If global economics are in freefall, world leaders appear paralysed to stop war and famine, at home our communities are facing job losses and financial hardship, what can we do NOW collectively or singly, through our roles, to give hope, joy, relevance, and support to make the world, our world, a better place ?

How do we reach out to those who do not naturally turn to our theatres and galleries, arts centres and orchestras, for spiritual and emotional support ? How can we appear necessary and important to their lives ? How do we raise our consiousness so we can do good together ?

This is the series of questions I have pitched into the very early discussion stages of a new initiative I am really honoured to be a part of. MMM (Mission, Models and Money) have been granted support for a programme called re.volution which brings arts managers from across the UK together virtually and in real rooms to explore “building the resilience of creative practitioners and organisations and realising art and culture’s leadership role in tackling the huge global challenges we face.”

We’ve had one meeting, and the joy for me was that of the 12 practitioners gathered I hadn’t met a single one of them before. A completely new group of creative colleagues across the most diverse of creative sectors. I haven’t got a clue how the next few months will shape up. What I do know is that I intend to try to find the time to be an active participant in discussion and meetings – just to see where it goes.

It is too easy for us as arts/creative practitioners to get bogged down in grant applications, staffing and volunteer support, contracting and making projects administratively sound, marketing the hell out of the tough sellers, raising every possible penny of fundraising to balance the books – and to forget that we are part of a glorious ecology of colleagues and friends who can make a difference.

Every day we have reasons to be Grateful for the artistic/creative world we live in. Every day we can draw on the Abundant gifts of the artforms, the buildings and the colleagues with whom we work.  Abundance and Gratitude are what we have to share.

My question is how do we use what we have wisely, at this time, to do the maximum good for humanity and the planet ?

And don’t get away with saying we can’t change the world – who can ever tell which snowflake broke the branch ?

I would welcome your thoughts by email chris [at] chrisgrady [dot] org and I will feed them through into the MMM discussion also, with your permission.

Thanks for reading  /  Chris

Tom and I are very lucky to be able to do our monthly free CGO Surgeries. Last Saturday (January 7th) we had a packed day, and whilst the content of course of each discussion is confidential, I don’t think any of those present will mind this generalised account – in the hope it inspires others to have meaningful creative conversations.

Over the course of 8 hours I met a storyteller & filmmaker working with a global project to bring laughter to young people in all nations; an amazing photographer and arts worker who, through her small company, has had 20 projects working with 1500 of the most dis-enfranchised young people across Westminster – now cut completely Ahhhh; a colleague I’ve not seen in 30 years ago now giving gainful employment to actors to play the roles of pretend litigants under the watchful eye of real trainee judiciary…and championing an emerging playwright; An amazing historical researcher who is moving from library and microfiche to studio theatre and spotlight to tell extraordinary stories of Victorian Murders; An international 3 dimensional artist exploring bamboo and the re-envisioning of buildings and entire cities; And a professional bass player who wants to give opportunities to gifted young musicians in London to improve their musical communication and finetune their art and creativity alongside their existing honed technical expertise. Oh then I went on to meet a visionary artist from the US who has fallen in love with her spiritual home of London and is looking at a transatlantic creative existence.

What a day – and how on earth can we help: a young commercial theatre producer and an aging paper-pushing arts administrator/marketer with half-a-lifetime described as the guy who you call if you have a new musical. We help by having a conversation.

We don’t need to know about bamboo, Victoriana, bass playing, filmmaking or your artform at all. You know about that. Our job (or delight) is engaging with you and talking about what you do, and aspire to do, in a structured creative conversation.

We become involved as artists through you. We listen, absorb, give ideas, coffee, the occasional tissue when it gets raw [and my god some of the challenges emerging artists are facing at the moment make you scream and weep with frustration]. And hopefully, by the end of an hour, you have a load of notes, we may have a couple of leads to pass you on, and we part.
We must pay tribute to all our established colleagues that we champion and suggest they will be delighted to meet/help/listen to someone who has come through CGO Surgery. We try to make good fits, and we hope that they respond to approaches in as open and excited a way as we do. Do let me know if they don’t, and we’ll check in find others to whom we can make referrals.

