A Free University is happening soon in San Francisco, my neck of the woods. Their focus:

Fix Our Failing Schools
Every 26 seconds, a student drops
out of high school. We must act now

If they really want to help students then we need things that will help us survive AND thrive in the 21st century. things like:

• financial literacy
• what really does it mean to love in democracy?
• diplomacy
• “peace starts with me”
• how to turn ones passions into a business
• the primacy of basic human rights

If I were setting up a school, it’d be a Business School for Artists, and it’d be for all kinds of artists including creative writers, of which I am one.
I’d teach, or have taught, the above subjects and others like:

• what makes for a successful business?
• how can you be successful?
• how your strengths and skills can combine with the needs of the marketplace
• how to be a citizen of the planet (with a green and humanitarian consciousness) AND be a successful business person
• discipline
• negotiation
• the power of the network
• what is leverage and the value of an hour

And more!

What kinds of classes would you like in my hypothetical School for Artist Entrepreneurs!?

From: http://www.artpreneurbootcamp.com/artist-entrepreneurs/

Why artpreneurbootcamp?

The simple answer to this question is: because artists deserve to get paid for their work but to do so they need a plan in place and to follow a strategy. To quote Napoleon Hill: “Reduce your plan to writing. The moment you complete this, you will have definitely given concrete form to the intangible desire.”

There is this false notion that being artist results in starvation. The truth is most artists are entrepreneurs and self employed and all that is missing is the marketing piece, which will help them find their target audience to sell their work to. Money is an exchange of value and great artists provide value to society and besides there are 6 billion people in the world and with enough innovation we can all find at least 100 people who love our work enough to buy it.

Join our beta program!!

What is Artpreneur Bootcamp?

Artpreneur Bootcamp is all about the business of art, it is an online bootcamp for artists teaching them to think and market themselves like entrepreneurs. We are bridging the gap for anyone that has ever wondered why they have to choose between following their passion and making money. The Bootcamp is 4 weeks long and covers business planning, the importance of positive thinking, setting goals, managing your time and social media connection. Everyone that completes the beta program will be invited to be part of an exclusive online community where they can change ideas and form strategic partnerships.

Our blog also gives business advice to artists.

Join our beta program!!

We are having an accelerated beta program to start January 13, 2011.

We have 30 free spaces available for this.

Join our beta program

The mission of PA Artist Entreprenuer is to encourage Pennsylvania artists to start their own art studios. This site can assist in this process by providing resources and tools.

More at: http://www.paartistentrepreneur.com/

Thanks to Zondra Hughes writing in the Huffington Post today, Aug. 3, 2010.

Here are her Five Quick & Dirty Rules of the Author Entrepreneur:

• № 1. You are on your own.
• № 2. Research the industry.
• № 3 Think beyond the book.
• № 4 Invest in your business.
• (In my opinion, the most challenging for an artist…) № 5. Market your book before it is published.

Go here for the whole, well-written article!

Yesterday, I was keeping on top of my activities, logging everything I did into my homemade time keeping excel spreadsheet.

But by the end of the day I felt stressed, frustrated, and not at all liberated by all that structure.

I’ve been told by many advisors, both professional and personal, astrological and entrepreneurial, to get focused, get structured.

But it wasn’t working. Or so I thought.

The problem, though, wasn’t in structuring my time. The problem was how I was going about my activities.

I was driven. I was running. I was running away from… that nameless fear that hounds us all: fear of death. Death of myself as an entrepreneur. My virtual question was “What if I fail? What if I’m no good at this entrepreneur thing?”

Okay. What if I do fail? What if I am no good at it?

Then I die. Well, I won’t die, but the dream of this company with this aim (helping writers) dies. Or so it seems. It feels that way.

But I didn’t have such a sanguine attitude late last night when I was twisting and turning in my bed, mulling my day over. I was hot. My inner thoughts were burning me up from the inside out. In a good way. I was angry. I was frustrated. I was tired of being stuck, of feeling stuck by my mental barriers that locked me up so tight I felt I couldn’t breath.

I burned up. I was the phoenix. I fell asleep determined to listen to my inner rhythm, so I could experience the freedom in the structure, the leisure in my time tracking.

I was driven by fear yesterday. That didn’t work so well for me. Today I am driven by freedom and leisure. And I’m still tracking. I’m still structured in in how I go about my day.

What drives you? Is it working for you? What do you want to be driven by?

As Artist Entrepreneurs, we get to make the tools of business fit in creatively with the tools of art.

My way is to dialog in writing between the two. What is your way?

I’m looking to interview successful business women and men who have combined their passion for their art with their business savvy, and made a place for themselves.

By artist, I mean someone who actively does their art (writing, painting, dancing, fiber arts, etc.).

By entrepreneur, I mean someone who is earning a living through business transactions.

I understand my definitions are broad. That leaves room for your interpretation.

By successful, I mean you make a living from your art or from what you know about doing your art. Please email me at beth @ bethbarany . com if you’d like to be interviewed. 

My interviews will be here at the Artist Entrepreneurs United blog, and are for an upcoming book, and related projects. 

I am also open to hearing what you think about this concept of “artist entrepreneurship.” Is it feasible? Desirable? 

I post on this topic on Eric Maisel’s Creativity Central blog. My latest post is here:

http://ericmaisel.blogspot.com/2008/11/artists-entrepreneurs-unite.html

It is so great to know that I am not alone in advocating for artists to take charge of their intellectual property.

A great post by Lisa Canning, the author of the blog, Entrepreneur the Arts.

And the professor, Rick Cherwitz, who is championing this work at the University of Texas at Austin.

Artists are well-suited for change, at least in their minds. By changing our mindset, and healing our hearts, we can have the life we desire. Because we can imagine it, cn’t you?

As a spiritual life coach and a colleague, Jacci Delaneau says,

You can either react or create. Reacting to life is powerless. Creating your life is powerful and what we are meant to do. Reacting is ego based (fear based) and creating is spirit based (Love based). It is always a choice. I invite you to make the choice and do what you have to do to reflect that choice.

You are the creator. There are no limitations on the creator. The limitations are on the creation. Look at the circumstances of your life as the creation, (a temporary creation), which will change when the creator decides to create something new. Let go of all the limitations the creation has.