We all have heard the news about Rishi Sunak and other MPs implying that people in the arts should retrain. There are multiple problems with this.
Problem 1 is that the statement is insulting and patronising. People like me have trained all their lives to become a musician, artist, dancer, actor etc. The last thing that we want to here is that it was all for nothing.
Problem 2 is that even if we applied for jobs outside our field, most employers don’t know how transferrable our skills are. So, with that in mind, I thought I would make it very clear to employers (from the point of view of a musician but applies to all):
-Training all of our lives to do what we do (Commitment to craft)
-Having to deal with difficult clients at functions. (Know how to work with people)
Playing in ensemble orientated events since a young age (Great Teamwork)
Practicing our craft every waking hour we can (Perfectionist)
Driving 6 hours to do a 2 hour gig, paying £200. (Commitment to craft)
Trying to make ends meet in a very unstable industry (Economical)
Dealing with drunken wedding guests wanting to request “Wonderwall” for the 1000th time. (Ability to improvise)
Working unsociable hours and telling your friends that although it is the weekend, you cannot go out due to work. (Commitment and Honesty)
Constantly pushing yourself so that you can get to the next level. (Ambitious)
Dealing with crippling anxiety and depression, whilst putting on a brave face and playing a concerto/acting in a play to thousands of people. (Shows drive, knows how to get the job done)
Dealing with people who say “what do you do for a proper job?” (Has great self control, knows how to work with people)
Seeming confident, when in fact, you are not confidence whatsoever. (has great sales techniques)
Knows how to do 3 different gigs in 3 different locations, in 3 different genres in a single day. (ability to cope with anything, intelligent, ambitious, committed to craft)
Will never say no to a gig unless absolutely necessary (very accommodating)
-Knows how to get a tax return done 10 minutes before the deadline (knows how to work under pressure)
-Being asked to turn up to a rehearsal and play something you already know and have played 100s of times, for the sake of management. (Patience!)
To be honest, I could go on forever. The fact is, people in the Arts Industry are probably the most employable people on the planet and many people wouldn’t put up with the stuff we have to go through on a daily basis. As Michael Mcintyre once said, you don’t go up to a receptionist after their shift and say “MORE- DO MORE PHOTOCOPYING”.
Let me tell you a story: Last year, I got called to do my first film and work on my first tv series. They were back to back but I didn’t plan it to be as hectic as it turned out. On the Wednesday, I got messaged that there was a re-write of the film and everything we did had to be done again. I worked all day in a school on the Thursday, then worked until 10pm on the film. On the Friday, I worked all day on the film, and then got another last minute session through for the Sunday. Saturday, I worked all day, had a function gig, got back at 2am and worked all night for the Sunday session. Delivered parts and scores on the Sunday, then worked all day and night to get the film done. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday were the film sessions. Thursday and Friday were the TV orchestrating days. By the next Saturday, I was out cold on my bed having had very little sleep for days! Yes, one could argue that I put my mental health in Jeopardy doing this schedule, but on the other hand, I’m just showing you what we have to go through sometimes, just to make enough money to make the rent. No other profession would dare work like this.
So, is the arts industry viable? My answer: Yes, it is more viable than most businesses and you would find it hard to find a harder working profession. I am so proud to be part of this profession, and a community full of life, joy and love. Should I retrain? Bollocks to that. I think that MPs should retrain as musicians. They might get some stuff done, and will realise that saying the arts is unviable is as stupid as it sounds.
We are Music, Dance, Drama, Technical Theatre, and so much more. We are the sound of the radio in the morning, to the lullaby at night. We are fringe theatre, open air theatre, Areas, West End Theatre, Concert Halls. We are everything that is good in this world. We are life. G x #wemakeevents #wearelivemusic