A Wake Up Call

There is a moment in the second act of Terrace McNally's Masterclass when a frustrated student hurls the line, "I'm not an actress.  I'm just a singer." directly at La Divina.  In a live performance, this is immediately met with a cacophony of laughter, ooo's and "Oh no she di'ints!" from the audience.   Even without the added dramatic irony, it isn’t hard to understand where this visceral reaction comes from. 

Obviously, the concept of not performing while singing is simply ridiculous to any modern day singer.  But back in Callas' time, this was actually quite a revolutionary notion.  And the fact that she did it (with brilliance) not only single-handedly launched her into international stardom, but it also made her one of the most exciting artists of her day.

Thankfully, the act vs. sing dilemma has largely fallen by the wayside - save the occasional park ’n bark.  Unfortunately, nowadays it’s not all that uncommon to hear something along the lines of, “Oh, I don't need to know anything about business/finance/marketing - I'm an artist.”  And this is usually said with a great amount of pride!  Ummm, I hate to break it to you, but that kind of thinking will lead you straight down the path of having a certain adjective that starts with “s” and rhymes with “carving” placed squarely in front of your much cultivated “artist” status. 

The reality is, as soon as you decided to embark upon a life focused on artistic pursuits, you were simultaneously signing up for a lifelong commitment to entrepreneurship.  You are a business owner whether you choose to admit it or not – YOU ARE A BRAND!  And contrary to the very popular poverty mentality that runs rampant in so many not-for-profits and small businesses, just because you chose a life in the arts does not mean you have to live without all the comforts someone with a so-called “normal” job enjoys.  What you do need to do is accept responsibility for your actions, make intelligent choices and take control of your situation.  You need to start thinking and acting like any other business owner.  Fortunately, you have already proven to excel in one area where most “businesspeople” usually fall flat on their faces – you are not afraid to get creative!