Well, sort of. There were a few (hundred thousand) people in between us and the new president.
Now we wait. There’s been talk about arts policy proposals and such already, of course. If Obama got up this morning after that marathon performance (his fierce new ride didn’t turn into a pumpkin until well past 3 a.m., apparently) and went to work, what should the arts community be up and at in the first 100 days? And in the spirit of “ask not what your country can do for you…”, while we’re brushing off and feeling all hopeful and intellectually fired up again, what should we be organizing to help propel the nation forward now that the weekend of a hundred speeches is winding down?
The Republicans are already cherry picking Obama’s stimulus package for “questionable” expenditures, and one of the expenditures they highlighted as questionable is $50 million for the NEA. The NEA is a poor example of how arts funding should work, but the fact that Obama included money for the NEA in his economic stimulus proposal is a positive sign. Artists should fight for the creation of new art. It is a vital part of the infrastructure of American life.
I agree! I involved a couple hundred people in my Obama inspired project. I asked 100’s of people in DC to pick a word to represent how they feel about Obama, then took their picture:
http://www.emilytroutman.blogspot.com
or http://vimeo.com/2895468
Check out the video! Here’s a toast to HOPE!
So in addition to composing music and working a full time job and trying to be a good husband I’m supposed to embody the spirit is service and dedicate myself to something larger than myself?
Sorry. I’ve made several sacrifices in order to be a composer. And in spite of those sacrifices, I haven’t given it up – creating music is still a vital part of my life. Whether or not I become famous or am able to generate a lot of income from it isn’t the point. Music is like a religion to me.
As artists we give so much already without much financial compensation. And the world needs music. And not always socially conscious politically correct music.
That said, I have worked in soup kitchens, homeless shelters, and safe houses for runaways. I’ve done intense on the ground work with kids in crisis. I’ve visited kids in prisons and foster care, raised money for the homeless through my performances, and have definitely been in a few marches.
But folks PLEASE don’t shortchange what you do as a creative artist! You ARE doing a service – even if most people think you are being selfish or self-indulgent.