I am honored to have Douglas Rushkoff answer a few questions about artist empowerment, sustainability, and living inside or outside the corporate model. Rushkoff is one of today’s most engaging and perceptive commentators on the impact of technology and media on organizations and society. A globally recognized thought leader on marketing and Internet culture, he explores how communications affect our lives. Rushkoff is a professor of virtual culture at New York University.Roxana came across Rushkoff on an Etsy speaker series and suggested I might like to hear him. I immediately felt a kindred spirit. Here was an individual who understood how the box of corporate culture really stifled much of the entrepreneurial spirit in people. Artist's became locked into this system too. It is time to wake up and throw off those shackles.Rushkoff is a social media master. His ten best-selling books on new media and popular culture have been translated to over thirty languages. They include Cyberia, Media Virus, Playing the Future, Nothing Sacred: The Truth about Judaism, Get Back in the Box: Innovation from the Inside Out and Coercion, winner of the Marshall Mcluhan Award for best media book. Rushkoff also wrote the acclaimed novels Ecstasy Club and Exit Strategy and graphic novel, Club Zero-G. He wrote a series of graphic novels for Vertigo called Testament, and is currently working on another book for Vertigo as well as a new series of graphic novels for Smoking Gun Interactive.His latest book,Life Inc.: How the World Became a Corporation and How to Take It Back, is an astute examination of the moment in history that currency was centralized and society moved away from local trade and bartering. He demonstrates how corporate culture has literally changed human values and profoundly altered the way we now relate to one another.This Friday and Saturday, April 16-17  at the Newport Public Library he will be presenting one of his dynamic lectures. I will be there Saturday. Come join me!Rushkoff was gracious enough to answer a few questions about some issues I believe are important to all artists. This is an opportunity to comment and possibly start a dialogue with him about how the world of commerce is changing as well as your opportunities in it. So jump in there.GREG SPALENKA: In your national best seller Life Inc. you talk about the how the corporate world reduced an individuals self worth. Artists like to think that they are not part of an industry, but the gallery system and the blue chip elite in particular has its own rules and regulations. How would you define artist empowerment?DOUGLAS RUSHKOFF: Honestly, empowerment for an artist is probably the ability to which s/he can work independently of the marketplace. An artisan can always look at what is useful in the short-term, and just sell a pretty teapot or t-shirt. But an artist usually needs to think in longer cycles, and this might mean creating work that isn't deemed valuable by the marketplace for a decade or more - especially if the work is critical of the status quo. Most people don't want to spend money undermining their world view.So empowerment either comes when the artist can generate enough income regardless of market considerations - or when the artist can learn to live without constant income and recognition. It's not necessarily an easy life, but many poor artists are more empowered than wealthy sellouts.GREG SPALENKA: Most colleges and universities teach art making skill sets with an eye on preparing artists for the publishing, gallery, and entertainment industries. What would be your suggestions for artists graduating with this mind set and do you feel its sustainable?DOUGLAS RUSHKOFF: You mean for artists who decide to become commercial designers instead? Nothing wrong with that, but it's not one's real work. It's no different from an artist working as a bookkeeper or bed salesman. Whatever pays the bills. In some ways, it's harder when you use your craft for some corporate purpose, because you can fool yourself into thinking you're a working artist, when you're really just an artist, working.On the other hand, if you keep the extra work related to your artistic field, use it as zen training. I know great painters who worked their days or nights as scenic artists on soap operas. So they still work their technique, their brush strokes, their perspective tricks, all day long. And then they do their real work when they've got the time. But at least the commercial work isn't so much about conceiving ad campaigns or packaging, and much more about flow.GREG SPALENKA: I stress in my Artist As Brand™ workshops the importance of creating a solid fan and patron base over time, hence creating multiple streams of income. Are artists better off handling fluctuating economic factors inside or outside the corporate system?DOUGLAS RUSHKOFF: Diversify.Thank you Douglas, for your insightful answers! I have some questions around a few of your answers which I will place in the comments. I look forward to your presentation in Newport Beach. I hope to see some of my creative colleagues there too.In Life,Greg