The next couple of CGO Surgeries are filling up nicely – Sat 4th Feb nearly full, Sat 3rd March still has spaces. If you are professionally challenged by your artistic aspiration – then get in touch.

And hopefully we’ll meet some new extraordinary artists at D&D – Devoted and Disgruntled – Sat 25 Feb – Mon 27 Feb . Can’t wait for that juicy 3 days of exploration with 350 other souls who share so much of what we all care to call creativity. Contact www.improbable.co.uk to lead you through to a booking system – £20 for the 3 days.

At the World Travel Market / November 2011

 I have to admit its 20 years since I was on a stand at the World Travel Market – but apart from the knees and the back killing me after 4 days, 8 hrs a day, standing up – its not that different. This is the largest travel trade show in the world, I’m told. It covers 43,000 sq m and our stand was 4m. 

 A week on I thought I’d reflect on some of the do’s and don’ts of doing an exhibition where you don’t have much money and want to make the maximum impact. Just in case its useful to someone doing any scale of trade fair from fresher’s week to an EU summit.

 Do – keep it simple – the real buyers don’t need glitz and glamour

Do – shout the name of the stand – so people know who you are and why you’re there

Do – have people who know about the product you are selling

Do – come out from behind the stand and talk to people

Do – have a very simple leaflet, with contacts and basic facts – don’t weigh people down

Do – have enough people on stand to have 2-3 representatives and one resting

Do – collect contact details quickly (business cards or barcode scanner)

Do – get back to everyone you meet within a couple of weeks (quicker if possible)

 Don’t – presume anyone will search you out – they will pass you by unless you engage them

Don’t  – presume free gifts will increase sales…they may increase traffic and block the stand

Don’t – hand your stand design, management etc to an agent – you know your business best

Don’t – presume glamour sells.  Knowledge and engagement sells

Don’t – presume the press will be interested – but make sure you have a good story & pics

Don’t – oversell. If someone gives you their contact details – let them move on

 At the very heart of what we did at the World Travel Market this week is the phrase “open hearted engagement”.  The most successful moments were when we stood on the aisle and asked passer’s by “Are you having a Good Day ?, Are you getting all the contacts you need ?”. 90% were engaged by our question. 90% were polite. And 80% stopped, looked at our stand for a moment, and were hooked loosly enough for us to ask the follow-on question. “Have you ever thought of Suffolk as a destination” or “What are you looking for at the WTM” – Open questions designed to engender conversation.

In four days we had 200+ meaningful conversations with trade delagates – national press, travel agents, tour operators, massive group buyers, coach companies, and just those who knew Suffolk but hadn’t expected to be thinking about it in their life today.

 Whether this will generate mass business for Suffolk arts, heritage, culture and beer providers – not sure yet. But we will be back for the 2012 World Travel Market and we will be re-engaging with new found contacts, and new people passing our stand unaware that Suffolk exists.  We’ll make new friends and have a great time.

 Just thought I’d share a few do’s and don’ts in case its useful

Maybe see you at World Travel Market, ExCel Centre Nov 2012

Chris Grady Nov 11

Written in September / Posted Nov 11

This weekend I’ve been on a Board retreat working with 12 long-standing board members of one established organisation and then went off to assess whether I wanted to accept an invitation to join a fledgling board of another new theatre company.  So I was spending 6 hours thinking about what makes a good board member, and then 2 hours trying to decide whether I liked a new group of people  and could be a useful addition.  I thought I’d share my thoughts in case its useful to existing Boards, those who serve/manage them, or to new fledgling companies.

 We were wonderfully challenged by a facilitator at the first board retreat to enter a thinking environment and most importantly to bring attention to each other,  be easy and open with each other (and honest), and to use the time to listen, speak thoughts, and address a key question – What do I think makes a successful Board (and board member)- and here was my list created with another member.  See how you and your Board score…and what would you prioritise.

 Group and individual respect; A balance of skills, respected by each other; an understanding of the business (or an essential part of the show business); A willingness to get involved, not interfere, but to be used by the management;  No ego; Willing to assess risk and not to be risk averse; A desire to get to know the whole team (staff, volunteers, creatives);  To like each other, or at least comfortable to be open with each other;  You accept that each person speaks a different language – the language of finance, or legal, or theatre, or education, or funding agency – and a wish to develop a suitable babel fish/translation together so we each understand more of the others lingo;  Time; A wish to see the work, and be seen to see the work; Be an advocate, and ideally having a good address book so you can share your enthusiasm with particularly useful people.

