial side of the dance industry as well. I feel there's a mentality within the arts world where money can be equated with vanity and artistic 'emptiness'. Here's a link to the article in case you fancied reading it:
https://www.pointemagazine.com/ballet-and-emotional-demands-2650701933.html?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1
Alys
x
I think there is a lot of truth to the idea of a suffering culture. I remember once reading about this being very prominent in poets, past and present, who thought you essentially had to be on the brink of mental collapse to create anything remotely worthy of note. The article sounds really interesting I shall definitely give it a read, thank you for sharing! x
DeleteHi Alys, such interesting ideas! I remember whilst training, teachers would constantly tell us that 'we are our own business', which is why it was important to always look presentable, be prepared and organised. Learning about self-employment/taxes was touched on (like you have said) in our final year, but this was a class that was so confusing and stressed a lot of people out. But I think this is so important to learn about. Professional training attempts to make students the best 'professional' they can be, so that when they graduate they are ready to take on the industry. But as times are changing, it is also important to know how to promote yourself online. It also may cost a lot to get professional pictures, videos for advertising, also when people want to run their own companies, create their own shows, therefore it's so important to learn how to manage money effectively. This idea could take you in so many different directions. I am excited to read more about your research x
ReplyDeleteHi Alice,
DeleteThank you so much for your comment. It's interesting to see that I am not the only one that was left feeling unsatisfied by my 'education' surrounding managing personal finance as a professional dancer. I also feel that the maybe the growing importance of social media presence and thus pictures and videos as opposed to in-person auditions may increase inequality since as you pointed out, videos, professional pictures etc cost a lot of money, hence those that can afford to invest in more money into them will have an advantage over those that can't.
Alys
x