16th Annual Self-Employment in the Arts Conference

February has been a rollercoaster of a month: finalizing speakers and performers for TEDxColumbiaCollegeChicago, completing a development internship at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and launching the first collaborative performance of my entrepreneurial venture, The Detroit Sessions. So it’s no surprise that I found a conference to not only attend, but also to participate in.

Fellow second year MAM colleague Shifra Whiteman and I traveled to the Chicago suburbs to participate in the Self-Employment in the Arts (SEA) Conference, an event that helps artists become exposed and connected to experts in the performing, literary, media and visual fields.

Shifra and I each participated in either a session or contest that the SEA conference was hosting. Shifra had the privilege of being selected as one of six participants to speak in the Student Entrepreneurial Panel. This panel included current full-time students from across the country who shared their creative businesses, strategies for running a business while in college, and tips from the lessons they have learned.

Shifra’s creative business is Pintl + Keyt, a contemporary ready-to-wear fashion line that is passionate about bold prints and ethical manufacturing practices. Through the student panel, Shifra was able to express her enthusiasm about fair-trade fashion while sharing stories about the many challenges and successes she’s had in the process of launching her entrepreneurial venture.

Pintl + Keyt’s table setup at the conference

SEA hosts an Idea Pitch Competition, a contest geared towards creatives who are starting their own businesses in the visual, performing, literary or media arts. As a finalist in this contest, I delivered a two-minute pitch about The Detroit Sessions to a panel of nine judges. While I didn’t win the first place prize, the experience was 100% worth it. The opportunity allowed me to share my story about The Detroit Sessions and, ultimately, inform the audience about the stigmas (i.e. elite, exclusive, expensive) still associated today with the classical performing arts.

This contest provided an opportunity to enhance my public speaking and community engagement skills, which are sometimes hard to hone within the walls of a classroom. For those interested or already undergoing the entrepreneurial business venture, I highly recommend applying to the Idea Pitch Competition at next year’s conference.

Myself (far left) with the Idea Pitch Competition judges and finalists