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Artist Pat Shelton shares how she finds work life balance by having partners who believe in you and compliment your skills.

Sara Slawnik, Director of Programs at 3Arts, shares about their focus on supporting diverse voices in the artist community with an emphasis on women artists, artists of color, and artists with disabilities.

Artist Asia Freeman describes how she has learned to embrace the act of juggling all of the different things she needs to thrive.

Artist Andrea Chung describes how essential it is to have a strong support system in order to have balance, especially as a mom and an artist.

Michael Dickins describes how he strives to be an advocate for artists getting paid for what they do for both himself as an artist and also in his position as a curator and gallery director at a university. He also shares how he is working to build a network of other curators in academic settings to dialogue about the wide variance in pay across the nation and how they can advocate for national standards and practices.

Artist Dylan Neuwirth describes his experience advocating for artists to charge a living wage, and also offers advice for artists on establishing their rates.

by Gabriela Muñoz When I first began my work in the AZ ArtWorker program I was really looking forward to engaging multiple communities in Douglas. The launch of the program, which took place in this city was immensely successful and so my expectations when we opened registration for an asset mapping and community organizing convening were high. Only a week away from the program, we only had 3 registrants. To say that I was worried is an understatement. We engaged Dr. Maribel Alvarez who works with communities in Tucson and engages with the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture and we were responding to requests from artists and community organizers in organizing this type of workshop, so we assumed that the program would be a welcomed offering. On the morning of the workshop, held on a Saturday morning, in a local coffee shop, several community leaders and artists slowly tricked in to participate in the workshop. Out of the 9 participants who joined us that day, we hosted the new Mayor, the Douglas Hispanic Chamber Membership Director, members of the Douglas Community Coalition, a realtor and several artists; in short, community members who are devoted to making a marked and profound change in the way in which the arts can be engaged to creatively problem-solve the different challenges being faced by Douglas’ communities. It was that morning that I realized that what might make me comfortable as an arts administrator (high numbers and early registration) is not something I would find in Douglas. Registration is not a good indicator of what participation will be and the only way to get the word out is by directly communicating with multiple and varied stakeholders. Flexibility and being comfortable with the unknown up to the last minute have marked the only strategy that has worked in serving and working with Douglas. At the end of the day, Maribel's workshop engaged these leaders in active dialogue with one another, something that doesn’t always happen even in this small rural community. The engagement also served to connect them with a national leader in community organizing, who conveniently, is also their neighbor. When the day’s work was finished, we all shared a meal in an adjacent restaurant, breaking bread and sharing stories.

Ewa Szypula describes how changing the way she talks to herself by using the language of a producer and not a procrastinator has improved the way she thinks about choices, money and work.

Artist Amy Meisner relays a story about an experience that taught her when to walk away and cut her losses when a situation isn’t working out.

Tessa Dallarosa from Laramie, Wyoming describes how, as an artist working in a rural setting, social media is one of her biggest resources for connecting with a broader community, and yet, how she struggles with the inherent challenges of social media as well.

Artist Thomas Chung shares how he determines what to charge for his artwork and the importance of charging a price that makes you happy. He also relays his experience being chased by a polar bear, just for good measure.

Springboard's Rural Program office in Fergus Falls, MN creates permanent local resources that are 1) local adaptations of our urban offerings 2) new programs based on the needs and assets of the community. Because artists have regular, ongoing access (beyond just a staff member that drops in a few times a year) they are more engaged, more able to shape programming and have an entirely different quality of relationship with the organization and services.