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lovely photo from diane
Are all of the front desk assistants of the National Endowment for the Arts pregnant?
Some things you simply cannot avoid wondering about if you happen to be outnumbered by young women, hands cradling their swollen bellies, waddling around the hallowed halls of the NEA. ”It is a very busy time. Everyone is going from one meeting to another,” murmured Vanessa, a slender woman – not pregnant – who greeted us at the offices for local arts agencies where we were scheduled for a meeting.
This is our yearly pilgrimage to Mecca, a time for me to personally touch base with the folks who shepherd our grant requests through the labrynth of their panel process and with whom I have become good friends with over the years. I like the train ride down to DC, wandering wide eyed through Union Station and stopping to say a quick hello to everyone before they duck into yet another meeting.
the lovely ladies working for local arts agencies
“We love when people come to see us, especially now that our travel budgets have been cut. I wish more people did,” said one director to me who I caught grabbing a quick lunch at the Indian take out place. I have to admit I don’t understand why more nonprofits don’t make it a priority to visit funders. Every time I sit down with the directors, it is a chance for me to let them know what we are doing, what we intend to apply for and very often I will gain a valuable insight or piece of advice that will make our proposal rock. If you want to be a successful grantwriter, consider this: there is an art to writing for money.
This time, the big thing is innovation and transformation. They want something that presents new learning or insights. Something replicable and measurable.
“What does that look like to you? ” I asked. ”Can you give me an example?”
Answer the Question, Goddamnit!
The director smiled. ”We talk about that a lot The answer to your question is that we will know it when we see it.”
This is an answer?
They don’t know what a successful innovative and transformative project is. And if they don’t know that, they cannot describe it. Or measure it.
LIke many other funding opportunities out there, the NEA wants to see their dollar make an important impact. Something that changes and transforms lives. A model that can be replicated in other places. And it falls to the artists and creative thinkers to visualize a project that can do all that and, most of all, deliver such an experience that allows the vision of the funders to bundle up the act and set up shop in another place.
It is a competitive category. We need to leave no doubt among the grant panelists that yes, we are worthy of funding. Why? Because we transform lives.
How do we do this?
By creating a picture of the success we intend to create and a space for a funder to feel part of something that is moving towards real and tangible goals with benchmarks that can feed back into the process.
Do They Know?
Anyone who tells you “they will know it when they see it” has no idea what “it” is, which actually is a very good thing. It is an admission of not knowing what they want to achieve, only knowing why. This is a very good thing. It tells me funders are willing to be outcomes focused and open to anything as long as it is new in philosophy and that it changes something. To make art make a difference.
What You Should Know
For us, transformation has to be demonstrated by what an artist does with the skills, learnings and confidence gained by being part of what Queens Council on the Arts provides. It is no longer and, in my book, never was enough to describe success as well attended events or satisfied customers. How do I know this and why do I believe so strongly in this comes from simply watching the body language, especially the eyes, of the directors. Their eyes did not light up when we talked about how happy the artists were to be part of the workshops, and to learn new skills. We will have to create a vivid image of success that we will set as our goal which will be the artist as a confident, engaged, creative professional whose art can change the world. Our yardstick will be the gradual changes their art and their actions cause in the world.
Here’s an excerpt from Marion Conway’s summary of the 2013 Annual Letter by Bill Gates:
In the last year Beth Kanter has been talking about the importance of measurement to the networked nonprofit. Now Bill Gates opens his 2013 Annual letter talking about it with a quote from William Rosen’s “The Most Powerful Idea in the World.” Bill writes: “Without feedback from precise measurement, Rosen writes, invention is “doomed to be rare and erratic.” With it, invention becomes “commonplace.”……..But in the past year I have been struck again and again by how important measurement is to improving the human condition. You can achieve amazing progress if you set a clear goal and find a measure that will drive progress toward that goal-in a feedback loop similar to the one Rosen describes. This may seem pretty basic, but it is amazing to me how often it is not done and how hard it is to get right.
