The truth was - it was world famous violinist Joshua Bell playing a 3 and 5 million dollar violin. Most of his concerts are sold out shows averaging a $100 a ticket.
Most independent filmmakers, actors, writers and more can identify with the perception of the starving artist. Once thought of as creative vagrants maxing out credit cards to finish a project and beholden to the man known as the Hollywood studio system, these newly empowered artists’ identities are changing. The DIY and DIWO Movements are enabling us to raise money through sites like Kickstarter, IndieGoGo, Crowdrise, and Biracy. Equipment that produces a quality product is more readily available and cheaper than before. We can post our finished films and merchandise for sale from our very own sites. We are able to build our own branding and audience through social media and the spreading of our content.
In short, as hard as it is to generate the buzz about a project, now more than ever before we are able to create our own following, without the permission of the traditional gatekeepers. The perception of a helpless, starving artist is changing.
In keeping with the idea of self-empowerment in unconventional ways, our quote of the week comes from Jim Rohn, entrepreneur, motivational speaker, and writer.
Rohn says:
“Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.”
