October 1, 2019  • Newsletter

Pop Quiz: What is your favorite season?

Mine is fall, hands down. I love the crisp air, I love the blue skies, and I love the changing leaves. I love the juxtaposition between cool air and sunshine, I love the lengthening nights full of stars, and I cannot get enough apples this season. (But keep your pumpkin flavoring. You can have it.)

This season also represents the beginning of the end, of sorts. 2019 is winding down. Most of what will have happened this year has already happened (or is already scheduled). You probably have a fairly good idea of what your income and expense picture will look like for the year, and it is almost time to start thinking about 2020.

But not quite.

Don’t rush through this last quarter of 2019. Go to an event. Reconnect with a colleague. Attend a conference. Learn something new. Read something unexpected. Dream about something you’d like to do next year without worrying about figuring out how to make it happen.

Soon enough we’ll be filing tax forms from 2019, looking back on actual results, and reassessing pricing strategies for the new year.

But for now, just enjoy the present. I know I am.

What We’re Doing

October always seems to be a busy month, and this October is no exception.

  • Watch for us visiting New Philadelphia, Ohio to join the Tuscarawas Arts Partnership for its Artists Thrive series.
  • Tune in to our third (and final) webinar for the Tamarack Foundation for the Arts in West Virginia.
  • If you are in and around Delaware, join us at the Delaware Division of the Arts‘s Biannual Summit to learn more about creative empowerment through money.
  • Or, if you’re in and around Indiana, we’ll be hanging out at the Indiana Arts Commission‘s Homecoming event, both to visit with On-Ramp alumni and to talk about financial statements in a not-for-profit setting.

And of course, we haven’t forgotten about the students.

  • Cleveland Institute of Music is hosting a day of creative entrepreneurship during their fall break, led by yours truly.
  • And of course, my students at CCAD continue to thrive this semester.

If you are active in the arts entrepreneurship space, you may want to check out the Society for Arts Entrepreneurship Educators‘s annual conference. It’s coming up this month in Ames, Iowa, and I’ll be there talking about how we’ve measured success in creative entrepreneurship. (Spoiler alert: It’s a super cool learning experience + ongoing support + funding through IAC.)

And between trips and workshops and webinars, we’re still finding time to offer one-on-one support to clients, including:

  • Theatre Communication Group‘s 2019 Fellowship Recipients
  • Bloomberg Philanthropy‘s Arts Innovation & Management program advisees
  • A handful of other favorite individuals we have the pleasure of working with.

October Tasks

So what does all of that mean? I for one am staying focused on the present. I’m watching leaves. I’m adding layers to my wardrobe. I’m slowing down, even as life speeds up.

Here’s hoping you are doing the same this month.

~Elaine





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