An Arts Adjacent Skill
Why Learn to Self-Produce…
Theatre animals, performers, creators of live performance I’m talking to YOU.
Do you feel frustrated because while you’ve got the artistic skills, ideas and desire to share your work with audiences and earn money for your art, you find yourself totally flummoxed as to how to make it happen?
My prescription for this malady is to school yourself
in Self-Producing.
"Self-Producing" is taking on the role of a producer for your own creative work. It’s assuming responsibility for all the business and admin tasks associated with putting on a show.
Like what? Pitching your show to venues, creating budgets, overseeing marketing, hiring and contracting the ream, organising tours, writing funding applications, etc.
I get it. It can be terrifying, overwhelming and daunting.
And it’s annoying.
Self-Producing is an arts-adjacent skill. How good you are at it does not necessarily correlate with the quality of your art.
But! Figuring out how to Self-Produce allowed me to tour my solo shows to 36 venues in 11 countries, resulting in awards, critical acclaim, translations, international collaborations and snowballing opportunities. It meant that I was earning money for my art and able to give work to artists who I love. It gave me a sense of agency and power in a career that often makes us feel small and unworthy. I can’t recommend it enough.
And the beauty about Self-Producing is, you don’t have to be good.
You merely have to be competent.
So if you…
Freeze up at the thought of writing a funding application
Sweat at the notion of pitching your show
Don’t know where to begin to find and hire artistic collaborators
Cringe talking about your work and schmoozing
And you want to put an end to all of that so you can bypass the gatekeepers, share your work with growing audiences, and earn money for your art…
I can help!
First of all – for free!
Check out my many Self-Producing Resources. And if you're looking for a hand to help you stay healthy while you tackle the biz side of making art check out my blog posts: Being a Compulsive Workhorse, Tips & Tools to help you Avoid Admin Burnout & Get Sh*t Done, How to Cultivate Longevity in the Arts and Good Enough is Good ENOUGH (on battling perfectionism).
And second of all, if you’re ready to plunge in, but want a life raft, I have put together a Crash Course on Self-producing Theatre!
Consider it Self-Producing 101. I hold your hand and take you through all the basics you need to know to get started.
You get a step-by-step process. I give you tips, hacks, checklist and templates that remove all the guesswork and angst from self-producing.
Learn more and enrol here.
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