ideas – The Artsy Honker

Whose voice, and which wilderness?

Byartsyhonker December 4, 2016 0 Comments

I was dismayed to read the Rt Revd Philip North's article in the Church times on Friday, "Heeding the voices of the popular revolution." He begins well, stating "We need to hear the voices of the poor." I wouldn't dream of disagreeing. But then the Bishop of Burnley makes the same mistake as a number of other commentators: assuming that the votes for Brexit, and the votes for Donald Trump, came...

Working for Exposure

Byartsyhonker November 26, 2015 0 Comments

I see a lot of whingeing about people expecting artists to work “for exposure”. No, you can’t buy a loaf of bread with exposure, and I’m not contesting that. Work is work, and if we’re going to live in a capitalist system where we’re compelled to exchange money for goods and services, we need to pay creative people money for the work that they do. (Hint: most of us don’t get much...

Art is not a democracy.

Byartsyhonker April 28, 2014 3 Comments

A friend and I have been e-mailing back and forth about some issues at her church -- the usual sort of thing, some members of the congregation being unhappy with the style of music chosen by the organist, others being unhappy about it in the other direction, trying to keep everyone happy. Harsh words have been exchanged, and the organist has been accused of undermining the church by "driving...

Music and Livelihood

Byartsyhonker February 4, 2014 3 Comments

I am not going to be able to work as a performer for the rest of my life. There are a number of reasons for this, and none of them are up for discussion in this post, but my current strategy is not working and is unsustainable. However, I am a musician through and through: when I am not making music I am pretty miserable. So I've been thinking lately about how to make a living as a musician,...

Concentration, Flow and Procrastination

Byartsyhonker November 9, 2013 1 Comment

Over at "Wait but Why" there are a couple of excellent posts on procrastination and how to overcome it. If you procrastinate, or you are continually frustrated by those who do, I commend these posts to you: they explain the experience of procrastination well, and the strategy suggested to overcome it is sound enough, if not a complete toolkit. I do have an issue with the portrayal of the state of...

Love something? Pass it on.

Byartsyhonker November 1, 2013 0 Comments

There is a certain Christian festival looming on the horizon, one often associated with the giving of gifts. Most of us don't need more stuff. Many of us are struggling with finances. So here's a gift idea that is economical and personal: Find some good music on Bandcamp that is "Pay What You Want" and released under an appropriate Creative Commons license. Pay what you can, and download it. Take...