Ted Talk Tuesday #67: Why must artists be poor?

Watching TED Talks is a popular pastime at CN&CO. We visit TED.com regularly to clear our heads, have a laugh or get inspired. TED Talks open our minds, spark new ways of thinking and can lead to some very interesting conversations. Each week we pick a favourite and publish it on a Tuesday, because we like how “TED Talk Tuesday” sounds. This week’s talk was selected by Rikus Kok. Here’s why he chose it…

 I studied musical theatre at TUT in Pretoria along with some amazing artists back in 2011. When we started with our MT course we had the hopes and dreams that we all would be very successful in the entertainment industry. I for one thought by studying musical theater would broaden my chances of getting work easier as the course is a three in one – drama, dancing and acting. I was very honored to have done some great shows all over the world in a very short time after finishing my first year at the MT department. Finishing off with a UK and Ireland tour of Show Boat the musical for Cape Town Opera.

Lots of artists, not only in South Africa but all over the world have to have some sort of plan B on the side that can bring in some money to pay the bills while you are auditioning and waiting for the next contact to come in. The sad part is that for many of these artists their plan B become their plan A just because there really isn’t enough entertainment jobs for everyone and they end up in marketing, sales, education and other fields.

By watching this TED talk you will see what a massive contribution the arts make to the economy. But we need more corporates, government and donors to push more money into the arts in general. This will help to change the dream into a reality where artists will be able to focus on creating more jobs than looking for work themselves and wondering how they will pay for their bills.

For me it was never a decision to stop performing, one thing just lead to another and when I blinked my eyes I was part of a team opening a brand new company called CN&CO. Nearly four years later and we are still going strong. I am very happy and proud to be part of such an amazing team.

I would like to encourage everyone that reads this to go and have a look at what productions are coming to a theatre near you. Buy a ticket and enjoy a night out with a loved one or some friends. By doing this you will only relax and forget about all the stress in your day to day life for an hour or so, but also make a contribution in the right direction for the arts in our country.

Enjoy…