Hub Website – Artonomy

[av_textblock size='' av-medium-font-size='' av-small-font-size='' av-mini-font-size='' font_color='' color='' id='' custom_class='' av_uid='av-k72412g0' admin_preview_bg=''] There is revolution in the air. Unless you have spent the last four or so years on Mars you can't have missed the restless loss of direction of the western world as it has struggled to make sense of the momentous economic catastrophes unravelling all around. Security, certainty and jobs have been sucked into a wild vortex of global meltdown. But, it is in shifting miasmic times like these that revolutions happen... Rules can be rewritten, systems can be changed. Paradigms shift... Revolutions can create positive new opportunities... The times they are a changing... Seth Godin, in a recent post, talked about the fact that the jobs, as we know them, aren't coming back... “Job creation is a false idol. The future is about gigs and assets and art and an ever-shifting series of partnerships and projects. It will change the fabric of our society along the way. No one is demanding that we like the change, but the sooner we see it and set out to become an irreplaceable linchpin, the faster the pain will fade, as we get down to the work that needs to be (and now can be) done." - Seth Godin It's not about waiting for the old jobs to come back. That isnt going to happen. It is about taking things into your own hands and creating the work that you want to do... and as artists and artisans we are perfectly positioned to take advantage of this change... But revolutions are not always bloodless... Anyone who has ever been made redundant, or laid in bed at night wondering how they were going to feed the kids or pay the mortgage or stop the car being repossessed knows that a revolution is a terrifying time... I have been there. Opportunities for change are balanced by loss. Dreams of a new start are often founded from the stomach churning nightmare of disaster. How can we move forward without being paralysed by fear of what the future holds? The revolution of the mind starts here... Poet and musician Gil Scott-Heron, talking about his spoken work masterpiece “The revolution will not be televised” said “The first place revolution takes place is in your mind. You have to change your mind before you change the way you're living and the way you move.” Gil Scott-Heron A new revolutionary mindset is called for. A realisation that YOU HAVE THE POWER. “When everyone has a laptop and connection to the world, then everyone owns a factory. Instead of coming together physically, we have the ability to come together virtually, to earn attention, to connect labor and resources, to deliver value.” - Seth GodinArtists and creative people have always had the kind of skills needed to survive in the artworld. Self motivation, Pro activity, focus, passion and a burning desire to create something wonderful. These skills now stand you in good stead. The difference between the past and now is that you don't need anyone else to sell or promote or make things for you. The tools available today offer the ability to connect and reach all over the world. We are in unprecedented times. Don't sit and wait for someone else to create a job for you. Create your OWN. You CAN take the red pill and break out of the system. Think laterally. So how can we push forward? The failing economy has meant that it has become harder for artists to sell some kinds of work. Buyers cut back on non essential purchases, meaning that they might not buy a painting they wouldn't have though twice about purchasing three years ago. Art sales are lower in some areas and it may seem like an uphill battle to find a place in the new economy. What can you do? The answer is to think laterally and find a place where your creative skills and a NEED come together. Look around. What do people or businesses really need {not just want} and how can you help them with that? When you find the intersection between what you love creating, and a need, then you will have found the sweet spot that will open work opportunity for you. Creating, solving peoples problems and getting paid for it. Perfect. Focus on flexibility and improving your business skills. Understand how things work in business so that that you can ride the wave rather than getting swept along by it. Start to create multiple income streams from your skills all of which can contribute to your household income and offer protection against market fluctuations. Maybe, in time you will be able to create opportunities for others who are less well equipped for the journey... Brave New World. The world is changing and this can be disconcerting and frightening but whilst every revolution shakes up the system, often what comes after is much better. The jobs aren't coming back anytime soon and the shape of the new recovery will not be the same as the old way. It's not an easy road by any means, but surely it's time to reform the economic landscape to be more humane. To work in ways that are FOR people, rather than AGAINST them. You have the creative skills and mindset to be at the forefront of this revolutionary new landscape. Time to be brave and grasp the opportunity of a new paradigm The revolution will not go better with Coke. The revolution will not fight the germs that may cause bad breath. The revolution WILL put you in the driver's seat. 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