What kind of artist do you want to be?
There is a lot of talk in today’s landscape about mindfulness, making even mindfulness feel like such a trend, right? So how can we safeguard ourselves from getting flung from trend to trend throughout our artistic journeys? When I look back on my career before it was even a career, I notice that I’ve always had similar goals. But I haven’t always been on course to achieve those goals.
Here are a few ways you can chart a course for yourself to be true to your values and not the trends.
What Are Your Values?
I recently had a career coaching session from Dream Factory Coaching with a wonderful actress/singer in NYC named Sandy Taylor-Steiner. The very first thing she suggested was to identify my values. You can have multiple values, but some are higher on your priority list than others. They may change through your career, but my guess is that you’ll see similar ones popping up as you age. This is a great list of values to begin exploring and see what resonates with you.
What is Your Vision?
A lot of parents are concerned when their child says they want to have a career in theatre. Try not to let that discourage you. This is usually a sentiment said out of deep love and care for your long term wellbeing. True, there may be several statistics to support those concerns, but partly, this is because those statistics are focused on the top 2% of performers who make it big.
Hollywood and Broadway aren’t the end all be all of performing. They don’t have to be the goal. And what happens if they are the goal and you achieve it, but then you find yourself unemployed? Look at the bigger picture. A career in theatre doesn’t have to stop there. Many of my successful friends have made a good living being performing artists in cities all over, creating their own works while supporting themselves with jobs in technology, teaching, or business. There are many ways to define success in the arts. This is why it is important to get super clear on what your vision is for your future.
What is Your Mission Statement?
After you’ve considered your core values and your vision for the future, try writing a mission statement. Mine would go something like this, “To make art in multiple forms that creates authentic, meaningful connections with others and provides a favorable standard of living.”
My mission statement doesn’t qualify where I make that art, how much money I make in particular, how much fame I achieve, or what form that art takes. Your mission statement may be much more focused than mine and kudos to you for that! My core values are found in authentic communication, being able to support myself and my family financially and emotionally, and my love of creating art in many forms, which also supports my love of learning.
What is Your Artist Type?
Sometimes it’s easier to decide what type of artist you want to be if you have an example to follow. I have created a non-exhaustive list of types of artists I see in the business: Transformer/Innovator, Specialist, Jack of All Trades, Self-Creator, Cause Promoter. Keep in mind, you can be in more than one of these categories - many of these celebrities are!
Transformer/Innovator: Artists who continually reinvent themselves or their art form. They are less concerned with being the best at their art form than they are with making a new artistic statement. They want to be original. Then, people want to be like them, so they must transform/innovate. Examples: Beyonce, Cher, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Madonna, Kanye West
Specialist: This is the antithesis of a Transformer/Innovator. These artists are more concerned with perfecting their crafts. You will typically find them at the top of their game doing amazing things very few other people can do because of years of working on their craft. Examples: Alex Brightman, Kristin Chenoweth, Audra McDonald, Lea Salonga, Natalie Weiss
Jack of All Trades: These types are known for having careers that highlight their artistic diversity, whether it’s crossing over from Broadway to film and TV, being a triple threat, or playing multiple instruments. Examples: Cynthia Errivo, Sutton Foster, Neil Patrick Harris, Jennifer Lopez, BD Wong
Self-Creator: Whether they started as writers or because they felt compelled to do so, these artists often find themselves in the role of star/writer/producer. Examples: Tina Fey, John Leguizamo, Dolly Parton, Issa Rae, Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Cause Promoter: If you find yourself being tied to creating art that supports a cause rather than choosing projects that are more profitable or popular, you may be a Cause Promoter. Examples: Geena Davis, Lady Gaga, Ru Paul, Jordan Peele, Reese Witherspoon
Most importantly, have fun exploring your own values, vision, mission statement, and artist type! My hope is that it will help you create your own windy, bumpy, breezy, joyride of a road trip!
