But my thoughts about authenticity aren’t just about money. I’m also thinking about how transparent I should be in the digital world – with my ideas, my clients’ ideas, and even when sharing certain aspects of my personal life.

The truth is, I think the origin of ideas can be incredibly interesting and worth sharing.  At least, it’s incredibly interesting up until the moment it is no longer a secret. Our live audience must wonder why (and how) we choose to all this. Surely our personal Internet audience is curious about us as well?

If you follow me on Twitter, you’ll know that I lean toward transparency in most things. I’m happy for you to know me, and the mix of things that I am.  I choose not to share my client list, ensuring that sensitive issues don’t become part of the word-of-mouth stream that forms community perceptions about arts organizations’ health or worth.

But sometimes, being vulnerable in the public sphere can connect artists to audiences at an entirely different level. I’ve always hated Phil Collins’ music, for example. It all sounds the same to me. I hate the drum/lead singer combination. But his interview (with Starlee Kine) for a “Break-Up” special on This American Life, completely changed my mind about Phil Collins.

Kine asked about the song, Take a Look At Me Now, a song that was popular in my teen years. Popular to the point of exhaustion popular. Phil Collins could have said a lot of things about why he wrote that song, but instead? He was direct. Honest. And, to the best of my knowledge, he was authentic. It changed everything I thought I knew about Phil Collins. I don’t necessarily love listening to his music more than I did before, but I 100 percent respect it because I understand where it’s coming from.

You can listen to the interview here.

This snapshot is from one of my favorites, “City Dogs in the Wild.”  Other examples can be viewed in the “Tikatok Picks” section on the website.

Like.

In my consulting life I try to focus on each client’s project each day, concentrating on doing one thing, each day, to move the client from “A” to “B.” I might give it five minutes, I might put in five hours, but at the end of every day I know I’ve pushed the client’s priorities forward at least that little bit.

This morning, in a desperate Google search for inspiration, I found this Al Pacino monologue from the film, Any Given Sunday. In this scene the coach (Pacino) is talking to the losing team at half time about how the game is played in inches. Each player is at his own personal crossroads, fighting an internal battle as well as the one on the field. We’re all there, in our own way:

• Are incredibly effective portals for organizations wanting to deepen connections with existing audiences;
• Encourage rapid exchange of visual information – ideal for artists and performers and more flexible than traditional print media.
• Most decisions about arts participation are ‘social’ activities. The social networks of the key decision-makers (the folks that come up with the idea, find the event, invite friends and purchase the tickets) are all right there. On the internet.

Courtesy of: Schools.com

Standing in awe of that epic complexity, it’s easy to overlook what is happening at the smallest level. Check out this amazing video from the makers of Coraline:

I was talking to a job-seeking friend recently and asked if she was comfortable with social media. She replied, “Heidi, there are very few people who are as comfortable with social media as you are.”

Yep.

Clients sometimes tell me they don’t need to use Twitter or Facebook because they have a website and publish a blog.  Blogs are definitely helpful for driving traffic – you can use your posts to create an idea or resource bank that followers and google searchers will return to again and again. But how do you know what to write about?

That’s where social media can be incredibly helpful. Your online interactions with audience members can and should be the biggest source of content. Questions and answers might come from anywhere – not necessarily just the folks on your mailing list or the people who buy tickets. Expand the concept of what it means to be an ‘audience’ member when you’re working online. Then write what they want to know.

And be transparent. Be a person who works for the organization, not an anonymous, washed-out, third person version of The Organization. Just be you, or a professionally acceptable version of you. Be “Jeffrey” working for XYZ Museum.  Bosses: A formal “social media” policy can articulate what is appropriate speak for your org online.

As long as we are on the topic of pushing boundaries between art and traditional concepts of ‘audience’...

This job posting from Woolly Mammoth Theatre in Washington, DC says it all. We’re in a brave, new, world. I love the focus on audience (versus funder) experience:

Connectivity Director

Reports to: Managing Director

Basic Job Function: Ignite the “explosive engagement” between theatre artists and the community that powers Woolly’s mission statement—by working to expand the Woolly family, deepen the audience experience in our theatre, and link our productions to the civic discourse that happens every day in the nation’s capital.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities:

• Identify local stakeholders, institutions, and events that may resonate with each individual play
• Facilitate discussions between artists, staff, Board, and audience members to develop a shared vision for:
  • An “entry point” for each play (“What is the conversation this play wants to have with our audience and community?”)
  • A “designed audience” for each play (“Who needs to be in the audience to bring energy and meaning to that conversation?”)
  • A “total audience experience” for each play (“What can we do to accent, extend, and deepen the experience of each audience member?”)
• Collaborate with the Marketing Department to communicate with these designed audiences and welcome them through our doors via live and on-line strategies
• Collaborate with the Literary Department to immerse the audience in provocative, illuminating, and fun dialogue around each show
• Collaborate with multiple departments to reinforce the entry point for each show through execution of creative lobby displays/exhibits, pre-show communications, program content, post-show conversations in multiple formats, etc.
• Collaborate with the Development Department in soliciting support for connectivity
• Develop and track measures for the impact connectivity is having on audiences, the theatre, and the community
• Communicate our successes and our model to colleagues across disciplines and across the country
• Develop strategic, long-term partnerships with local organizations, museums, community service organizations, universities, etc. in order to increase Woolly’s accessibility and extend Woolly’s presence in the greater DC community
• Open up opportunities to provide audiences and the general public with direct access to Woolly artists
• Engage with “The Claque”: a group of highly engaged volunteer audience and community members who work to support Woolly’s connectivity programming
• Participate as a member of the theatre’s senior staff, engaging in long-range planning and other cross-departmental initiatives
• Supervise one intern

Skills and Key Characteristics

An outgoing personality, excellent communication skills, creativity, and tech savvy are essential. A college or graduate-level degree and theatre experience are a plus. Candidates of color are strongly encouraged to apply.

In addition, the ideal candidate will:

• Be a highly creative and strategic thinker with a track-record building community, inspiring dialogue, and working with artists
• Possess exceptional oral and written communication skills
• Be able to talk about artistic work with audience and community members, building a case for its relevance and effectively positioning it as a platform for dialogue
• Have experience utilizing technology and social media to connect people and spark conversation
• Thrive in a job that demands deep collaboration and consensus building among multiple constituencies for success
• Exhibit a creative, collegial, and collaborative work style and a close attention to detail
• Be passionate about theater and new work in particular

Salary and Benefits

• Salary will be competitive and commensurate with experience
• The position includes 100% health coverage for the employee plus two weeks’ paid vacation annually
• There is a 401K employee retirement plan in place, to which the theatre contributes when it is able

How to apply

Please send your résumé and a cover letter that details why you’d like to work for Woolly Mammoth to:

Jeffrey Herrmann, Managing Director
c/o Ellys Abrams
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
641 D Street, NW
Washington, DC 20004
ellys@woollymammoth.net

No phone calls, please.

Pretty interesting to think about, if you consider how fragile ceramics can be. And special – to be able to “check out” the work and do whatever you like with it. The complete opposite of a museum experience, almost unsettling for those charged with protecting and preserving these fragile pieces. But conceptually perfect for a clay artist making functional work.

Worth considering the points of potential discomfort in the craft of your own work – literally or figuratively. What are the elements of your art that you don’t usually allow people to “handle” or take home? Where are the spaces that you wouldn’t normally be found working or performing? Who do you travel with? Who is riding “shot gun”, reading the map and deciding when to stop for rest?