art smarts

Chapter 7. The Business of Being an Artist

Five years ago, I saw a niche for my comedy act because it dealt specifically with my experiences as a disabled person, which not very many other comics cover in their acts. I began to be booked through schools and colleges and universities, mainly for their disability awareness days, because they liked using comedy and being entertaining while getting at some of those awareness issues. And I think that comedy was a way to have it in a pub or a bar at night where you would catch people by surprise.

From a business point of view, that gave me a hook. But it also kind of limited the way people saw my comedy, and I increasingly found myself being pigeonholed as a “disabled comic”, rather than being a comic who could do the generic comedy shows as well as more targeted shows. I think it was two years ago that I first got exposed to the disability arts movement. I got exposed to other comics and artists with disabilities, and it gave me a sort of rebirth as a comic, as an actor, meeting other comics and actors who were facing those same barriers. It also gave me a new sense of purpose in what I was, that what I was doing was real comedy and real theatre, because I was beginning to doubt myself and doubt my work as an artist.

One of the main ways I get exposure for my work is by attending conferences, such as one put on by the Association for Theatre and Accessibility [now the Coalition for Inclusive Performing Arts] in the U.S. The conference is a showcase for artists as well as providing workshops on the technical side of being an artist, like developing portfolios, how to do auditions. I attended the conference two years ago and realized that I had to learn to promote myself. For example, I needed a good press kit and a five-minute video. I’m always keeping an ear out for conferences that might want a speaker or comedian, especially conferences on disability issues, as they’d probably be most interested in booking me. I spend a lot of time on email and on the net. I did have a website, but I wasn’t good at keeping it updated, though it is a good networking tool.

I’m basically persistent. Very persistent. They rarely say “No” up front, but either they won’t get back to me or they’ll say, “I have to think about it,” so I give them a deadline: “OK, well I’ll call you next week.” The manager here at the local Yuk Yuk’s– where I started out – knows me. He’s talked to other managers and tells them, “Yeah, he’s OK, he’s good, book him,” and that really helps too.
alan

Because of dealing with depression, I don’t make myself do the kinds of things you need to do to be an artist: I don’t go to art openings and schmooze with important people, or try and socialize with people who can be good for my career, or network with people who are important in the art world and make sure that I have a high profile, or name drop or “achievement drop.” That’s part of the work of an artist. I used to make a pitiful effort at it, and I no longer do. When I’m feeling depressed it’s really hard to talk to people, it’s really hard to leave my apartment, it’s really hard to keep up the chatty, successful front, admitting no weakness, turning disappointments into strengths, like: “I was very happy when I didn’t get that job because it meant I had more time for my own work.” Constantly putting that self-image on show is exhausting, and it also leads into feeling like I really don’t belong here. So I hang out with a lot of crazy people, because they’re more fun!
persimmon

I take my carvings to crafts fairs across BC and some in Alberta, and the Whistler market every week. That helps spread the word. You just need to pay for the table. At Whistler, I pay for a table all season to guarantee a place. A friend is setting up a website for me in trade for a carving, so I’m hoping for more exposure that way. I used to have pieces in galleries, but they wanted fifty percent and it wasn’t worth it. And they don’t have insurance, so if they damage it, it’s not their fault. I’ve never had an agent.
koskas

I have been publishing and distributing my work independently and am associated with S4DAC and VAMS [Vancouver Adapted Music Society]. I present proposals to organizations such as Co-op Radio when they put out a call for submissions or when I have an idea that I think might be of value to communities. Other times people seek me out, if they know my work and have an audio idea for a project.

I would recommend that any musician make contact with these organizations, or ones like them: the Pacific Music Industry Association, SOCAN [Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada; see Appendix B], FACTOR [Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent on Record; see Appendix B] and the Canada Council. If people are interested in soundscape, they can look to the World Soundscape Project at Simon Fraser University and the WFAE (World Forum for Acoustic Ecology) http://interact.uoregon.edu/MediaLit/wfae/home/.
sylvi

The media can be a very powerful promotional tool. If you can get them to interview you or do a story about your work, then all the people who watch the news or read the newspaper or magazine story will find out about you. If you’re part of a theatre or music group, then they probably have a publicist to make sure that the media are contacted whenever you do a show. If you’re a solo act, you may need to learn about the best ways to relate to the assignment editors in the different media: radio, television and print.

