An arts membership that is worth it

The Americans for the Arts is an organization that helps arts organizations through out the nation find funding, research, data, planning, and provides other resources to help sustain and promote arts organizations.

For the last few years one of the major contributions to the arts from this organization was developing statistical data that supports why investing in the arts would help build the country economically. The reports are design to show actual numbers that back up the importance of investing in arts programs no matter if the organization is large or small.

Americans for the Arts also helps write polices that will provide much needed funding to arts organizations all over the country. They are located in Washington D.C so that their advocacy is year round and very involved in the day-to-day politics of funding for the arts.

They are committed to letting representatives from different states know that there is a way to support the arts and grow their local economies.

I have used their data for many projects and some of the information is strong data that might help convince the powers that be to just listen and create a plan to invest.

The need to develop professionally is present in every discipline and the arts are no exception. The Americans for the Arts provides this development to individuals and organizations through conferences, webinars and other facets to help everyone grow in their craft.

The organization also provides career opportunities for those wishes to advocate for the arts. On their website there are many avenues to get involved and join the fight. Many of the arts organizations that list jobs are not just in D.C., they are all over the nation. This helps members look for opportunities to continue doing what they love to do. Sometimes it is difficult to know where there is a need.

I would suggested that anyone who is interested in keeping the arts a part of a school’s education, in after-school programs or any other form, a membership is just a click away. 

The Business of Storytelling

I don't know if I mentioned that I was in graduate school earning my Masters of Science in Entertainment Business. I am an online student at Full Sail University. I am currently in a course called Business Storytelling and Brand Development and this post will be about an assignment I received. 

As an assignment, I was to listen to TED.COM and find a speaker that inspired me. I found one and his name is, Joe Sabia. It wasn't necessary the speaker that inspired me but the topic that he was presenting. That topic was the evolution of the book and how we tell stories.

I would like to find new ways to tell stories. Traditional ways of storytelling has been through painted on walls, written in books, performed, orally and various other ways. I would like to use the   Internet to tell the world some of the stories that I have in my head.

Not too long ago, my husband showed me a book called Operation Ajax, and it was an interactive graphic novel that completely blew my mind about how stories could be told to this new generation of onliners, Ipad'ers and iphone'ers. 

Joe Sabia began his presentation describing how Lothar Meggendorfer changed the way children's books were made by inventing the popup book. It was a new way to see and read stories. As a child, I loved reading popup books. It bothered me that the stories never evolved but I enjoyed them because they were visually stimulating to me. 

The reason I called this blog, The Business of Storytelling is because storytelling is a business. Hundreds of books are sold each year to children and that business makes money. What inspired me about Sabia’s speech was the evolution of storytelling and how it is not a new idea but an inevitable journey. 

I was inspired by Operation Ajax and now want to write my own interactive graphic novel. My novel is a story about three sons and their medieval adventures in a mythical world. The sons are bi-racial and reflect the positive images needed for minorities in the world of literature. 

Stop watching someone else’s dream and start creating yours!

Hello Gorgeous,

Years ago I heard something that I can't seem to get out of my mind. When I heard it, I knew that I would remember it forever because it rang so true to my situation at the time. That “something” always pops into my mind when I am watching television for a while. It is the amount of time that I spend doing exactly what someone else planned for me to do. That I have been brained washed into watching complete nonsense and spectacle. I am watching someone else's dream that came true.

I start to think about what I could have accomplished in that amount of time. Can you imagine what you could create if you turned off the TV and wrote your own 30-minute situation comedy? What could happen if you created an idea of the next hit show?

This is what motivates me to write while I watch my addiction of MSNBC. It is hard for me to just turn my TV off when I want to know what’s going on in the political world. I need to know but I get mad at myself when I look around and have spent two hours watching it.

The point is that someone thought about that show that you like to watch every week. It was their idea and they worked hard to get you addicted but what about the show you thought about five years ago. Watching TV for hours on ends is a waste of your time and creative talents. 

Of course I am not really asking you to give up on TV because what happens when I do get my show on TV and no one is watching. I am simply saying that when you are watching; take some time to pursue your dreams. Plan to write something that day or use that TV time to think of ideas during the commercials.

 Stop watching someone else’s dream and start creating yours!

5 Reasons why you should not cancel the show!

Hello Gorgeous,

After weeks of rehearsals, costume malfunctions, forgotten lines and crying spells, you may be at the point where you feel the show needs to be cancelled. The kids don't know their lines, the parents don't bring the kids and your set is nowhere to be found. Did I mention today is Tuesday and the show is on Saturday?

I can't tell you how many times I have been here. I have just wanted to walk out on the show and find a beach. On the beach, I would open a drink stand and never where shoes again. I have had this thought more than once.

