I came across Isaac Butler’s article, When Is A Job Not A Job? When It’s In The Arts, Apparently, today.( www.hoodedutilitarian.com/2014/01). Mr. Butler argued that under certain circumstances, arts are not considered a job, and actors not compensated. He states the position that creativity should be compensated, especially when others are gaining financially for it.
Mr. Butler may have an argument, but I can see where creativity and heard work can be financially rewarding if you integrate them in your overall career and business strategy. Now, I am not saying to have ulterior motives when you do charity work. That in itself, in my opinion, lacks character.
Here’s an example: A non-profit that I co-founded, Foundation of Local Arts (FOLA) struggles each year to put on a Jazz Camp for high school musicians. (www.foundationoflocalarts.com). It is very difficult to put a camp on for high school students because they are so busy, regardless of the price. This is in spite of the fact that we bring in seasoned teachers that never get paid what we projected due to lower than expected enrollment.
Putting aside the charitable purpose, do my colleagues, our instructors, or me get anything out of the camp from an overall strategic point of view. The answer is a mysterious “yes.” I say “mysterious” because the impact on our strategy is not readily apparent. For example, one of the indirect benefits that the instructor can attain is to increase the target audience of jazz as they are expanding their jazz careers. This concept directly helps the student, but indirectly helps the art of jazz and those within it. The only metric to this strategy will be the number of students, parents and friends who learn to love jazz and follow it.
In my case, I can now speak more intelligently to musician clients because I am more astute about the jazz genre. Measureable? Maybe. The payback is the conversation that takes place with these musicians.
If you participate in a charitable activity, please do it from the heart without ulterior motives. However, these charitable endeavors will make you a more rounded, interesting, and confident person. These virtues, in themselves, can contribute to your business and career strategy. People are drawn to people of depth. When the surface is scraped away, the quality of a person glows through.
Strategic planning exists in every part of our lives. The trick is to integrate these various parts of our lives into a cohesive strategy of who we are and where we are going. Business and career are a big part of that, unless you just want a “job.”