***FOLLOW UP***

Photo by Eve Villa Nuehart

Just returned from a packed house at the Newport Public Library where Douglas gave a stellar presentation focused mainly on the concepts of his book, Life Inc.: How the World Became a Corporation and How to Take It Back Close to two hundred people listened intently as Douglas explained the history behind the rise of the corporate empire. Its a story of power, greed, and suppression of independently owned business and commerce. In the 1200's a model of corporatism emerged which in essence is still with us today.The upside is we are finally beginning to see changes in this system as people embrace their own possibility and manifest new models of personal business. You see it in our farmers markets, online shops like Etsy, and in creative markets where the hand made object is making a comeback.Douglas made the comment that, "Solutions are small." I loved it. Keep it focused, intimate and doable. One step at a time will get you there. These are principles I teach in my Artist As Brand™ classes. In the visual arts we see the concept of simplicity throughout the design world.People asked him what we could do to change a system that has been around for so long and is very powerful. Douglas responded that change is possible through "community value creation." When we empower the community one individual at a time by inspiring and supporting local projects a holistic model of power emerges. Over time this new paradigm of economic potential will give corporatism some serious competition.  It may knock them out or force them to change their paradigm too. Wow! I recommend picking up Life Inc. it will open your eyes.I had an opportunity to meet with Douglas for the first time. He signed my Life Inc. book, and we talked briefly about possibly aligning our forces. Ahhh, what does this mean exactly you may ask? Stay tuned my friends!PeaceGreg

In November of 2009 Parade magazine printed an article called Can Art Save a Mall? by Susan Fine. When too many stores came up empty at a large mall in the St. Louis area the owners decided that instead of demolishing it they would offer the spaces to artists for $100 per month, plus utilities. Art galleries, a dance studio, museum, etc. were created. Not only did it give arts groups a home it also increased traffic in the mall for the other stores and restaurants. I bring this article to your attention because its exactly this alternative approach to artist promotion every talented entrepreneurial soul can embrace.

In this instance the owners of the Mall took the initiative, but creatives can do the same by starting their own venues. Consider this group of frustrated artists disappointed with the size of the San Diego Comic Con (its gigantic). They are producing their own more intimate convention called Creator-Con. Here is an interesting take on this new venue on the Blog Cartoon Brew. The power of an idea whose time has come can manifest quickly if  desire, focus, and energy is placed behind it.

Start your own alternate showcase, gallery, convention, art faire, artist workshop, etc. What are some cool ideas you have thought of or heard of recently? How about some artist marketing brainstorming?

To artist empowerment!

Greg

How do you choose to see your life, your family, your neighbors, your city, state, country, world?I just had an interesting political discussion with my parents. They listen to Rush Limbaugh, Fox news and what I consider right leaning news media. It makes them angry that our President (who is not an American citizen according to their news sources) and his cabinet are trying to turn our country into a socialist empire! Wow! What?!Now everyone is entitled to their opinions and I respect and love my parents dearly, even though I disagree with their political views. What struck me most about our conversation is how upset these newscasts were making them. Yet they watched them and listened to them day after day.Buddhist's and sages throughout history have offered that all events are essentially neutral and it's only the judgment we place upon them that infers good or bad, right or wrong. Its an interesting concept considering we are conditioned to look at much of the world through a black and white lens. But the bigger question for me is how does it make you feel? Outward appearances can evoke a specific response, but if you see, listen, feel through your intuition another sense of awareness can tell us something different.I suggested my parents take a media fast to see how it feels not to ingest all that angst and negativity."Why would I want to do that?" my Dad responded. "What is the point? How does that benefit me?""Well, you might find you feel more relaxed, happy, peaceful by taking a break from that bombardment of information," I suggested."No, no, that is not going to do me any good."You can tell this is a big issue for me. I know I cannot change anyone. If I can nudge someone into thinking a little differently, that is a miracle enough for me. That is why I like this video.Peace,Greg

