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Bad Day Job vs. Good Day Job: What’s Better for an Artist?

September 20, 2010 By 2 Comments

So after blogging regularly while I was on a 2-week vacation from my job, reality once again set in when I returned to work last week. I quickly realized that taking time to blog moved way down the priority list. Just getting through the work day with enough energy to work on my new film; after cooking dinner, responding to personal e-mails and spending time with my girlfriend, was going to be ambitious, let alone blogging. I knew making this new movie was going to be challenging in many ways, but one of the biggest challenges is going to be balancing work on my new film with work at a day job that I actually like. And that got me thinking: what is better for an artist’s career? A “good” day job that you enjoy, or a “bad” day job that you don’t care about?

Let me back up for a second. In my experience, many artists, especially “indie” artists (don’t get me started on the definition, again), have to work a side job/day job to make ends meet, especially to make enough money to invest in their careers. Often times these are bartending jobs, waiter/waitress jobs, teaching, etc.

I experienced this first hand while making my first movie. I was working 4 days/week at a college bookstore. It was good money, but was totally unfulfilling. Luckily there was a lot of down time at that job, so I spent most of it working on my movie.

Fast forward to today. I work as a Program Director at a cultural center (the St-Ambroise Center), which was founded by Montreal micro-brewery McAuslan Brewing. We mainly program folk music shows, but also film screenings and workshops for artists. For a guy who loves folk music and is a filmmaker, it’s a pretty good gig. It’s a lot of work, and I often do countless hours of overtime, but it is rewarding at the end of the day. On top of that, I also have a great boss who gives me as much freedom as I need to run the place (what to program, who to hire, where to spend money, etc.), and my coworkers are awesome.

So unlike the unfulfilling day job I had during my first movie, where I was doing the bare minimum of what needed to get done so I could work on my own projects, my current job requires my full attention (and then some). Which I happily give, but it often leaves me with very little spare time, and more to the point, very little spare energy to put into personal projects.

What do you think? As an artist, if you have to work a day job to make ends meet, would you rather work a job that is totally unfulfilling? Or would you prefer a day job that you enjoy and that gives you some sense of fulfillment?

I know that I’m happier now than I was when I was working at that old job, but I’m also aware that I won’t have the luxury of working on my new movie while at my current job. So I’ll have to manage my time more efficiently this time around to stay on top of deadlines, that’s for sure.

I’ve already taken a step in what I hope is the right direction, by reducing my hours from 40 hours/week (full-time) to 28 hours/week. The plan is to use those extra 12 hours each week to work on the new film and keep somewhat of a balance in my life with health, family, friends and my relationship. We’ll see how it goes…

Cheers,

Dave

Filed Under: Dave, New Film Tagged With:

CNN.com, Newsweek Magazine, Screenings Around the World. Can I possibly top all of that?

September 8, 2010 By 2 Comments

I’m never one to toot my own horn. I am much more comfortable poking fun at myself and my work. Try watching “What is INDIE?” with me and I’ll point out every mistake, every moment I thought could have been done better, and how many times I get tired of hearing my own voice (especially that last one). But after putting together my Press Kit for a grant application, which I think is the first time I’ve ever gone through that exercise, I have to admit, even I was impressed. I often forget some of what was accomplished with “What is INDIE?”, like an interview on CNN.com (I got that phone call while about to go out and do my laundry, I didn’t have a washer/dryer in my tiny apartment in Montreal), an interview for Newsweek Magazine International, and screenings around the world at conferences and festivals.

Impressive? Yes. Does it really mean anything? I’ve gained enough experience to know that those kinds of things are few and far between, if they ever happen at all. And if they do, enjoy the moment, but don’t get wrapped up in it. Right after I got off the phone with the journalist from CNN, I think I called my Dad to tell him the good news, but after that I went straight to the laundromat to clean my cloths, and went to the post office to mail a bunch of packages that were piling up on my desk. In other words, right back to the day-to-day real life things that we all have to do.

One question I asked myself after seeing my press kit in front of me was: Can I possibly hope to top all of that with another film? Shouldn’t I just quit while I’m ahead and re-live the stories for years to come? Tempting, but I realized it’s an unfair question to ask. Making another film isn’t about “topping” the last one, it’s about a new challenge, a new adventure, and creating a new story to tell. Maybe it won’t be the same, maybe it won’t be told through mainstream media outlets or at as many festivals and conferences, but it will no doubt be a fun ride nonetheless.

