The Untamed Tiger: Commision vs. Self-Initiated

This year one of the forum's that I attended  was a response to the public forum headed by http://www.theaoi.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=100&Itemid=1 Amelia Johnstone with guest speakers Jonathon Rosen, Graham Rawle, Bill Bragg, Matthew Richardson, Anna Bhushan, Andrew Foster and David Kerr. Jumping off from a transcript of what they said, my classmates, Tash Greenhalgh and Bert Gatens chaired the one I attended.Tash's opinion is that commision work is best for those starting out, young and want to make a name for themselves, However they should also find the time to work on their personal stuff.

I agree and I do think commision based work gives you experience which is needed for those who start out but the way I like to see it is that personal work that is self-initiated is a lot like street performances and commision is more like a venue, a musician could get picked up by a producer in both circumstances and that's how they measure their success. Experience is experience and a gig is a gig, doesn't mean they are not hard working, there are those who mix music in their basement too and use the internet as a platform in this day of age.

I believe a balance is needed and I pay very much close attention to how many artist and film makers work. In the end it also comes down to chance, too much of commsion work would bore me and so would too much self-initiated but sometimes we have to adapt to what chance is given to us in that moment of time and it could be dependant on the economy or your brand. Adaptability is key and it is important to change our method if we are not successful.