Build your story where you are
Shakespeare didn’t open in twenty countries.
He had one theater and one audience. The people cherished his art, the artist cherished their attention, and together they made something magical.
That’s something I always wanted for myself. A homebase. A platform where I could hone my voice, grow my network and build my story. A place where I commune with my neighbors and lock into the historical, societal and institutional frameworks of my creative world. The word that come to mind was fixture, meaning someone firmly set in place that has been present for a long time and will continue to be so in years to come.
However, I knew that nobody was going to just give that to me. There was no sanctioning body desperately searching for a local songwriter to take residency.
And so, I decided to hire myself. To create my own platform out of whole cloth. I took my guitar to the park and started busking under the historic arch. Same place, same time, every week. Even in the winter.
And people started taking notice.
Soon, through a consistent presence and constant word of mouth, my name started to become associated with that place. And after about a year of singing songs under that arch, I had become a permanent fixture in the neighborhood. I had officially incorporated myself into the community, creating an expectation and a mythology and a ritual around my performances.
Hence, this documentary.
Proving, that you don’t need to wait for permission to create your own opportunity, build your own leverage and grow your own momentum.
Just hire yourself. Stick around and continue to do what you do, and eventually the right people will find you.
What stage could you commandeer and convert into a home for your creativity?