That Home-base Groove Thing

[amul]

It's amazing how easily a 3-week road trip will strip me of all my carefully accumulated home living habits. I live near a ridiculous number of food sources -- 2 blocks to a 24 hour grocery store, less than that to an Aldi, 2 more 24-hour grocery stores within 5 minutes' drive, plus half a dozen convenience stores within 1 block of me. Not to mention the huge range of restaurants -- I can count 7 different ethnic cusines within 2 blocks of me (Southern, American Grill, Sub/Hoagie, Chinese, Ethiopian, Italian, Irish....which may be cheating, but still! Variety!) and despite all this, what have I done every time I felt hungry since getting back late Wednesday night? I open my fridge, stare at its emptiness, and then go back to playing computer games.

It's time for me to get back on my home schedule. Actually, it's time for me to get onto my proposed home schedule which I keep putting off. This includes going to the Sivenda Yoga center for a 90 minute program, followed by a 30 minute jog on the Broadway Armory's treadmills, and (since it's Friday) attending a Gita Study class at the same location, before heading to the Dungeon.

I brought a book my dad had lent me a while ago on my trip, and it was really nice to be reading Hindu philosophy again. I had forgotten just how deeply steeped all of Western thinking is in duality, in Good vs Evil, in the idea that humans "deserve" things. Reading a treatise on overcoming conflict based in the belief system I was raised in was....overwhelmingly relaxing. I'm really looking forward to the Gita Study class.

Tomorrow is the Creative Chicago Expo, which was originally called the Chicago Creative Housing Expo. I <3 free education! It's a collection of seminars on how to take advantage of Chicago resources as a self-employed creative professional or a non-profit organization, with heavy emphasis on acquiring real estate. Thankfully, they podcast all the courses, so I don't have to complain about the double-bookings. These are the classes I'm considering:



10:30

Authentic Arts Marketing
Adam Thurman, Mission Paradox
Marketing is complex, except when it is not. See arts marketing in a different light and be a true messenger of your work. For individual artists or members of artistic organizations, learn how to focus on just two words that can start you on a path towards marketing that advances your mission and empowers people. CCT

Fiscal Sponsorship
Rory Golden, New York Foundation for the Arts
This workshop will provide an overview of NYFA’s extensive fundraising and support programs available to and for artists of all kinds nationwide. The programs are geared to both individual artists across many disciplines and small and emerging arts organizations. Visual, performing, literary artists and filmmakers are all encouraged to attend. PBH-W


11:30

Cultivating Shamelessness
Philip Huang, SF-based artist + provacateur
The old approaches are dead. Screw submitting for exhibits and doing residencies and going on auditions. We artists must return to the Wild Wild West, and make brilliant careers out of dirt and chutzpah and shamelessness. In this workshop, we’ll make an escape plan for ourselves, to bust out of all the conventional and lifeless paths to forge something completely ours. We’ll discuss how to legitimize ourselves and warp gravity so opportunities start rolling toward us. CCT

Licensing Basics
Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection
Understand the basics of business licensing in Chicago that are especially relevant to creatives. Whether you are street performer, the owner of a theater or art gallery, learn which city policies and regulations apply to you, and how to get the process started. 4-WASH


Sell Yourself Without Bragging
Rob Sullivan, Careercraftsman.com, Career Elevator
Job seekers often make common errors that limit their chances for success - learn a variety of approaches to overcome them including: the categories that will help you organize your experience and quantify your accomplishments in a way most people never consider; what are key warning signs you aren't providing an employer enough evidence of your abilities, and what are the most important questions to consider if you haven’t yet identified your passion in life. PBH-E

12:30

Contemporary Approaches to Promoting Art
The Chicago Urban Art Society
The session will focus on the successes/failures of promoting art, and new and unorthodox approaches to the current market. Additionally, the session will include curator and gallery director participation whose focus is emerging and contemporary art exhibitions and projects. They discuss their successes/failures in promoting their venue/vision, in artist selection, & original approaches to attracting audiences. Art makers and artists areas of interests include but not limited to DIY, street art, graffiti, mixed media, murals, found object, performance, photography, textile, furniture making, public art, print-making, and literary arts. PBH-E

Your Financial Survival Kit
Emily Watta and Diane Debicella, Fractured Atlas
How do I find money to support my work? What is fiscal sponsorship and is it right for me? What types of insurance should I be considering? If questions like these are keeping you up at night, then this is the workshop for you. For individuals or arts groups concerned with organizing a business and building support for your creative process. 4-WASH

1:30

Grant Application Tips from the Inside
Paul Botts, The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation
Learn from an officer at a major foundation what impact the recession has had on philanthropy. Also covered with be the top ten most common mistakes you can avoid in your grant writing, and how to best present your case for support. PBH-W

Social Media, The News and You
Diana Pando, Community Media Workshop
A panel of online and print journalists offer a wealth of insights and tips on arts coverage, communications strategies for arts organizations and artists, and the shift to online participation. PBH-E

2:30

Protect Your Future: Health Care and Emergency Preparedness
Laura Arnesen, Craft Emergency Relief Fund; Renata Marinaro, The Actors Fund Health Insurance Resource; Dr. David Hinkamp, UIC Health and the Arts Program
This workshop will focus on health care, health insurance options, business insurance, and top tips for emergency preparedness. The aim is twofold: 1) to give those in our community a comprehensive overview of their health coverage and health care options; and 2) to help us prevent and prepare for emergencies. We will demonstrate the Studio Protector: An Artist's Guide to Emergencies and review private insurance, government programs, and non-insurance options. A rep from the Health and the Arts Program at UIC will also discuss their services. 1GAR



But other than that, I just have to restock my fridge, remember what my social life looks like, edit all the photos that I took from my trip, apply all the things that I learned to my booth sales, and implement at least 3 new website resdesigns (the gallery, the blog, the commercial portfolio, and the BDSM Education website). So, it's going to be an easy month.

Comments

[gailmom.livejournal.com]

There are moments when I envy the resources Chicago gives you...not the weather...or the traffic....or the high cost of living...but yes on the resources. :)