5 Reason why you should not cancel the show:

1) You’ve already listed your season

If you are like us, your season was decided, printed and promoted months in advance. Whether you believe it or not, there are people coming to see your show. You can't let them down. If you do, then they will not ever come to another show. 

2) You need the money

If you are like us, you have already spent money on the production and you need to get some of your money back. Set pieces were bought, costumes have been stitched and rights have been bought. Going through with the show will bring a return to at least help you break even. 

3) You will regret it

I live with so many regrets that adding another would be devastating. I would think everyday about whether I should have gone through with the show. You know the old expression, "The show must go on." No regrets.

4) The parents will come through 

Sometimes my parents drive me crazier than the kids do. They really believe that their kid is all I think about day in and day out. They take vacations in the middle of tech week. Yes that has happened. I wanted to pull my hair out and then theirs. I have found out that if you really communicate with parents, they will see the vision and provide help. All you have to do is ask, and then ask a few more times. 

5) It will be a great show!

This is my last point. You may not believe it right now but it will be a great show. No one will see the bad costumes, the chaos backstage and know that the lead forgot two scenes. Parents love to see their kids onstage and will be forgiving about just anything. I know as a professional you want it the best it could be but you sometimes just have to accept the way it is. I have not EVER had a good dress rehearsal. EVER! I have now realized that a bad dress is a prerequisite for a good show. 

So, just hang in there and push through. You won't regret it. 

All things creative,

Enrika 

"Raising a real drama queen"

5 Tips you need to know when raising a young actor

Being a parent of a 17-year-old drama queen proves to be too much at times. Not only do I have to deal with the typical teenage drama, but as a stage mom I have to deal with it times 10. My daughter Nia is in her senior year at a very prestigious theatre magnet school in Orlando, Fla. Even though she has been in theatre for more than eight years, the past three years in this program has at times been the most stressful of our lives. Now, almost at the end of it all, I look back on how I used five survival tips to make it through.

1. Post a calendar in your home

At the beginning of the program, I counted on my daughter to remind me of important dates. Whether those dates were performances, theatre dues, district fees, I figured she would tell me when things were coming up or when they were due. Needless to say, that did not happen. At 10 p.m. that evening she would tell me that $300 was due in the morning for Districts and that was the very last day and she wasn’t even told the deadline was coming up.  I would have a slight panic attack then toss and turn all night. I learned fairly quickly to post the whole year in my phone, a calendar on the wall and computer calendar.

2. Open a savings account

Not only would my theatrical daughter tell me late at night about a payment that was due, but call me the next day from school. She would tell me that she needed her theatre dues and not only that she and she alone was responsible for bringing drinks for the last dress rehearsal of about 100 kids. Breathe, breathe. At a time when gum was a luxury, I chose to put money away just for these occasions. Make sure this fund is separate from their college fund. 

3. Email the teacher/director of the program

Have you ever played the telephone game? As a high school drama teacher, this game is always a great icebreaker. It opens the kids up and makes them relaxed. It’s not so fun when it comes from your teenager. Sometimes kids may not hear the entire conversation. Constant communication between you and the teacher/director may prove to be a gift from the heavens. You may want to exchange emails early in the year or program.

4. Make a list of other theatre parents

Before we purchased a car for my daughter, it was very stressful trying to get to her on time after rehearsals - especially having three young boys at home. My husband worked over an hour away, so I was always responsible for the boys and dinner. Our tight budget meant no eating out, but Tupperware in the minivan was not sexy. Waiting and waiting for Nia to get out of rehearsal in the car truly made my days long and hard. Eventually I met other parents who lived near us. If I was running late or just couldn’t move, there were parent lists to the rescue. Knowing that you can call other parents or being that called parent was a valuable resource that got us through many long rehearsal processes.

5. Tell family members of performances early

Everyone in our family wants to be there for all the kids. We pride ourselves on supporting every endeavor that our kids want to try. With that being said, we also have busy schedules. Telling family members of performances - or ways that they can contribute early on means they can always be that face in the crowd cheering you on. It really means a lot when this life can test your commitment.

So there you have it. I could go on about so many other things that I and my daughter have learned. Things like, don’t leave your makeup in the sun; make sure you check, re-check and re-check your bag; don’t have theatre romances, the list goes on. I don’t think we have that much time.

It may be difficult at the moment, but when I saw my daughter on stage playing Mille in "Through Modern Mille" I was just blown away. I saw the faces of the crowd and how they seemed in awe. It filled me with such pride and an overwhelming desire to leap from my seat and yell, “That’s my girl”. After that, I forget about the day to day.

I love my baby girl, even if she is a drama queen.

Are you interested in being a child actor? Visit, these local arts schools to start your classes today, www.symphonyseven.org and opening soon in Tallahassee, Florida is http://www.barbizonmodeling.com.

All Things Creative,

Enrika M. Sissle