Hi friends and followers,
2012 has started and that, thankfully means that my blog and artists log has come to an end. When I started out the plan was to record all my unpaid/volunteer hours working in the arts for a full year and that's what I did. As you can see, I'm not big on posting. I really tried but I didn't want the log to become another "job" to do.
The final tally as of December 31, 2011 was 767 hours. Or 21.9 work weeks (based on a 35 hrs week). Or
a $15, 340.00 donation (based on $20 an hour...which is minimum for me after 20 yrs of experience) to the community.
I did a final interview on CBC Radio in St. John's with Roger Samson and we talked a lot about the experience through the year. He asked me what I'd discovered and truthfully, I realized that if I'm working that much pro bono, as well as making a living, I must really be neglecting my home life.
So, no log for me this year. And for Christmas I gave my sweetheart a package of playing cards that he can redeem for an evening with me, at his discretion. I gave my son a guarantee that we would watch at least one movie together a month. That doesn't mean I'm cutting back on work, but I am going to put the logging/blogging time to another use!
Thanks for your support and let me know if you logged. I'd love to hear how it went.
Once February hits, I plan to disseminate my log a little and maybe compose a few letters to arts organizations and funders to let them know what came of it.
All the best in 2012
Ruth
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Thursday, August 4, 2011
It can't be August already!!!
Whoa. The last post was made on June 5 and here I am two full months later. Granted, an entire film festival has come, been enjoyed by many, and gone. Two of four cities on our White Rooster Theatre MONARITA tour are now behind us (albeit with great reviews and an Outstanding Ensemble citation from NOW Magazine in Toronto) and fundraising and publicity for the final two cities is underway. So I've been busy.
What I can tell you is that by the end of June, a lighter month for volunteer hours because there were so many full time work demands (just a measly 23 hours), I had logged a total of 378 hours in the first 6 months of 2011.
July was a similar story to June with 33.5 hours, but I suspect, from what I have noted in the first week alone, that August will see another peak in volunteer activity. Summer days may be hazy but they are far, far from lazy. Catching up on all the promises of "I'll get to that in August" should be incentive enough to get the job underway...
Until then,
Keep on Logging,
Ruth
What I can tell you is that by the end of June, a lighter month for volunteer hours because there were so many full time work demands (just a measly 23 hours), I had logged a total of 378 hours in the first 6 months of 2011.
July was a similar story to June with 33.5 hours, but I suspect, from what I have noted in the first week alone, that August will see another peak in volunteer activity. Summer days may be hazy but they are far, far from lazy. Catching up on all the promises of "I'll get to that in August" should be incentive enough to get the job underway...
Until then,
Keep on Logging,
Ruth
Sunday, June 5, 2011
The Merry Merry Month of May!
It was quite a ride...107.5 hrs. Of course, I was preparing a show that White Rooster, my theatre company, is touring in July to Toronto and Hamilton, but the real value of that tour will have to include 140 volunteer hours between two actors, a stage manager and director. Not only were we rehearsing but also doing production and publicity work (turns out this was a position we really needed!). Good training for the month to come, though.
My job also went full time in mid-April so you have some idea of what kind of time that left for the rest of month. So my prediction for May was dead wrong. But the work got done and there weren't too many sleepless nights!
Let me know what's happening in your log.
All the best,
Ruth
My job also went full time in mid-April so you have some idea of what kind of time that left for the rest of month. So my prediction for May was dead wrong. But the work got done and there weren't too many sleepless nights!
Let me know what's happening in your log.
All the best,
Ruth
Thursday, May 5, 2011
April...a great month for?
April seemed, to me, a blink. Maybe it was election campaigns and royal weddings but I saw just the bare minimum of both, though I was watching the national political scene very closely to see what new surprises would be in store. More on that in the coming months, I'm certain.
I have to acknowledge that MANY, MANY friends were busy volunteering for the campaign of their favourite candidate. For the first time in many years, I was not and it was strange too. Perhaps the unexpected nature of the election call took me by surprise because between travel for work (2 weeks away) and helping to organize fundraisers for theatre companies (three in total!), April left no room for door to door visits.
I salute my friends who ran in this election, especially those entering for the very first time. My friend Nadine Bailey garnered over 10,000 votes. Her first crack at it. I'm very proud of her. My friend Tyrone Benskin ran (I think for the first time also) and was elected! I couldn't vote for either (though my candidate DID win) but I can admire from afar. The demands on their time and commitment over the past 6 weeks must have been enormous to do so well. Congratulations all.
My log tally for April was 59.25 hrs, pale by comparison. That's looking to be about average. My prediction for May is that paid work will reign supreme but you never know...what does your log look like?
