#annadevearesmith

To start my journey, it is important to know where I am at. Periodically, I will post to-do lists to document the different tasks I must do to advance my career as an artist. It will also help me evaluate what I will need to prioritize and understanding how much time and work a task may require. Unfortunately, it's not all art all the time, but it is about practicing creativity and imagination in everything that I do. This will include grant writing, marketing, developing partnerships, and everything other skills an artist must have in their tool belt. It's also important to identify things that I am just not good at, like web design or graphic design. It is something I know I will need to hire an expert for. 

Word of advice from Anna:

Always find out how things work. You must balance that with your desire to focus on your art and keep it "pure."

To-Do's

Writing for the Riff Lab

Review RFP for Zellerbach Family Foundation and TBA Ca$h Grant. 

Review Mommy Queerest script and identify areas I want to work on. 

Review Mommy Queerest budget and meeting notes. 

Start the Art of Hustle's Smartest Artist's Kit

My name is Kat Evasco and I am an emerging artist at the very transitional age of 29. I am a performing artist and a stand up comic with a full time job as a Production Manager at the one of the top arts non-profits in the country. I am fortunate to work for an organization that encourages and honors my artistic passions, and furthermore, provides me opportunities to develop my career as an artist. This past summer, I was given the opportunity to take a seven-day Acting and Empathy: Intensive Acting  Workshop with Anna Deveare Smith. I tremble from my core, feeling and believing that this came at the perfect time in my life. I am ready to tip the balance in favor of my artistic exploration and development. 

After having such a profound experience during the workshops, I decided to continue the mentorship I experienced with Anna, even if she is not fully aware of this. That sounded like a very stalker-ish statement, but let me explain. Since I met Anna in June, she has been all over the place! From the Ideas Festival in Aspen to being awarded the National Medal of Arts and Humanities by President Obama. She is an extraordinary human being creating extraordinary work that makes a difference in the world we live in. I may not be able to get a hold of her every time I need some advice, but she did write a bunch of letters to me (an every other artist who have read that book or need to now). 

Anna Deveare Smith wrote a book titled, letters to a young artist, published in 2006. I began reading it during my vacation on a flight between San Antonio, Texas and San Francisco. After reading the first 60 pages, I couldn't help but get this feeling like, I need to do something. Now, that something wasn't, "I should write a blog responding to the letters." It was more like, "Oh shit, I need to get my shit together." I feel very strongly that this book may have a lot of answers to many asked and unasked questions I have, especially as I make a larger commitment to living my life as an artist. As I read these letters, Anna will be mentoring me. To do my part as a mentee, I will be tracking my progress through the course of... an indefinite amount of time. I could finish the book in two days, but it may take me two years to implement advice that are a little more timeline specific. 

Nothing holds me accountable like my own fear of public embarrassment. I am not embarrassed to fail, even in front of people. If anything, I would be incredibly embarrassed if I did not pursue my career as an artist wholeheartedly. This is my public, yet very personal commitment to my craft and my own enterprise. Writing this blog will help me be more accountable to my goals while documenting my journey as an emerging artist.

Anna wrote this book, which consists of a series of letters to an imaginary young artist she refers to as BZ. I'm not sure why she chose 'BZ,' but I'll roll with it. I am a BZ that Anna has called out when she wrote, "I am addressing you if you are interested in change, in social change, and if you see yourself, potentially, as one of the guardians of the human spirit. In fact, I'm not just addressing you; I am calling you out - asking you to make yourself visible." Here I am! I am proud to be one of Anna Deveare Smith's BZ's.