I was doing some good ol' reflecting on 2019 - the highs and lows - when a friend forwarded me the Big Artist Opportunities List, a spreadsheet that's recently gone viral in art communities. Haven't seen it yet? Well, now you have. 🔥
I love the trend of the viral spreadsheet. It is a totally unsexy, but awesome instrument for change. I think it marks an important shift in creative communities - a way artists/workers are coming together to force institutional transparency. Whether that be through salary sharing, making buried information easier to find, or highlighting the systems that are working against creatives instead of for them.
This particular viral spreadsheet - a massive collection of open calls and residencies - got me less excited about the content and more concerned with what I would do with it. What kind of opportunities was I seeking? How can I avoid the impulse to apply to as many things as possible just to experience that brief feeling of accomplishment afterwards? (Gimme a 🙌 if ya know what I'm talking about...)
Oftentimes we inherit our definition of what makes a 'good opportunity' from other people. It's handed down to us by parents, teachers, or mentors. 'This will look great on your resume!' We assume they know better, so we do it. Usually at the expense of other things.
But how often do we consider if an opportunity is something we actually want? Will it help you accomplish a creative goal? Give you resources to thrive? Support your process? Be financially viable?
How do you define what a good opportunity looks like for you?
It's hard to know. Unless you force yourself to sit down, do some thinking, and grapple with your relationship to scarcity in the process.
The artist that created the Big Artist Opportunities List mentioned in this interview that they applied to 110 creative opportunities last year. Whoah mama! That's a lot. While I admire the incredible determination this takes, it also sounds like a quick path to burnout.
If you're picking up what I'm putting down, let's talk about it at my next free webinar:
Come reflect on opportunities that have served you, why they have, and what you want for the future. Because the better we know what we want, the less time we spend blindly chucking applications into the digital void and the more time we spend feeling in charge of our lives.
This webinar is geared toward visual artists but is totally applicable to anyone who is seeking something new and needs tools to reflect.
See you there ... or in a viral spreadsheet near you.