But don’t get me wrong, if CNN calls again this time around, I’ll be there to answer the call. After all, I can multi-task now that I have a washing machine in my apartment :)

Cheers,

Dave

P.S.- Here’s my full Press Kit if you’re curious: Dave Cool Press Kit

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Positive Side of Grant Applications: Planning Your Work

September 7, 2010 By Leave a Comment

So yesterday’s post was a little bit on the negative side, wasn’t feeling too good about the grant application I was working on. But, as with many things in life, once you work through the difficult moments and get to the other side, you gain some perspective. One real positive to the grant writing process is that it forces you to really think the project through from start to finish, helping to weed out any weaknesses in the project and address them before submitting the application. The project is no doubt clearer and much better planned out than it was before starting the application process, which is valuable in its own right, whether you receive the grant money or not.

I know this is definitely true in my case, and my film is now clearer in my mind than it was a week ago, which is a huge plus. And I also have a much better sense of the costs involved, so it is no longer a mystery (apparently making movies costs money?). So in a few days I will submit the application, cross my fingers and pray to the grant gods to look kindly upon it, and hope for the best.

In the meantime, I will develop Plan B (and C), in case things don’t work out with the applications…

Cheers,

Dave

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Please Stick a Fork in My Eye (Filling Out Grant Applications)

September 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

How many times can a person check Facebook in a day? I’m not sure, but I seem to be trying to break the record. This, as I am in the middle of filling out grant applications for the new film. Specifically CALQ and Canada Council (to my American friends, these are just a few of our infamous Government entities that give out $ to artists to help fund their projects).

At best, I am seriously procrastinating, at worst, I am seriously struggling. I’ve filled out many grant applications for musicians, with a good degree of success. But this is different, this is for my own project, this is for my baby. I’m having a really hard time being objective, and I’m also caught in a loop of self-doubt (I made the first film by accident, they’ll never fund this kind of project, etc.), mixed with frustration with the bureaucratic grant writing process itself. And one of the biggest questions: Do you modify the original vision of your project to cater it (even slightly) to the granting organization in order for it to have a better chance at getting funded?

As my friend Selin from Parabola Films once told me: “filling out grant applications can feel like sticking a fork in your eye”. Indeed.

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Why My New Film is Already Doomed…According to Derek Sivers

September 3, 2010 By 4 Comments

Yesterday I publicly announced that I was working on a new film. I received a lot of positive reaction from friends, family, and people wanting to get involved in the project. I have to admit, it felt great. But literally within minutes of posting the blog announcement, I came across this new TED Talk by CD Baby Founder Derek Sivers, and realized that I had perhaps already doomed my project to failure:

It’s a short video (3 min.), and I recommend you watch it, but the point of the talk is this: Telling someone your goals makes them less likely to happen. Psychologists have found that the brain is tricked into thinking that the goal is already achieved after you’ve announced it publicly to someone, and therefore you are less motivated to achieve the goal.

I sat back and realized that just by announcing my new film, I already felt that “high” I had missed since making my first film 5 years ago. Is my brain now tricked? Am I now less motivated to achieve my goal of making a new film? Geez, I really hope not.

But I do agree with Derek (who I was lucky enough to interview for “What is INDIE?”), as I have seen it happen time and time again with people who want to get in shape, find a new job, record a new album, etc. They talk about it a few times, and then nothing happens. It certainly happened to me after releasing “What is INDIE?”, when I announced my next film was going to be a documentary about my first band and our 10 year anniversary reunion. Never happened. I talked about it a lot, but in the end I lost motivation to carry through the project for various reasons. I was probably better off keeping my big mouth shut, because to this day people still ask me what ever happened to that film. Oops.

Where does this leave my new film? Well, I can’t take back the public announcement, the cat is already out of the bag as they say (although I really hope the cat doesn’t come near me, I am deathly allergic). My first instinct was to just shut my mouth, never speak of the film again and just work to make it happen. But I’m not going to do that, because the film, as you will hopefully see one day, will be a very open project that will require participation from people all around the world for it to fulfill the vision I have for it.

So I’ve decided to be very open and honest about the project. Will the film definitely get made? I can’t answer that question 100% right now, as it is still very early in the development phase (I remember while making “What is INDIE?”, there were 2 similar films being made at the same time, but were never released). A lot can happen while making a film, so stay tuned for what will hopefully be regular updates about the process, one that I want to include you in and would appreciate your feedback every step of the way…

Cheers,

Dave

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New movie in the works: Looking for full-time indie artists

September 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Are you a full-time indie musician? Or do you know of any successful full-time indie musicians?

I’m looking for indie artists for a new film project:

  • Artists cannot be signed to a record label (own label ok, manager and/or booking agent is ok)
  • Artists must make full-time living with majority of income coming from: the sale of their own music, live performances, licensing their music, merchandise, etc.
  • Session work and/or teaching ok, as long as it represents minority of annual income
  • Any geographic location is ok

Please e-mail me here for more information.

Cheers!

Dave

P.S.- This will be my second film, here is info about the first one if you’re curious: http://davecool.ca/what-is-indie/

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