I have to acknowledge that MANY, MANY friends were busy volunteering for the campaign of their favourite candidate. For the first time in many years, I was not and it was strange too. Perhaps the unexpected nature of the election call took me by surprise because between travel for work (2 weeks away) and helping to organize fundraisers for theatre companies (three in total!), April left no room for door to door visits.
I salute my friends who ran in this election, especially those entering for the very first time. My friend Nadine Bailey garnered over 10,000 votes. Her first crack at it. I'm very proud of her. My friend Tyrone Benskin ran (I think for the first time also) and was elected! I couldn't vote for either (though my candidate DID win) but I can admire from afar. The demands on their time and commitment over the past 6 weeks must have been enormous to do so well. Congratulations all.
My log tally for April was 59.25 hrs, pale by comparison. That's looking to be about average. My prediction for May is that paid work will reign supreme but you never know...what does your log look like?
Monday, April 18, 2011
The Long Month of Farch!
First, apologies for such a drought of postings. My late music prof at George Brown Theatre School, David Walden used to call the period between February 1 and March 31 the longest month of Farch. He felt it was never-ending because there was no holiday to give you a break from the winter.
Well, there was hardly time to notice the months passing by. Between Christmas and April is becoming the busy time of the year for organizing all the work that will happen in late Spring/Summer, then the Fall is for clearing away and reporting.
Just to update, February's total logged hours was 53.5 and March's total was 61.25. I'm trying to be as accurate as possible within 15 minute increments. Overall, this was pretty average for those months. Of course, I'm writing this near the end of April...
Is anyone else still tallying? I'd love to hear from you. Post here or on the Facebook events page if you prefer. You'll find it on FB under Artist Investment Log as well.
Until then, take care.
Ruth
Well, there was hardly time to notice the months passing by. Between Christmas and April is becoming the busy time of the year for organizing all the work that will happen in late Spring/Summer, then the Fall is for clearing away and reporting.
Just to update, February's total logged hours was 53.5 and March's total was 61.25. I'm trying to be as accurate as possible within 15 minute increments. Overall, this was pretty average for those months. Of course, I'm writing this near the end of April...
Is anyone else still tallying? I'd love to hear from you. Post here or on the Facebook events page if you prefer. You'll find it on FB under Artist Investment Log as well.
Until then, take care.
Ruth
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Starting in the Shortest Month...
Hi Loggers & Bloggers,
I've been noticing the increase in followers and it's great to have you all. This is a good month start a log. It's four weeks with nothing extra tacked on.
Looking at January's total, I was a little surprised. I logged 73.5 hours. That was a bit more than I thought (I expected an average of about 35-40 hours) but there were some regular projects for this time of year. In St. John's, it's the City's Arts Jury deadline. There's also the Women's Work Festival (WFF).
White Rooster Theatre was co-founded with Sherry White ten years ago and operates on a project basis. No sustaining and very little administrative funding but the admin duties-government filing for workers comp, HST, taxes, as well as grant writing and sometimes producing/directing the shows- are usually performed for no pay. For five years, we've co-produced the WWF with She Said Yes! and RCA Theatre. The prep work happens in January for a March festival. Due to guidelines, only one company can apply for funding. The other two companies squeeze the work in alongside other projects and donate time as their contribution. This festival has workshopped 10-12 plays to date with close to 50% getting a production following the festival so it's a good investment of time.
Besides that, there were Board meetings (as chair of Neighbourhood Dance Works), film projects (a short for Rozalind MacPhail's Painted Houses project), auditions, and some other works-in-progress.
A few notes on Month Two:
Now is a great time to log for one month. It takes one minute a day. (I didn't count that minute!) I keep the posts to a minimum but I check them from time to time.
These logs aren't competitive in any way. When I posted my hours last night on the facebook events page, one of the artists joked that she hadn't volunteered enough. Of course if I post my hours it'll look like some kind of benchmark! But I was a little shocked at my total and it may cause me to pull back a bit (that wasn't the idea either) because I do have personal projects and a family that needs attention. So perhaps that's a question. Should I post the total hours each month or not?
Sophie Meyer inspired a good idea- for visual artists to log the dollar value of donated works. An hourly log doesn't work for all disciplines so if you have another suggestion, please share it.
Until March,
Ruth
I've been noticing the increase in followers and it's great to have you all. This is a good month start a log. It's four weeks with nothing extra tacked on.
Looking at January's total, I was a little surprised. I logged 73.5 hours. That was a bit more than I thought (I expected an average of about 35-40 hours) but there were some regular projects for this time of year. In St. John's, it's the City's Arts Jury deadline. There's also the Women's Work Festival (WFF).
