How to Do Great Creative Work without Selling Out

A salon on Creativity, Genius and The Gift & Market Economies, hosted by Bryan Kam, Nasos Papadopoulos, and Isabela Granic.

Many of us have a deep need to do creative work which we believe in — but this kind of expression does not naturally pay the bills. In this wide-ranging salon, Bryan Kam, Nasos Papadopoulos, and Isabela Granic will co-host a discussion on how to meet this need while still getting paid enough to thrive, without “selling out.”

What are the pros and cons of selling our work directly to the market? Does the equation change if it’s sold through an agent or intermediary? Does money change incentives or taint the artistic process?

Is it a viable strategy to work a conventional job, to support creative work on the side? Is it possible to muster enough energy and resources to do both in a sustainable way? Is creativity sacred? What does this mean for how it is shared or sold? Are there things that should never be commodified?

Does the market reward the best creative work — or just the best marketing ability? Why is it so hard to promote our own work even when we know it’s good? What are the implications of this tension for the emerging creator economy?

And finally is seeking patronage strictly a Renaissance phenomenon, or might it still be possible today?

Join us for a unique salon on creativity, genius and the Gift & Market economies, where there will be plenty of opportunities to share your own creative & commercial struggles with the group.

Resources

• Creativity, Genius and The Gift & Market Economies — Nasos Papadopoulos, MetaLearn Podcast
• Shklovsky/Little Gidding — Bryan Kam, Clerestory Podcast
• Thread: Viktor Shklovsky on the Goal of Art — Bryan Kam
• Thread: How do we do creative work that we love and believe in while getting paid enough to thrive, WITHOUT  “selling out”? – Isabela Granic
• The Gift by Lewis Hyde — Anita Sethi, The Guardian, book review

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