Raise your arm if you love self promotion!I don't see many hands. When I was illustrating full time aspiring illustrators would always ask me how I promoted my work. In the 80's it was generally through source books like American Showcase (now gone), The Workbook, and juried annuals like the Society of Illustrators, Communication Arts, American Illustration. They were really the only promotion available except for direct mailing of postcards and other material. During the 90's the internet kicked in and the website opened the new doors of high tech marketing. The last decade the digital world has kicked into high gear with all sorts of social media from Blogs to Twitter to Facebook.When I talk about promotion now we are looking at a hybrid. I call it High Tech/High Touch marketing. They work hand in hand creating a synergy.Much or your promotion these days will come from your own volition. The source books, juried showcases, and community websites are all valid exposure (any promotion is good promotion) however meeting your fans firsthand will take it all to another level. This is happening across the arts spectrum whether it be with musicians, actors, dancers, writers, artists, talented individuals are reaching out to the public and creating their niches. How you reach out can be a way of making a unique promotional splash!Check out this article by Carolyn Kellogg, Book Tour? More like a Safari about a Texas-based couple who celebrated the simultaneous release of their debut books this fall by jumping in their car for an 8,500-mile, 27-day, do-it-yourself tour.Now that's the spirit!Moving out of your promotional comfort zone may be a challenge for some, but pushing the possibilities of advertising can be fun too. Simply approach it with the same creativity you bring to making your art. Who has some cool out of the box ad stories to share? I will talk about unconventional promotional strategies in the coming weeks.To the new box,Greg

What words define success for you?Money, Fame, Possessions, Power? How about Home, Happy, Charity, Love?Maybe its a fusion of all those things. Accomplishment can manifest in different shapes and colors. How we define success is a large part of how we define ourselves.For a long time my success was defined by the magazine, newspaper, or book cover I had graced an illustration with. I received a nice hit of ego gratification as well as a check that I normally received in the mail two months later. My life in publishing dictated my moods, and my finances, and this defined much of my success. My competitive spirit kept me going but at times it was a blessing and a curse. Arnie Fenner, Editor of Spectrum picked up on it, “Greg is constantly in competition with himself; the challenge he cheerfully accepts when he gets up each morning is to out-do what he has done before. It’s a good day when Greg artistically kicks Greg’s ass: he’s been doing it so consistently for so many years that it’s a wonder he has anything left to sit on.”It's true I don't have much to sit on.In this LA Times article called, What makes Sammy run wild. We read how Hollywood talents obsessed with success, can find themselves in frenzies when the industry's harsh reality clashes with their desires.

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Do you live your life from the outside in? With our responsibilities, bills, relationships, media and all the stuff we fill our existence with, much of the time it's as if the world is telling us how to live our lives. It's no wonder we feel we are pulled in many directions at once and have less time in a day to accomplish our goals, let alone think about ourselves. The cult of multi-tasking with electronic gadgetry (which my students insist does not impede upon their studies) research is showing does not really help us focus or accomplish our tasks throughout the day. *When the circumstances of the world feel like they dictate our every move we can become overwhelmed. Sound familiar?Much of this depends on how we perceive ourselves and the reality around us. Perception is an act of creation.One of the blessings of my creative life is the ability to brainstorm and manifest lots of ideas. Once my mind gets those RPM's up to speed its hard to stop it, especially when I want to sleep at night. When I found the secret of meditation it calmed the chattering monkeys inside my head enough for me to rest. But the real benefit of meditation came from the introspection that graced my consciousness over time. I learned the benefits of living from the inside out.This post is not so much about the virtues of meditation as much as it's about spending some time understanding who you really are and what you are really about. When you live your life from this center of your being events around you look very different. Greg Mooers is a life coach committed to seeing people discover and follow their true purpose. He helped me see mine clearly so I can help others too. Greg has a freetransformational teleseminar that you might want to check out.Another path to finding who you are is to have a good conversation with yourself. This may sound crazy at first, but its just another form of introspection. Check out this Blog post by Chris Guillebeau and take a step inside who you really are.Once you start living from the inside out you will view yourself differently, understand your motivations more clearly, make decisions more calmly, and probably get a better nights sleep!To your truth,Greg* http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/

