From the pen of Robert Genn

Subscribe to Robert Genn's twice weekly letter for insight and inspiration for your artistic career.

June 19, 2008

"I'm out here on a rocky Donegal foreland. Below, on the beach, one of those smart-looking black-and-white Irish farm dogs is running loose. With no master in sight, the dog has a tennis ball she tosses in the air, chases and sometimes catches. Hit or miss, each attempt is announced with a joyful bark. She's telling me something: "Come on, Bob, loosen up. Put joy into that stuff. Get a life. Don't take yourself so seriously."
$$$$$$$$
Everyone has heard of the "serious artist." The term has a lot of different meanings. To a person who paints only on Sundays, one who paints every day might be one. An artist whose work is difficult to understand may consider those who paint understandable things "not serious." On the other hand, realistic artists sometimes consider modernists to be only wanking the public and therefore not serious. Some think serious artists are those who deal with serious subject matter--poverty, war, politics, injustice, etc. Except for a bit of irony once in a while, these folks don't generally think humour has its place in art. You may know of artists who take themselves so seriously they become significant hazards at dinner parties.

Hey, it's okay to be serious about honing technique, learning the ropes and trying to understand the muse.

When I was younger and much more idealistic..."

Read the illustrated responses to the last letter: "Read More".

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Peace of Mind

I recently received an e-mail regarding a member of the arts community who had become ill, was no longer able to work and needed some financial assistance. As I have done in the past, I sent a cheque to assist, though I knew this was only a band-aid solution. In the e-mail it indicated that the individual had no savings, no RRSPs, and no Disability Insurance. Unfortunately this is not an uncommon story. I suspect that many readers of this article are in need of reviewing their financial management strategy.

As I wrote the cheque I thought back to other cheques that I have written in similar situations and decided it was time to spread the word to freelancers about the importance of carrying Disability Insurance. To begin, I conducted an unscientific survey, asking freelancers if they have disability insurance. The good news was that the majority knew what Disability Insurance was; the bad news was that the majority did not carry it.

I know that this is an old topic but clearly the message has not resonated with its target. This is evidenced by the recent announcement in the States that the Altman Family will be matching donations to support a fund for members of the arts community who have been injured or fallen ill.

Why didn’t the surveyed freelancers have coverage? One individual seriously said, “I don’t require coverage because I am careful at work”. Most indicated that they are covered by WSIB or the group plan offered with their membership in an industry association. While these are valuable to freelancers, WSIB only covers an individual when they are injured on the job and many group plans only offer short-term coverage.

Disability Insurance offers extended coverage and, most importantly, covers you when you slip in front of a bus, fall ill, or, in the worst case, have been diagnosed with an incurable disease.

After understanding the limitations of WSIB and group plans the next reason given for not having coverage was the cost and hassle of signing up. I did not have an answer for this so I enlisted the help of my Insurance Broker to review various plans and find a financially viable option with simple sign up procedures.

For those unaware, Disability Insurance is a form of insurance coverage that provides a portion of income lost as the result of a total or partial disability caused by either an accident or an illness. Who should carry this insurance? Everyone. Who MUST carry this insurance? While it is not the law, it is commonsense that all individuals who are freelance and/or small business owners should carry disability insurance.

As noted, the reason many individuals in the arts community don’t have disability insurance is because it is perceived to be expensive. On average by investing approximately 3% of your annual income you can protect almost 90% of your income. More importantly Disability Insurance offers peace of mind, knowing that in the event that you are injured or fall ill, your financial situation will remain relatively solvent.
As a small business owner, I am very aware of the cost of insurance and the need for Disability Insurance. But I am also very aware of the cost when an individual does not carry the necessary insurance and becomes injured or is fallen by an illness. We are all human and tragedy can strike at anytime. There are too many in the community who have ignored the need for RRSP’s, life insurance, savings, and most importantly Disability Insurance.

