Support the Arts... Financially

 

How you spend your money is your vote for the kind of world you want.

Hello everyone! Gambol the Clown here! Today I'm going to talk about a serious topic. If you are an artist, you need to be aware of getting scammed and ripped off. If you are someone who claims to support the arts, you will heed this important advice. I am an artist, it's a business, and you should pay up for my services.

Recently I was asked by a business association to provide my entertainment services for FREE for Small Business Saturday. The deal is that I'll dress as an elf and entertain people and the plus is that it will bring attention to my business. Well, here's the problem with that. Isn't the point of Small Business Saturday to provide a focus upon local businesses seeking financial gain? How ineffective is that business model? Do restaurants provide free food so they can be promoted by customers? I want to tell Ferrari and Lamborghini I'd be happy to drive their cars around and promote them if they donate cars to me. 

This clown costume I wear is more than a costume, it's a high quality entertainment character. My material is original and I spend a lot of time working on my acts so I can deliver a high quality product when people PAY for my services. ALL artists are worthy of your financial support. If you like sculptors, painters, actors, comedians, clowns, guitarists, drummers, dancers, chefs, baristas, bartenders, mixologists.. you PAY for their services. 

What about my volunteer options? I will happily volunteer my services for churches and charities. The goal there is for the community to come together for a common cause and the common cause should be the focus of the financial (or material) gain. I volunteer with veterans groups, Christian churches, and other groups that seek to raise support for people who are suffering from serious illnesses like cancer and complicated diseases. During those events, not only do I get compensated with practice time and a crowd of people, but I get to interact with people who are having a difficult time and have the opportunity to reach them. 

If you're an artist, don't accept anything less. You should be using your talents where it's possible to make an impact on the world as a donation of your time and efforts, but when people want you to provide your services in exchange for "exposure" or promotion, that's rip off. Getting exposure is free. Walk around handing out business cards. 

Here's another example. There have been contests in the past where people want you to send in your artwork for free, then they'll select the winning contribution to be featured on their advertising. If they want you to work for them, they'll pay you up front. That's a bad idea. 

Work hard at producing good art and ensure that you're compensation matches the level of quality. Michael Jordan is the best basketball player of all time. When he first made his shoe deal with Nike, they offered him a percentage of all sales. His understanding that he was more than a basketball player netted him around $400,000,000 annually in passive income. You can't have a million dollar dream with a minimum wage work ethic.