There, I said it. And I believe it.
What does success look like, move like, sound like for what you do?
This way of thinking could be catching. Unlike pregnancy, thank God.
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Hoong Yee
Hoong Yee, Richard, Janet
&
Barry
Blogging for a better world
At this year’s conference, I was joined by two other bloggers to capture in words the spirit and essence of this universe we call grantmakers in the arts – Richard Kessler and Barry Hessenius.
What is art about, really?
If you have ever heard Dr. Manuel Pastor speak, you would know what he would say.
Dr Manuel Pastor writes and speaks frequently on issues of demographic change, economic inequality and community empowerment. At his keynote speech at the Grantmakers in the Arts 2011 Conference, he said many things I thought were cool:
On December 15, 199, we became a majority/minority state.
Collaboration and conflict go together.
Collaboration is principled conflict.
Do you know the difference between chess and jigsaw puzzles?
Chess Jigsaw puzzles
2 colors many colors
some pieces are more powerful than others every piece is important
you gain by knocking a piece out you gain by putting pieces together
the goal is to win the goal is to complete
As a nation we play way too much chess
Art is making things of beauty with friends
Frances Phillips and her Beowulf socks
Frances Phillips is a quietly impressive force with a knitted sock patterned with the opening lines of Beowulf beginning with, “Hwaet…” wrapped around two slender needles tucked away in her pocketbook.
Hwaet?
“I’ll send you the instructions, you’ll love it.” Frances clearly loves literature and knitting to depths beyond me and the rest of the GIA Knitting Circle. ”Just remember to weave in your strands when changing colors mid row.”
Believe it or not, that makes sense to me. Later on during the conference, Tommer asked me if I had lost a ball of green yarn. At the moment I am knitting something in a silver cotton so no, the yarn did not belong to me.
“Hmmm, I wonder if Frances is using green in her Beowulf socks. Lynn Stern might be, she is working on a pair of multicolored gloves. Let me put the word out for you.” In my opinion, the fact that I know this stuff is actually impressive as an example of niche knowledge, thank you very much.
I turned to Frances, smiled bravely thinking to myself, “Wonderful! Just in time for holiday knitting.”
We were serenaded at the plenary brunch by Eugene Rodriguez, Linda Ronstadt, David Hidalgo and Los Cenzontles.
Throw me the lemon
Throw me the lime
Throw me the key
To your heart.
You are my dear
You are my love
You are my dove
That sings at sunrise.
Here’s something Linda Ronstadt said at the closing of the conference:
Mexican audiences know just when to howl and they know when to be quiet.
Hwaet everybody!
About the Author: Hoong Yee Lee Krakauer writes about how to be a nimble nonprofit, make life creative and make a difference at www.hoongyee.com.
She is also the Executive Director of the Queens Council on the Arts. Hoong Yee can be found surfing in the Rockaways whenever there are waves.
Do you want to know the fears, visions of perfect worlds and world changing advice of your peers and keynote speakers?
I have a special bonus post for you of interviews I conducted with people during the conference. Just leave me a comment with your email or better still, subscribe at www.hoongyee.com and get my interview post and new style notes for people who change the world delivered to your inbox.
photo by polis poliviou
Being cheap is not the same as being poor.
Today someone told me he had extremely wealthy friends who, whenever they would go out to dinner and split the bill, would order the most expensive items on a menu so they could feel like they really got a great meal on another person’s dime. Well, how do you think they became rich in the first place? A bank account can tell you if a person is poor. A dinner can tell you if they are cheap.
Being a wine snob is not the same as knowing the wine steward.
Years ago a friend of mine memorized the rainfall history of several red wineries in France in an ambitious attempt to become accepted as a wine connoisseur, something only people with too much time on their hands often do. He was quickly exposed as a poseur by the wine snob community and now spends his efforts befriending the wine steward.