White Rooster Theatre was co-founded with Sherry White ten years ago and operates on a project basis. No sustaining and very little administrative funding but the admin duties-government filing for workers comp, HST, taxes, as well as grant writing and sometimes producing/directing the shows- are usually performed for no pay. For five years, we've co-produced the WWF with She Said Yes! and RCA Theatre. The prep work happens in January for a March festival. Due to guidelines, only one company can apply for funding. The other two companies squeeze the work in alongside other projects and donate time as their contribution. This festival has workshopped 10-12 plays to date with close to 50% getting a production following the festival so it's a good investment of time.
Besides that, there were Board meetings (as chair of Neighbourhood Dance Works), film projects (a short for Rozalind MacPhail's Painted Houses project), auditions, and some other works-in-progress.
A few notes on Month Two:
Now is a great time to log for one month. It takes one minute a day. (I didn't count that minute!) I keep the posts to a minimum but I check them from time to time.
These logs aren't competitive in any way. When I posted my hours last night on the facebook events page, one of the artists joked that she hadn't volunteered enough. Of course if I post my hours it'll look like some kind of benchmark! But I was a little shocked at my total and it may cause me to pull back a bit (that wasn't the idea either) because I do have personal projects and a family that needs attention. So perhaps that's a question. Should I post the total hours each month or not?
Sophie Meyer inspired a good idea- for visual artists to log the dollar value of donated works. An hourly log doesn't work for all disciplines so if you have another suggestion, please share it.
Until March,
Ruth
Saturday, January 8, 2011
The Artist's Log for 2011
Over a Christmas coffee meeting with my friend and fellow artist, Beni Malone, we joked about keeping track of all the hours we work without any expectation of getting paid. It might be for fundraisers, board membership or even administration work for our own companies. Suddenly the joke made good sense. Why not keep a log of that time?
It would help me answer those surveys asking me to estimate my volunteer work. The reality is that I want to have a solid answer. Not to brag about it. Not to justify doing less of it. Not to get paid for it. But because I get the feeling, more and more, that we live in a country that EXPECTS artists to work for very little.
At parties, I've had people say things like "well, the best artists rise to the top and if you can't make a living at it, why bother do it? Get a job that pays." My answer is something like "well, my job does pay but it is usually undervalued. Mostly by people who think you can't make a living at it."
In truth, I love the work. Besides money, I get paid with experience and that sometimes leads to another project.
I also love the whole spectrum of art and community and the way those two come together to make beautiful things happen. So I advocate, educate, administrate, organize, lobby, demonstrate, and participate in a wide variety of projects and efforts that are time-worthy. This is my investment in the arts.
I'm not alone. You're probably reading this because you are doing, or have done, the same sorts of things. Our nation actually depends on us to do all this as a labour of love. Survey after survey, study after study shows that artists contribute a good portion of their time and work in a volunteer capacity. We help other artists; we help almost anyone who needs it. When have you attended a fundraiser that didn't have an artwork auction or an artist performance? And that's just the public side of our contributions.
My log is simple. An Excel chart with 4 columns stating the date, the project, who I'm working with/for, and the time spent. At the end of each month, I'll tally them up.
Ann Connors of Magnetic North Theatre Festival suggested I start a blog to track my progress and encourage others to join me. So here it is. My first blog, my first log. I'd be thrilled to have some company on this maiden voyage so sign up and let's figure it out together!
It would help me answer those surveys asking me to estimate my volunteer work. The reality is that I want to have a solid answer. Not to brag about it. Not to justify doing less of it. Not to get paid for it. But because I get the feeling, more and more, that we live in a country that EXPECTS artists to work for very little.
At parties, I've had people say things like "well, the best artists rise to the top and if you can't make a living at it, why bother do it? Get a job that pays." My answer is something like "well, my job does pay but it is usually undervalued. Mostly by people who think you can't make a living at it."
In truth, I love the work. Besides money, I get paid with experience and that sometimes leads to another project.
I also love the whole spectrum of art and community and the way those two come together to make beautiful things happen. So I advocate, educate, administrate, organize, lobby, demonstrate, and participate in a wide variety of projects and efforts that are time-worthy. This is my investment in the arts.
I'm not alone. You're probably reading this because you are doing, or have done, the same sorts of things. Our nation actually depends on us to do all this as a labour of love. Survey after survey, study after study shows that artists contribute a good portion of their time and work in a volunteer capacity. We help other artists; we help almost anyone who needs it. When have you attended a fundraiser that didn't have an artwork auction or an artist performance? And that's just the public side of our contributions.
My log is simple. An Excel chart with 4 columns stating the date, the project, who I'm working with/for, and the time spent. At the end of each month, I'll tally them up.
Ann Connors of Magnetic North Theatre Festival suggested I start a blog to track my progress and encourage others to join me. So here it is. My first blog, my first log. I'd be thrilled to have some company on this maiden voyage so sign up and let's figure it out together!
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