 And then came some incredibly powerful key words from around the board retreat table – selflessness, humility, passion (for the work, or at the least real respect for the people who passionately create the work), Respect,  Hearing (not just listening to other’s views),  “Animate not Dominate”, Bravery.

 I went from this very formal structured environment to the fledgling meeting where I needed to see whether I felt I could be useful, along with a highly respected theatre director also invited to join.  I was deeply impressed.  It was informal but structured.  It was animated. There was a collective passion and enormous expressed respect for the work and the founding creatives of that work.  There was no chair, or need for a chair because everyone was respectful and hearing – an almost natural thinking environment.  I could see a skills gap I could help to fill (even if I will almost double the average age of the board !!). I could sense their passion, and could see already that other highly regarded theatre practitioners and funding bodies had spotted (and supported) this fledgling company.

 So why join a Board – for me its three things – a belief in and respect for the passion and skill of the key people involved;  a feeling that they (or we) can create necessary theatre – which can change lives;   an understanding of what I can do personally to help.

 I’m in, I’ve signed my Companies House form, and now I’d better start reading some budgets, plays, vision documents, and background to see how I can actually help Metta Theatre.  Thanks for inviting me, and thanks for the tea and fantastic brie at lunchtime.

Not sure what google search will make of this title – but hey !!   I’ve just run my first Open Space session as part of a conference and now its over I can a) admit that it was my first and b) admit that I had no idea whether it would work.  I have been to 3 years of Devoted and Disgruntled facilitated by Improbable and opened by Phelim McDermott.  His presence and positioning of the whole idea of Open Space breeds confidence and energy from his 200-300 strong circle of fellows.  D&D is a 3 days event. It allows time to think, to break-out, to be inspired, to be bored, to be alone, and to create together.  My challenge was I had 80 minutes.

The learned book by the creator of Open Space, Harrison Owen, claims it can be done with small groups and is a way of life rather than necessarily a big event. I believed him. I’d better…’cos I’d signed up to lead a session on fundraising for a North West conference All About Audiences in Manchester.  I had 25 people and 80 minutes…and they arrived expecting a talk from someone who would tell them all the answers about fundraising.  I arrived knowing they collectively knew more about it than I did – so why not harness that power.

I had a wonderful train journey drawing.  For those unfamiliar with Open Space there is a very strict set of things to do in advance to prepare the space so that, quickly, your colleagues can understand the technique, think about the basics, and learn One Law and 4 Principals.   When I arrived at the conference I completed my preparations by finding an artistic delegate who drew me a wonderful giraffe and a bumble bee and a member of Allaboutaudiences who drew me some butterflies. I was ready.

The organisers cleared the room of tables, computers, screens etc – just a circle of 25 chairs, some flip chart paper, and blue-tacked train-written signs around the wall. I’m not going to use this blog to tell you how it works – because there are site after site that offer that. All I would add is a few thoughts for me in the future (and maybe you).

a)  I absolutely followed the first instruction. Despite only having 80 minutes, I took a very deep breathe first and started very slowly to ask those sitting to observe the circle of people – a unique gathering. Whoever is here are the right people…

b) I was intrigued to find that only 1 of the 25 had ever encountered Open Space before. A lesson to never presume and to honour the fundemental principals of Open Space will work if you talk them through slowly and carefully.

c)  Its amazing – a group of unsure 25 people WILL get involved. They will help to set an agenda from a blank piece of paper. They will join the journey if they feel confident that there is some sense in the odd idea / odd guy leading it.

d) Whatever happens is the only thing that could have… and by the end of the two 20 minute break out sessions we gathered back in the circle having created “minutes” from 8 different meetings that had explored 8 different development themes.  Maybe some of those people will meet again. Maybe some of the notes will be useful to different people. Maybe…  But we all contributed and we all knew a little more by the end.

e) In the closing circle everyone spoke, almost all felt they had gained something by participating. And then we all rushed off to the next thing. It would have been fun to have had the time to have another round, or to carry on talking – maybe they will in the future.