A much easier way to get a good bottle of wine.
Being literate is not the same as being smart.
“It’s the craziest thing, but I just realized I can actually memorize hundreds of facts before tests. And as soon as the test is over – Poof! Gone! My head is completely empty again!”
Mikki was so excited to discover this amazing skill as she was studying for her GRE and LSAT exams.
“You have inherited my superpower.” I said solemnly. ”Not being the brilliant little Asian girl that I was supposed to be, I developed extraordinary skills in other areas. The ability to stuff enormous amounts of data in my head for short periods of time is one of them. Use it well.”
Mikki gasped. ”Do you have other amazing skills?”
I smiled. ”All will be revealed in good time. You already possess the ruthless ability to hunt down extra credit opportunities. That served you well in ratcheting up your GPA into the lofty realm of Dean’s List, didn’t it?”
Her eyes shone. Her voice trembled as she spoke. ”I am so proud to be half Asian.”
“Remember, the power of the Number Two pencil is in your hands. And most of all, ” I said, holding my head up high, ” literacy is just knowing stuff. But being smart is knowing what you need, to do what you need to do.”
Am I saying that education can be replaced by memory tricks? No.
I am saying that there are many ways to be intelligent in life. Yes, I was not a good student in the traditional sense. I had to reconstruct a set of skills that would get me through the world of academia. I had to figure out what I needed to know to do what I needed to do. Creative gate jumping, or developing ways to be a Number Two pencil Ninja on these big tests are means to an end and are potentially more valuable in navigating life challenges.
Do I still use my superpower?
Absolutely. Put me in a roomful of people and I will remember at least twenty people’s names, make a mental note of a chatty little fact about them, and know where I parked my car.
What is your superpower?
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Style Notes from me, your artspy
Hoong Yee
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Word of mouth is the best way to share, don’t you agree?
I have been thinking about how to build business markets around art. Around artful products.
Many artists work on pieces and struggle to find an audience or customers. Their art embodies talent, skill, passion, and time devoted to creating the work.
This is what artists do. This is why artists starve.
Why?
If finding a market for your work is part of your plan, it should not be the afterthought at the end of the creative process. Rather, seeking out your market should be part of the early stages of making art. Art is, after all, an expression of life or vice versa depending on your point of view. And being creative in the marketing of your art is another outlet for expression.
I think the most successful people in any industry are the risk taking creatives, the ones who break away from the average perception and make their own. My father was a civil engineer. Glasses, faraway look in his eyes, lots of mechanical pencils in his shirt pocket. He dreamed in code, spoke in equations and often left the house wearing two different shoes. He was not comfortable with the nonengineering world and when he succeeded in patenting one of his inventions, a calculating triangle with multiple functions, he could not sell it.
If I were bold enough back then, and being a good little Asian girl who happened to be bad at math, I might have suggested something like, “Maybe you could show people how it can solve some of their math problems.” I know I would have jumped at the chance to buy a boxful of them if it could help me pass high school math. He didn’t understand the need to involve other people at any stage of this – design, ease of use, practical applications, need, etc.
This is why I love this Kickstarter project for the Capture Camera Clip System that I read about on Fred Wilson’s blog. It neatly illustrates my theory of the customer investor. Peter Dering, in his engaging three minute video, does the following:
- engages your interest
- describes the problem with carrying around a camera
- tells you what he is doing about it
- shows you the process
- gives you a peek into future products
- appeals to you to help him bring his dream product to reality for $50 and a chance to pre order one
Peter has given the world a chance to look over his shoulder and watch this product become a reality as an investor and to own one as a customer. I feel like I am more than a credit card transaction. I am part of a greater success unfolding before my eyes.
And I will never drop my camera again.
Get more Wow!
