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In the visual arts anyway, I think that many artists understand that the market is fickle and favors novelty and youth. Success for most will be temporary. One strategy might be to ride a wave of success as far as you can, then leverage that into a teaching position. Or to transition to showing in other parts of the US or in other parts of the world, or in alternative spaces, if the NYC commercial art market loses interest in one's work.

Don't forget talent plays a factor. People aren't going to pay $100 for Broadway for a shrill singer that got the lead and shouldn't have.

Lisa,

The high cost of real estate in NYC is certainly a factor, making it harder and harder for artists to survive, I would imagine, in any genre.

From your visual arts perspectives, can you share some ways in which you see artists thinking strategically about how to make their practice sustainable. From my experience in independent theatre, there is such a huge focus on "making the work" and not nearly enough time, money and thinking devoted to sustainability and strategic planning.

The people who come to this city (or who have been here for decades) to make a career in the arts have no lack of passion or craft, but how long can passion and craft be endure without a solid business plan in place?

Edward,

Maybe this is my bias as a visual artist, but I believe the cost of real estate, and the cost of living generally, in New York is the biggest obstacle for artists here. Perhaps this is also true for directors of arts groups.

My impression of recent MFAs who move to New York is that they are more market savvy than artists in New York may have been in the past, thanks to the boom in the contemporary art market we've been enjoying for a decade now. Many young artists think strategically about how they can connect with the art world now. I'd contrast this with the arts communities in New York in the 1950s, 60s or 70s, which existed in an environment where the art world was smaller and less flooded with money.

I'm speaking specifically about the visual art community here. Also, the boom may be winding down now, so who knows what's to come next...

I co-manage an independent theatre company in NYC. We’ve recently asked our core artistic community: “Why is this so hard? What are the barriers to creating art in New York City?” What we’ve come up with in looking at our company as a case study is that the obstacles to the independent arts in New York City ARE the arts in New York City.

While there is no lack of artistic passion amongst independent arts organizations, there is a dearth of business acumen and strategic planning amongst independent arts leaders.

MFA programs may equip individuals with artistic skills and studio habits of mind, but they don’t prepare emerging artists to survive/thrive in a world hostile towards the arts. What do other people acting at the independent level think?

Katie,

Sure, lawyers may use creativity in some way in their work at times, but they ain't artists. Come on now.

I've heard that same line from biz execs too more than once.

I love how people in our culture think they are romantics and don't have the first clue that art is romance and that involves a wide variety of areas of the arts, poetry, ballet, museums with paintings not just fast talk and pressure. Art is creative process and romance goes hand in hand with art and the beauty of life.

What cities have a high musician communities? Dana Gioia listed ten cities, but I could only write down a few (Bloominton Indiana, Somewhere in Kansas, LA, New York, Sarasota, Hattisburg MS).

as a working artist with her own product line, i can say the internet has drastically changed the creative landscape.

not to mention the development of the digital camera. as a visual artist, prior, i had to set up, shoot, and develop slides and printed samples...which were hard to distribute, and a big investment which often were not returned.

now...with a website and the ability to easily approach and share my work, being a successful creative, and finding an audience, has become so much easier.

Art is the passion of life. Lawyers use art in their practice to come up with creative strategies to take the opponent by surprise and draft their legal briefs to get the judge's attention so he doesn't fall asleep reading the next stuffy brief filled with legaleze that no one can understand.