This article is only the first step in ensuring that I don’t have to write any more cheques.
Step 2 - continue to spread the word about the importance of Disability Insurance
Step 3 - offer assistance to those with questions
Step 4 - source a cost effective and hassle free disability insurance plan
Step 5 - ensure that the curriculum in all Arts related programs includes a course on the
financial responsibilities of the freelance community

Disability Insurance = Peace of Mind.

aidan cosgrave
J.S.T. Productions
jstproductions@bellnet.ca

Michael Jerome Browne
This Beautiful Mess
( Borealis)
Michael Jerome Browne can take pride in his unpredictability. Although each production guarantees mind-bending levels of musicianship on a wide range of complementary (and sometimes surprising) instruments, you’re just never sure where he’s going next, musically. That’s his secret weapon – as we reap the reward.... – By Eric Thom

Mavis Staples
Live: Hope at the Hideout
(Epitaph)
Live: Hope at the Hideout is not only timely in the wake of the American presidential election but also an important reminder that we are not in a time of “post-race”, no matter how many pundits tell us we’ve moved past our prejudices... – By Kenna Burima

Los Fabulocos
featuring Kid Ramos Los Fabulocos
(Delta Groove Music)
Kid Ramos, former guitarist for the James Harman Band, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, and the Mannish Boys, teams up with Jesus Cuevas, vocalist-accordionist for the Blasters, along with drummer Mike Molina and James Barrios on bass to form Los Fabulocos an intense, rocking California-Mex combo that combines blues, Mexican dance music, rock and rockabilly into one hot, highly danceable fusion... - By Barry Hammond

Ry Cooder
The Ry Cooder Anthology: The UFO Has Landed
(Warner/Ryko)
A retrospective of the eccentric but successful guitar whiz-singer-producer lovingly curated by his son, drummer Joachim Cooder, and annotated by none other than Canadian literary icon Michael Ondaatje. Every one of the 34 tracks compiled here – only one of which is previously unreleased – evinces Cooder’s profound love of American music, from blues to gospel to cowboy ballads to zydeco, and showcases his endlessly agile guitar (or several layers of it)...– By Scott Lingley

Michael Franti and Spearhead
All Rebel Rockers
(Anti-)
Former Disposable Hero of Hiphoprisy, Franti and his band are well known on the festival circuit as rabble-rousers who marry their populist sloganeering to danceable rhythms that borrow from urban, world and roots music. As the title of their latest suggests, the group has gone all Jamaican to encourage listeners to rise up and take the world’s problems by the horns... – By Scott Lingley

Canadian Art Issues ^

Canadian Conference of the Arts

Ottawa, 2009

December 18, 2008

Just the Facts

The Canadian Conference of the Arts (CCA) has sent today to the minister of Finance, the Hon. James Flaherty, as well as to all Opposition parties, a submission where it stakes the arts and culture sector as a sound place to invest for the economic stimulus sought by the government to counter the impacts of the current crisis on Canadian citizens.

Earlier this year, the CCA submitted to the Standing Committee on Finance a pre-budget submission. That submission was written before many of the cuts to arts programs could be confirmed and certainly before the threat of a recession challenged our collective best assumptions about the stability of the Canadian economy.

Tell me more

The intention of today’s submission is to indicate how the arts and culture sector can be part of the solution to the economic stimulus strategy. Given the structures already in place, the sector can quickly mobilize the talents and dedication of artists, creators and arts professionals and of other sectors of the economy to achieve the objectives of creating jobs, increasing economic and creative activity, while at the same time enriching our sense of Canadian identity, enhancing our image abroad and supporting our other international trade objectives.

The Board of Governors of the CCA recommends that the following measures be included in the next federal budget:

  - As part of an Employment Strategy, the CCA recommends that the government invest at least $ 1.5 million a year for the next five years in the creation of a mentorship/internship program for the cultural sector. The government has various options, including the Cultural Human Resources Council and a number of National Arts Service Organizations, to ensure this investment in job creation and in the future development of the sector is administered in the most efficient and immediate ways.

- To develop markets at home and abroad for the cultural sector, the CCA recommends that the federal government invest an additional $ 40 million per year into the expansion of the capacity and mandate of the Canada Council for the Arts Audience and Market Development Program.

- As part of the Employment Strategy, the CCA recommends that the Department of Canadian Heritage be provided with an additional $ 100 million to invest in the Cultural Spaces program to allow more communities and organizations to proceed with their capital development plans. This investment should be an annual increase for the next four years.

- To support the shift to the creative economy, the CCA recommends the investment of $ 5 million per year for the next four years into the design and implementation of a national cultural research strategy. The strategy could be managed through the Department of Canadian Heritage or through a non-governmental organization.

  - To support the shift to the creative economy, the CCA recommends that the federal government renew its investment in an expanded version of the New Media Fund by providing an annual allocation of $ 50 million to the development of a multi-platform Canadian content fund.

  - To support the shift to the creative economy, the CCA recommends that the government include in the 2009 federal budget a $ 30 K exemption on revenue deriving from copyright and residual payments and complete tax exemption to grants to individual artists and creators.

Publication of
Canadian Conference of the Arts

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