What sustains your creativity?Could it be new electronic toys, fashionable attire, fascinating information, splendid entertainment, food, money, sex, drugs, rock and roll?Long term creativity is sustained by your heart.Creativity connected to your true essence will sustain you for the long run. When not in alignment with your core virtue, boredom, unhappiness, and lethargy creep in. Creativity is like the electrical juice coming from a car battery. If the engine is hooked up properly it recharges the battery allowing it to last a long time. If there is a disconnect somewhere and the battery does not receive that returning jolt of energy, its power is drained and can die much faster than expected.Loving what you do will help you keep on keeping on when ideas become scarce and economic downturns put the squeeze on.The Los Angeles Times article on "A writing career becomes harder to scale" by Dani Shapiro talks about the struggles authors expected to confront  as they gained experience in the publishing world. But now it is sell -- or else. Writers like visual artists must confront the realities of a changing publishing paradigm when it comes to promotion and selling product. In the face of these changes focusing on the source of your power  keeps the battery of creativity charged and ready to go.Knowledge of your product line, marketing tactics, long term strategies  work only if they are built upon the foundation of knowing what you love. Those individuals who are connected to the source of their true being whether selling their art, writing, music, film, etc. can keep a career energized.I am committed to empowering truth within you and your artful journey!Greg

Matt Mahurin

It was 1979 and the assignment given by the teacher in my Art Center College of Design illustration class was to create a black and white drawing of a mysterious meeting using two point perspective. All the students accomplished the assignment with varying degrees of success using images such as lovers meeting in a spooky park, people lurking behind doors, or shadowy figures jumping out from around a corner. Every solution used two point perspective correctly, except one. This image showed one point perspective of two blind men walking straight toward each other. The punch line for this piece was the focus on their walking canes tapping mid-stride. The teacher criticized the piece harshly because, "Where was the perspective!?" I knew this art was the best in the class by far, with two point perspective or not. The power in this image was its conceptual perspective which made a unique, intriguing story, and invited the viewer to think!

MYSTERIOUS MEETING-MAHURIN

This was the first moment I met Matt Mahurin. I recognized a rebel, a genius, a heartfelt and kindred soul who embodied the art spirit completely. We became fast friends and I am truly blessed to say that even though we live on opposite coasts (he lives in New York) we are still the best of buddies. I learned much from Matt over the years, and still do! He is an accomplished award winning illustrator, photographer, music video director, and film maker. His most recent film, FEEL can be seen on the Sundance Channel. Check out his awesome work here- http://www.mattmahurin.com/I just returned from an evening in Santa Monica with Matt reminiscing over our careers and the new artful visions that harken to us now. It reminded me how friendships and alliances sustain us in our personal and professional lives. When the going gets rough, friends can ease that journey. They can also challenge us and give a wake up call when we are slacking off as well as offer honest criticism. Mostly, friends and team players remain steadfast allies to our dream potential pumping up the support and inspiration.Whether working in film or music with other highly respected artists I found it always engendered greater creativity. Matt and I have not had an opportunity to work on a project together yet, but I surmise when it happens something really special will come of it. In the meantime Matt and I have been on a similar wavelength concerning artist empowerment. We have taken stock of our careers and all that has gone into making them and are giving back to the world some hard won knowledge. I encourage all of you to check out Matt's grand opus to the art spirit: The Imagemaker's HandbookIt will answer many questions you may have about pursuing your dreams as an artist.Peace and Empowerment,Greg