If you want style notes and more for people who change the world, please check out:
Getting to Wow! to feel good, do good and look good
Nonprofit Knitwear for all things knit and nonprofit
Style Notes from me, your artspy
Hoong Yee
– Subscribe and get a little Wow! every day
– Forward the link to someone you think would be interested
– Link to a post on Twitter (follow me @hylkrakauer)
– Put a link to the blog in your Facebook status update
Thanks so much! I really appreciate your help.
Word of mouth is the best way to share, don’t you agree?
photo by DALIAWMN
There is definitely something disturbingly herd like in this photo.
People, mostly women, on the phones all day. Mostly connecting callers to the callees. In a way, I think I do that too. The difference is that once the connection is made, the job of these operators is done. For me, the job has just begun.
My friend Andrea and I were running this morning on the beach and she told me that somehow, a cold call from a large financial investment company came through to her direct line. Usually, her staff chews up and spits out these calls as they come in so the fact that this one made it through was quite remarkable. The person calling was a young person, probably a summer intern, inviting Andrea to a networking cocktail party in the hopes of getting some business and referrals from her.
“OK, you are inviting me and how many other people to this party?” I could see Andrea pinching the phone with her shoulder tapping at her calculator impatiently. She has a meeting tonight with her committee that is setting up a series of breakfasts, workshops and other events for CPAs and was putting her stuff together.
“What? Six people? Let me ask you something. This cocktail party is going to cost you, maybe, $100. You are going to spend $100 to shmooze 6 people. That’s about $15 bucks a person. Now, do you think that is a cost effective way to build new business?”
“Uh, no. Could you bring a friend or – “
“No. This is what I am going to do. I am going to speak to your supervisor and offer her the opportunity to sponsor my twelve breakfast seminars and get in front of 700 accountants who will agree to have you come to their office to make a presentation. If she agrees to do this, I will make sure to introduce her from the podium and give you props. You have five minutes to get her on the phone.”
Andrea is my running buddy and my CPA. She is usually right about everything that has to do with those two things. Especially when it comes down to making it a habit to run at 5:30 am and to making money. This kid on the phone did what I did. I listened to Andrea.
The company jumped at the chance to sponsor the twelve breakfast seminars. ”It was simple. What was I going to bring to contribute to tonight’s meeting? I needed something worthwhile. This company needed business. Instead of spending a few dollars and getting me and five other people at a cocktail party, I am letting them spend a few more dollars and getting me and a ballroom filled with accountants and CPA’s.
Everybody wins. And you know why? Because I resisted the temptation to slam the phone down. I took a deep breath and thought about it.”
I think Andrea is well on her way from being a hyper caffeinated A personality person to being more Buddhist like.
A Belle Harbor Buddha. Which brings me to the following points about how you, too, can approach Neponsit Nirvana and still run with sand in your shoes:
Buddhist in Training
Do the opposite of what you want to do right now
Sometimes the best thing to do is the thing you can’t imagine doing. For example, actually listening to a sales pitch from a total stranger. Andrea’s sharp ears picked up the sound of opportunity and the rest is history.
Open your ears, your mind and shut your mouth
I always like to remind you that you can learn a lot about a person in a conversation where you do more listening than talking. Information is power.
Act like a speck, not a spectacle
Be humble. Everything you achieve is relative to the bigger universe. I am sure Andrea’s committee will be thrilled when she talks about this. But she will be on the beach with me again at 5:30 am tomorrow morning and running towards a new day.
Get more Wow!
If you want style notes and more for people who change the world, please check out:
Getting to Wow! to feel good, do good and look good
Nonprofit Knitwear for all things knit and nonprofit
Style Notes from me, your artspy
Hoong Yee
– Subscribe and get a little Wow! every day
– Forward the link to someone you think would be interested
– Link to a post on Twitter (follow me @hylkrakauer)
– Put a link to the blog in your Facebook status update
Thanks so much! I really appreciate your help.
Word of mouth is the best way to share, don’t you agree?
I write for love and money. It is my everyday passion. What's yours? 
