by Chris | Apr 7, 2015 | Money Meditations, Students
Welcome to the ‘real’ world, new batch of artists! It seems like not that long ago that I emerged from 25 years of structured education, clutching to my multiple fine arts degrees and a few vague dreams.
It was such a thrill. I had done it. I had finished. So much blood, sweat, and tears… but now it was done.
And then I just became terrified.
It wasn’t finished at all. I was staring at months and months of empty unscheduled space and I had no idea what I was going to do.
I was facing the need to be an adult, pay my bills, support myself… with what…. My opera school diploma????
If you’re in that place, I guarantee you’re not alone. I’m also not going to lie to you, it’s a tough go. The freelance arts gig is a strange life, and it can definitely be a struggle. I don’t know exactly how to help you, but here are 5 things I wish I would have known (or at least really believed in) when I graduated from my last degree and started my life as a freelance artist. (more…)
by Chris | Mar 28, 2015 | Money Meditations
There are only two sure things in the world: death and taxes.
I’ve been writing a lot lately about the latter, but this past week I’ve spent a significant part of my days thinking about the former.
Lately, a few hours of each day have been spent with a lovely group of people kicking around some of the big questions that surround death.
It’s part of a workshop of Mozart’s Requiem. If you haven’t spent much time with the piece it’s definitely worth a second look. Even if classical music isn’t your thing, this is one of those pieces that transcends any particular genre. It’s brilliant, and profoundly human.
A requiem is a catholic mass for the dead, and in exploring this piece we’ve discussed death from multiple angles: our ceremonies, the ways we grieve, the desire for forgiveness, and the purpose of tears.
Needless to say, that kind of talk can really get the brain turning. There are no satisfying answers when it comes to death. It’s definitively unknowable. We have ideas, guesses…. hopes… but we can’t know. It’s the kind of thing that could drive a person crazy.
I think there’s an incredible beauty in unknowable things. We can sit around a table and share beautiful thoughts. Even in our fears about death there seems to be a peace in the realization that you simply can’t know. In some ways… death is simple (it’s definitely simpler than taxes)… At least it seems rather simple for the one doing the dying. But for those of us who are left behind… it can get rather complicated. (more…)
Welcome to the ‘real’ world, new batch of artists! It seems like not that long ago that I emerged from 25 years of structured education, clutching to my multiple fine arts degrees and a few vague dreams.