ARTISTart·ist [ahr-tist]–noun1. a person who produces works in any of the arts that are primarily subject to aesthetic criteria.2. a person who practices one of the fine arts.3. a person whose trade or profession requires a knowledge of design, drawing, painting, etc.: a commercial artist.4. a person who works in one of the performing arts, actor, musician, singer; dancer, public performer.5. a person whose work exhibits exceptional skillBRAND[brand]–noun and verb1. kind, grade, or make, as indicated by a stamp, trademark, or the like.2. a mark made by burning or otherwise, to indicate kind, grade, make, ownership, etc.3. a kind or variety of something distinguished by some distinctive characteristic.4. to impress indelibly.5. a brand name.****What do Michelangelo, Ralph Lauren, Geogia O’Keeffe, Andy Warhol, Clint Eastwood, Auguste Rodin, Apple, Sting, Frida Kahlo, Porsche, Picasso, Damien Hirst, Mark Ryden, Annie Leibovitz, Henry Moore, Greenpeace, Maxfield Parrish, Ray Bradbury, Joseph Beuys, and Elizabeth Taylor, all have in common?They are all brands.A brand is a purpose transformed into a product or service that connects to people, the planet, and beyond. The key word here is purpose, and specifically your purpose. This is where the heart of your essence resides, where your most potent art manifests, and the strength of your perseverance matures. The purpose inside you aligned with your personal vision is the foundation of your creative power. When your heart is joined with your art, a vital one of a kind signature is formed. This brand is unique to you and your intimate product.The word “brand” is derived from the Old Norse brandr, meaning “to burn.” It refers to the practice of producers burning their mark (or brand) onto their products. 1.In the beginning, before multi-national corporations, before boards of directors and proxy fights, before mergers and franchises and takeovers, there were family businesses founded on individual enterprise or invention.Before the corporate image or the company logo, there was the individual name stamped on a product, a service, a laborsaving device, or a form of entertainment, usually because it was the proud handiwork of one individual. 2.The artist’s mark is unique to its owner even if its a copy of something else. However the ambition of most artists is to make a mark that touches their so audience deeply, it burns this symbol into memory. The lifetime of a creative mind can burn a series of meaningful marks into the mindset of a generation, but if their passion is great its possible to start a fire that contributes a brighter light to the world.Peace and passion,Greg Spalenka1. Wikipedia.org2. The Branding of America, By Ronald Hambleton

Understanding the history behind life styles, and economic models we grew up with, can help us create new ones. Award-winning writer, documentary filmmaker and scholar Douglas Rushkoff explains how the history of the corporation has colored the way we approach commerce, and how its up to us to create a new economy based on the value of what we can bring as individuals to the world. Watch his nine minute film and you will see your potential in a whole new light.To Peace and potential!Greg

Learning to create a new economic paradigm for yourself can feel daunting. We all want to relax in the lap of corporate and economic models we were brought up with. There is security knowing we are going to be taken care of by larger business entities that have planned for economic downturns and other market changes, right? There will always be a job that our skill set can fill, right?Living as a freelance artist for 28 years gave me a certain perspective on the economy as I had my feet in the corporate world but still remained independent of it. Living and working as a sole proprietor gave me a certain resiliency and exercised my creative brain powers into thinking differently. Cranking up my innovative capabilities or aligning with those who were in "the flow" increased my chances for manifesting other income possibilities.Check out this great article Path to success is no longer labeled in the Los Angeles Times on how musicians and bands are shifting their marketing principles. Innovation and re-invention are key components I stress in the Artist As Brand workshops to create your own economy.PeaceGreg

Chris Guillebeau is a social media master. Check out this awesome interview he created with Seth Godin.

The Quito Gang, 2009

When Eduardo Villacis, professor/illustrator asked me to present a workshop last year at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador little did I know that Artist As Brand™ which was brewing inside my head for many years would manifest as flame in my heart too. I am committed to empowering truth in us all through art, education and introspection.  When Artist As Brand™ struck such a deep chord with the students in Ecuador it became clear to me this concept of artist entrepreneurialism was meant to be shared. I am amazed at how quickly wings have grown around this idea as it journeys  to other locals . Laguna Beach, Salt Lake & Bountiful UT, Los Angeles venues are lining up.Its exciting to see the enthusiasm in peoples eyes when I mention the ability to connect their heart with their art and their income on their own terms. I'm inspired to shift our perceptions of the ubiquitous corporate model into a new view of possibility. Yes, to paradigms that are good for the heart, mind, spirit, and business too!Stay tuned for the first Artist As Brand™ giveaway! Win a free workshop.PeaceGreg Spalenka