For me. I am now not a virgin anymore, and I will seek to use the technique (and the giraffe, butterfly and bees) back at the office at one or more of our monthly training sessions.   A good experience.  Especially the large pint of beer afterwards. 

Thanks Phelim for introducing so many hundreds of us to Open Space…the technique which also led a number of us to be on the march against cuts in “Puppets for Protest” – an idea from the Jan 11 D&D.

Sorry my blogging has been non-existent this year. I don’t seem to have had any time at the home desk…but I will get better (sorry Tom).

I’ve just started being an Arts Council Assessor and I thought I’d take a moment to share the experience. I’m one of two people who are charged with going to see Musical Theatre work which is either by or with organisations that are funded by ACE (or I guess might be in the future). We are there to be provokative informed members of the audience. We’re not there to be critics or to heap praise or to suggest how we could have done it better. That last one doesn’t count for me because my role is always as an audience member. However the whole tribe of assessors include directors, musical directors, poets, visual artists, dramatugues and lots of people will be seeing work they might have created differently.

What feels good about this system is that there are no score charts. The reports aren’t secret. They are not there to be used specifically for grant decision making. They are there to be shared with the client organisation and then used in dialogue between the ACE artform officer (sorry they have a new name and I can’t remember what it is…and I realise I’ve also just dropped a “the” in conversation and they have been banned from use by Arts Council and other organisations like ex-the National Trust. Sorry back to blog.)

I’ve just done two reports – and as is the nature of the Musical Theatre world I knew the theatres, the people involved, and the works already. So I come along as a very “informed” member of the audience and one who could (if not careful) be a real interfering pain in the but.

The challenge is that we are asked to have an informed opinion, but we only really have the background knowledge to the process as delivered in the programme and from what we see on stage. Its therefore very easy to write something which could be damaging through a lack of understanding of the process or the intention.

I hope (and I have yet to know what the two arts organisations think) that my criticisms were fair and my thought processes were clear as to why I reached the reactions I did. In both cases I had a good night, as did the audience. In both cases I felt there was stuff which could have been done differently which could have given an even better event and experience for the audience.

I come to realise from doing this how delicate the role of the theatre crituc is. How easy it is to say something which could damage unintentionally or upset the creative juices which you want to encourage and cheer. Its meant to be a personal view (quite rightly), but it was really useful first time getting my co-audience member to have a read of it and see whether I was in the right phrasing and emphasis.

It is a privalege to be doing this and I am looking forward to being surprised – seeing something I don’t know, and something which rocks my boat.

In the meantime I await my next summons and see where they send me next.

As Tom, my colleague and CGO Associate creates a new version of the website, I get to write some blogs.  Tom suggested the first subject should be about the CGO Surgery process. And I’m delighted to do that.  We started these rather unexpected events a couple of years ago because we both like meeting emerging, new, stuck, world weary, wonderfully experienced, inspiring, special, and troubled creatives. We like to see whether there’s something we can do in an hour to help.  No money changes hands. Its not about getting CGO work.  Its about seeing what happens in the moment when we settle down and talk about a project, a life, or an issue.

Tom and I are not experts in most things. Indeed some of our most successful surgeries have come when we literally know absolutely nothing about the visitors’ specialist subject. However what we are is easily excited and inspired by someone else’s world.  Certain standard patterns emerge over time.   We often find our guests stuck at a crossroads, or even hurt by the number of brick walls they have hit, or maybe just bemused by a section of the arts business about which they are totally unfamiliar.

Each session is, of course, confidential. The deal is that we talk for 45 minutes with them – Tom and I then have a few minutes to regroup and think about whether there are any people we could connect with our guest. Then we turn over the page and start with the next person.  It seems to work. We seem to get some quite wonderful feedback at times. We have even helped to bring a couple of people together and a whole project has grown out of it.  We arrive with no expectations (we hope most of the visitors arrive with few expectations), and we take it from there.

Last Saturday, sitting in our usual table in the foyer of the Lyttleton Theatre (which Tom and I now think of as our CGO office) we saw 7 different people through the day.  Although the details will remain confidential, the strands might be interesting to anyone thinking of visiting:

First I met an emerging producer who had a cracking success with a show in Edinburgh, was beginning to get connected around the scene in London, had had a rather nice “offer” from a theatre, and wanted to explore deals, copyright protection, ideas for touring, thoughts on marketing and what scale to pitch things at, and a little bit about money.

