Joe Lott Dance – dance – marketing

Award-winning Choreographer
Arts Marketing
Wellbeing in Dance for Every Body

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Sometimes the only way to enjoy the workout is cof

Sometimes the only way to enjoy the workout is coffee, cat snuggles & a Taylor singalong.
It’s the chin thrust, emotional frowns & pointing for me.

I know, it’s a tragedy I never went into musical theatre right!? Idina Menzel eat your heart out.

That’s it. That’s the post.

Happy Monday y’all.
Do fun things 🥰

Please also prepare a 20 minute presentation which

Please also prepare a 20 minute presentation which should cover; your audience; how you will market to them, how this project will further your creative practice; the value of the arts in a consumer-driven economy; whether dance has a place in a Cartesian worldview; the importance of visualizing your pelvis as a bowl of water; the secret to triple turns; the meaning of life; and a lighting plan.

This is only a slight exaggeration of a gig I once pitched for.

#dancermemes #dancememes #choreographerlife #artsfunding #contemporarydancer #balletmeme #balletmemes #fundingmeme #contemporarydance

In all seriousness, I know venues and arts funders are doing their level best with very limited means and resources.
And I’m grateful.
But sometimes, it do be like this.

(Kind of a serious one today 🤷🏼‍♀️) A

(Kind of a serious one today 🤷🏼‍♀️)

Are you waiting for permission to “be an artist”?

Whose permission?

Do you need their permission?

Could you give yourself permission?

Can you share your creative stuff even though it’s not perfect?
(It will never be perfect.)
Can you share your creativity even though some people don’t like it?
(Not everyone will.)
Could you be creative for yourself, regardless of others’ opinions?

Putting your creativity out there is hard, and it’s scary, but I’ve found it also gets easier and less nerve-wracking with practice.

It helps me to remember I’m not being creative in order to be liked - though that is always nice! But I’m being creative because it brings me joy, peace, and helps me work through my s**t.

And maybe, just maybe, it does the same for some other people who come to see it too.

Being creative is always scary. But personally, I believe everyone has an artist inside them - I think art is an integral part of human nature - there’s not a single culture that doesn’t have art. And so really, being an artist is all of our birth right, and we can be creative in whatever ways we like.
It took me a long time to get to the point of just making my work despite the fear - and at one point I even wrote myself a permission slip 🤣 (credit @elizabeth_gilbert_writer )

So today, I just wanted to wish you a joyful, self-affirming creative practice 💚💚💚

(And all that stuff about only being a “professional artist” if you’re getting paid is nonsense. Money alone is a poor indicator of quality. Did the art move someone, help someone, inspire someone, give someone hope, make
someone feel seen & understood? Those are just as important indicators of quality.)

POST READS: Are you waiting for permission to “be an artist”? Whose permission? [in the foreground green plants are growing and swaying in the breeze]

#artistsupportingartists #choreographerlife #danceforall #braveartist #danceforjoy #creativeinspiration #webelieveinyou

“Is everyone clear? Do you need a mark? No? Grea

“Is everyone clear? Do you need a mark? No? Great, aaaand…”

#dancememes #balletmemes #contemporarydancerlife #idanceinfrench #balletbiscuits #biscuitsforlikes #dancegoals

Seriously tho, ballet folks, did I mess up the spelling? & more importantly, would this combination work? 💚💚💚

You can mute or unfollow if it makes you feel bad.

You can mute or unfollow if it makes you feel bad. It’s your life.
Even if it’s a funder/teacher/artist/choreographer you want to work with - if it’s making you feel bad about yourself, its still wise to mute or unfollow. You’re the expert on you. 😌✨Just saying.

Motivation dipped? Colder weather and shorter days

Motivation dipped? Colder weather and shorter days making it harder to train? Friends in the northern hemisphere, this is totally normal.
Here are some thoughts to help you continue to enjoy your dance/ movement practice, while looking after your well-being and prioritising your happiness. ✨✨✨
(Wild idea, I know!)

Your training and motivation will fluctuate over time, that’s TOTALLY NORMAL. I hope these thoughts help you to keep enjoying your practice, and being kind to yourself when your energy levels dip. 🥰

Let me know if this is useful? What do you find hard about winter training?

#mentalwellbeing #dancerhealth #happydancers #selfkindness #dancecareer

#ad | With my new Turning Off My Phone At Night, I

#ad | With my new Turning Off My Phone At Night, I wake up refreshed, rested and ready for anything. Sleep deeply and greet the day with a smile - link in my bio for a discount code. Try it today. #wellbeing #sleepwell #sleeptight

So much dance training is about achieving goals an

So much dance training is about achieving goals and aims set by those in authority, like our teachers and lecturers. This is necessary, we need to understand dance technique, build strength and coordination, learn how to dance safely. But outside the dance class, there isn’t a program to follow anymore, nothing to measure ourselves against.

This can feel daunting…
Until we remember we can define ‘success’ for ourselves.

If you discover that auditioning/touring/teaching/fundraising/choreographing/etc.
isn’t working for you. It’s okay. You haven’t ‘failed’. You’ve just learned new information.

There are as many ways to have dance in your life as there are dancers and dance-lovers.😉💚

(It only took me 20yrs to figure this one out 🤦🏼‍♀️❤️)

#dancecareer #dancerlife #artistwellbeing #dancerhealth #joyfulartist

What if we left behind the trope of the suffering

What if we left behind the trope of the suffering artist? The starving artist? The struggling creative?
Creative people are allowed pleasure and joy too!
This year I celebrated my birthday with a spa day with the husband 😌 A day of rest, nature, swimming, pleasure.
I’ve found this idea of the suffering artist quite pervasive, particularly in the dance world.
This idea that you’re not a “real artist” if you’re not so passionate and committed to your art that you give your everything to it. I’ve certainly heard it. I’ve been told I’m not a “real artist” because I don’t make all my income from my creative projects. I have a ‘day job’ in marketing that pays the bills, and gives me security, and moments of pleasure and relaxation like this.

I’ve tried giving everything to my art in the past, and I burned out, and I was miserable. I don’t want that for myself, or for other creative people.

We all have the right to define success for ourselves. I’m still an artist, even if I don’t make art full time, or even half the time, or if it sometimes takes a few months or even years for my next creative project to come to fruition.

And this isn’t a “hey look at my perfect life, I’ve got it all figured out” flex. The first thing we did when we arrived at the spa was argue about parking the car 🤷🏼‍♀️

#joyfulcreatives #artistsneedresttoo #carparkarguments #restisproductive

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