The media, though, are more used to treating people with disabilities as human interest rather than arts and entertainment stories. So, in all likelihood, that’s the type of reporter who will be assigned if they pick up your story. That’s OK, though; it’s free advertising. You just want to try to make sure the reporter concentrates on your abilities rather than your disabilities.

It’s been a bit of a battle with the media to get focus on me as an artist. Often the reason they were interested in me was nothing to do with my art but because I was disabled and they thought that was an “inspiration”. I try to manipulate the interview to get the story I want them to write rather than waiting for them to clue in. But that’s something I’ve had to learn; I made several mistakes before I did learn that.
alan

There have been some stories about me in the paper – not critical reviews – just stories like, “Oh, come to this performance, she’s a woman in a wheelchair and she’s fantastic, she has a lot of courage,” and this kind of stuff. And it’s so bad! Why do I have courage? Yes, I have courage like everybody, but I don’t have a choice! I just get up in the morning and I do things with my life. It’s as simple as that. Reporters take this angle and transform everything into a “success story.” But for me that’s not right.

The critics don’t see the piece, they only see the disability. I try, when I’m dancing, not to fall into this kind of thing. I can’t say I’m not in a wheelchair. Yes, I am, and you can see that. But try to go over this reality, try to see or to hear something else.

I take what I have in my body. It’s not “pure dance,” it’s not classical, it’s not modern, it’s not contemporary, it’s integrated dance. It’s new. And maybe in twenty years I will be the woman who founded integrated dance in Montreal, and it will be very natural.
france

I’ve seen a real shift. I remember when I first started performing jazz music in the early eighties, we’d get these reviews about “Joe’s withered legs” and all this pity crap. That doesn’t happen anymore. I don’t think I’ve had a review in the last ten years where anybody mentioned the fact that I use a wheelchair or crutches or that I have a disability – never even mentioned it. They just talk about the performance. Which I think is real progress.

I guess the danger that I can see with the disability arts movement is that we hang that disability tag on everything that we do. I’ve got some problems with that, I guess. I think it sometimes can keep people away as opposed to attracting them, because they go, “Disability? Eech! I don’t want to see a disabled performer!” It was like the reviews we got with a dance performance here a few years ago: “How ridiculous to see people in wheelchairs dancing – that’s not art!” Well, yes it is, man.

I have made some statements in liner notes about it. I have made mention of it in a performance. I think sometimes it puts people at ease, because they look at you and they say, “What’s the matter with that guy? How come his hands don’t look right or his feet look funny or legs are all crooked? What’s going on with this guy?” And all they need is an explanation to relax them. “Oh, that’s why he holds the microphone funny,” or whatever. That explains something. Sometimes I sense that kind of tension in the audience. You can say those kinds of things, and then use a little bit of humour to relax everybody.
joe

If you’re in the music business, getting a manager isn’t something you’ll need to think about until you get regular gigs or want to tour. But if you’re an actor, especially in television and film work, getting an agent is common early on in the process.

When I did the Fringe Festival tour, I hired a publicist. I was glad I did; she knew how to deal with the press, do mailouts, etc. But it’s been hard to find someone I connect with as an agent or a manager. I think it does have to do with my disability, in that I don’t think that all agents would necessarily see me as a potential investment. I need someone who will really take my work seriously as an artist. I find that still, in the comedy business, I have a hard time getting bookings because managers don’t take me seriously as a comic. I find there’s hesitation from bookers to book me, and I really have to work at it to win them over, to get them to give me a chance. So I would need an agent who’s willing to put in that effort to get me bookings, and I just don’t see that in most cases. But I’m hoping. I’m hoping one day I’ll meet the right person. It sounds like I’m talking about marriage!
alan

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