Next we switched to an actor who wanted to be a creator (maybe film, maybe radio) and had found the perfect book by a new author. They were not sure whether they wanted to be the writer of the project, or the producer with a commissioned writer. They wanted to rehearse a meeting scheduled for the next day with the author – and then to think around who else they needed (or might) bring on board to help her open a plethora of doors needed to take this international project forward.

Over our third coffee (or Roibosh tea) of the day we settled down to explore Performance Art and the realm of what it is to be a male in a feminist world, how that might be shown through performance, and how a single highly experienced but relatively unknown creator of performance pieces could step up to the next level where their work would be noticed by someone who might, in the right circumstances, commission new work, and allow the artist to eat/pay rent.  We ended up creating an idea together for a whole gallery event, and touched on some of the people who might be drawn into the project to make it “noticed”. It is amazing how, in 45 minutes, you can uncover people that the visitor knows, but doesn’t know they know. This is always part of the exploration.

It’s a long day…its a long blog…it doesn’t get to any staggering conclusion, so you’d better keep skimming through !!

Next came a fascinating exploration of the installation of major art from found objects in stately homes. Understanding for us how there could be potential sales and longer life for some of the work which this sculpture has created.  I felt we did not find an instant hook into this world, but I for one will be keeping my eye open for serpents in strange places next summer.

Our exploration now moved to visual art for people with learning difficulties and the extraordinary work being undertaken by an ex-art teacher/lecturer to help groups in their own homes to find a voice visually. One of those projects which feel as though everyone should know about it, everyone should be supporting with some funding, and it should be a beacon for what is possible in letting out the creative forces of adults whose voices and visions may not be seen and heard.  Tom and I both want to see whether we can think of the right connecting person to help make things happen.  Not least, as with so many people we see, those doing the art don’t have time to find the money or run the business.  But then there are an equal number of people who want to make things happen but don’t have the creative spark to do it themselves.  Hopefully bit by bit we can bring these two groups together.  [If there is any grad student in arts business out there who wants to help champion and grow something very special, please get in touch - London base would help]

Then, 10 minutes later, we met someone who comes completely from the business side – a mathematician turned arts business professional [there are more of you out there...please get in touch]. In this case we were exploring a gallery space where the lease was coming to an end and the success of 2yrs creative work might be lost. We focussed with this bizperson on their final exhibition and exploring some of the marketing potential to get the right people to know of the challenges they had.

And finally waiting for us was a composer who had had a great idea, brought to the world too early and horribly savaged by some critics who were game for a laugh.  How do you recover from that, all too common occurance.  We explored the market potential for the piece (big), the ways to bring it to that market (as far away from London as possible), the potential international arena for musical theatre (right title, great market), and the time it will take to move step by step to recover the confidence of potential presenters who would get a fun laugh if they google their favourite critic.  The piece most certainly deserved better. Let’s see whether a steady approach will help.

Darkness had fallen and icy winds blew as we left the National Theatre, awash with coffee and inspiration,  to go and have a very quiet evening where we didn’t have to listen quite so intently.  Yet again we had had a great day, and hopefully we will have done a bit of good for a few people.

People who know Tom and I may be suprised by some of the topics we covered in the day – oh we’ve looked at international dance companies, video installation, performance poetry,  playwriting,  mime, children’s theatre, buildings, light work, and a goodly smattering of composers, lyricists and producers. They all have something to gain from sitting with someone (not just us) and exploring for 45 minutes where they are and where they want to go, and a few markers along the way.

We’re back at the National in March (oh I like that phrase), but before then we’ll be doing a session in Nottingham, and we’ll be at D&D (Devoted and Disgruntled) to talk and listen and giraffe and butterfly.  Check the CGO website for what we’re up to.

That’s all folks for this first blog – more to follow – suggest topics if you like.

Chris

Welcome to our new website and blog. We like the simple design and clear information, but will be adding more content over the coming months. We’ll be using the blog to keep you updated on what the company is doing, share interesting tidbits of news and also offer opinion on current affairs in the world of the arts. Do check back soon…