It is hard for me to believe that The Institute for Arts Entrepreneurship will open its doors in exactly 2 months.
Getting ready to launch The IAE has been no small undertaking. While I designed and am building this school with a blue ocean strategy (wide open largely unoccupied economic space) this project has been both exhilarating and the most challenging start-up for me ever.
For every person who I meet who understands the need and the concept of The IAE, I meet several others who it confuses or simply don’t get it. Transforming an innovative idea into a reality is not for the faint of heart but for true believers. And so I am focused on keeping the faith and staying the course. I truly believe in my mission.
This summer has been filled with curriculum and grant writing, and research literature reviews and strategy building. It has also included filling in some of the holes in our student mix.
We have students from 20 something to 63 years of age enrolled with almost every discipline represented EXCEPT for music and film. As a musician myself, it is surprising to me that this is the case. While some say musicians lag behind a bit in idea generation, it’s my own belief that some of the issues with their interest lies intrinsically in their narrow and really conservative view of career paths, as well as their lack of entrepreneurial initiative. And film? That stumps me. I had over 400 film makers about a year ago respond in Chicago to a really complicated editing job for as little pay as $1200.00. They certainly seem to be a lot of them starving…. sadly.
I KNOW there must be a few brave souls out there who will EASILY be able to clear our application hurdle and be admitted. So I would appreciate it very much if any of you reading this would share this post with a worthy musician or film maker in need of career development training who wants to make a difference in the world with their gifts. Remember: great character, determination, tenacity, a willingness to learn and a need to communicate well are what we are in search for in our applicants. Plus, we need individuals willing to invest 2 years into their future beginning on Sept 21st, 2011. Did I also mention our pilot is free to those we admit?
Come musicians and filmmakers into our new community. Together we can change the face of what it means to be an artist in the 21st century.
You cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individuals. To that end each of us must work for his own improvement, and at the same time share a general responsibility for all humanity, our particular duty being to aid those to whom we think we can be most useful. – Marie Curie
