I enjoyed reading Saj-nicole A. Joni’s Third Opinion on Forbes.com yesterday, detailing how businesses should approach the turbulent times in which we find ourselves. She aptly quotes Rahm Emanuel’s quip, “never waste a crisis.” We in the cultural field should take heed. This is a time for examination, change, refocus and relignment.
Saj-nicole summaries four steps for businesses, which I’ve briefly applied to the cultural nonprofit field:
1) Figure out how to survive.
Change. Cut. Add. Reprice. Restructure. Do what it takes to stay viable.
2) Figure out what you can do now that you couldn’t do before.
A cut in next year’s calendar of events may give you the much needed time to build the back office infrastructure you need to eventually support new growth.
3) Listen for market transitions.
Take the time now to listen and learn, and tool up for the future.
3) No whining.
Our field, like every other, will change. There will almost certainly be less product being presented as we right size. There will be new consolidations and operational models that lower operating costs. Marketing the arts and culture will continue to rapidly evolve. We need to be stimulated by the changes ahead, and ready to grab the opportunities.
That leads to my last point:
4) Be thankful.
As we reflect on the bounty and the challenges, past and present, we have so much to be grateful for as a field, and as a people who are enriched by art and culture. We live in a country that created as its First Ammendment to the Constitution the Right to Free Speech that has granted us the precious right of expression central to art making and sharing. We live in a country with a bountiful and diverse cultural landscape. We live surrounded by art and the work of artists who challenge us every day. We have witnessed enormous growth in our nonprofit and civic arts and cultural institutions over the past thirty years. We work within a wonderful community of people who believe in the value of arts, culture, and creative expression as fundamental to a healthy society. We are challenged, daily, with new opportunities to connect this work to a broader public.
Tomorrow, let’s pause to reflect. Friday, let’s roll up our sleeves, and meet new challenges.
2 responses so far ↓
sfanizza // January 17, 2009 at 7:36 am |
Hi Louise,
I really liked this post. We need more positive messages to get people to rise to the challenges. I also agree that gratitude is a key component to turning things around.
I’ve been meaning to introduce myself for some time now. My name is Shoshana Fanizza, and I started a company called Audience Development Specialists in the Boulder/Denver area. There are not many of us that are spreading the word about audience development. Thank you for being one of them. It is a serious issue and slowly more people are realizing the worth of transitioning to using audience development.
Thanks again for your positive post in these interesting economic times.
Grealitle // June 3, 2009 at 10:01 pm |
Sweet blog. I never know what I am going to come across next. I think you should do more posting as you have some pretty intelligent stuff to say.
I’ll be watching you .