Why WHY D.I.Y.?
Learn to Self-Produce & Set Yourself Free…
If you feel:
frustrated with slow movement in career or lack of opportunities
exhausted by application fatigue
tired of not getting past gatekeepers
maddened by spending all your energy trying to get money and programmed instead of working on your art…
... buckle up toots! This post is for you.
Today I’m going to talk about the benefits of Self-Producing your work and offer you a few practical ideas to help you get started.
I’m a huge proponent of making your own opportunities and not waiting for gatekeepers to grant you permission to create. In industry terms, this DIY propensity has a name, Self-Producing.
A producer oversees all the administrative and business tasks involved in putting on a show.
They can be an organisation or an individual you’ve hired who does everything from securing venues, to raising funds, contracting collaborators, organising the marketing campaign, planning a tour, balancing the budget and ensuring you’ve got the right insurance.
Self-Producing is when you do all those things yourself!
Self-Producing involves honing some “arts adjacent” skills. Take the plunge and do it. Brave the discomfort of learning some new things. Here’s why it’s worth it:
Take control of your career – it gives you agency allowing you to stop feeling helpless or overlooked
Create your dream team – you get to select all your collaborators
Give work to artists – you create opportunities for other artists to work
No waiting to be given permission by gatekeepers – you’re in charge of when you work
Become a person people want to work with – the more you do it, the more you grow your rep, skills and body of work. People will start asking to work with you.
Improve your art and established your reputation by the act of DOING – by creating your art and sharing it, you hone your skills and building relationship with audiences and the industry
Build your body of work – you will have proof of concept, which strengthens your future applications
Excuse to write to gatekeepers - invite and keep them informed about what you’re working on
Confidence is built through practice
When you do, you up your chances of jumping past the application processes and going straight to offers and commissions.
But how do I do it!?!
To get you started, here a few options:
Ask yourself, What version of this project can I do entirely for free? Conceive of the self-reliant, DIY version (know that you can scale up later!). For example, if in your ideal project you want the audience to meet you in a geodesic dome, can you envision a smaller version in a tent in your backyard?
Start with a Living Room Salon (maybe a virtual one!?) Invite 5-10 friends to join you for a reading of your new work. This is also a great way to introduce potential collaborators to the project. If you have specific feedback requests make sure you state them clearly before you begin.
Workshop. Ask some collaborators to join you for half a day, a day, several days in a workshop process. See my emails on asking people to work for free and organising a virtual workshop for inspiration.
If the idea of Self-Producing feels fortifying but you want more support, Seize control of your career with my highly practical, no nonsense Crash Course on Self-Producing Theatre.
This online course helps theatre-artists learn how to tackle the business-side of putting on a show so you can do-it-yourself and start earning money for your art. Learn more and sign up here!