Paperwork - the Word with
Heather René Dunaway
March 2025
It’s funny. All month long I have been racking my Annual Awards riddled brain to think of something to write for my monthly word this month. I go to two meetings this morning at two different locations and we both got on the same tangent about the importance of planning, follow-through and paperwork.
Boring, I know.
But you know what? I might not be a “what’s your favorite dinosaur” conversation, but it’s a valid and true one. Paperwork is so important.
Not all artists have that mindset. I get it. I too would rather focus on the making of my art, but without the business side of things, the art wouldn’t go anywhere. You have to document, you have to make spreadsheets, you have to have a paper trail. As boring as it might be. Especially if you have a big project or event on your horizon.
The amount of times I’ve had someone reach out with a great idea they want to make happen but have a poor plan of how to make it work. “I want to go to the moon.” “Nice! What have you done to get ready for your trip?” “…I have to get ready?” – has been the general consensus in how those conversations go.
So, what’s the best foot forward when you have this grand idea for an arts event? WHIP THAT CALENDAR OUT. Get the paperwork started. Create an excel spreadsheet. Start asking questions. Is this too big for me to handle? Do I need a partner? What’s my budget? Where is the funding coming from? What contracts do I need to create? What permissions do I need signed? Do I need a license for this? Then, you get your check list going with some tangible due dates to accomplish your tasks.
Make it pretty later, it just has to exist first. Get all the ugly stuff out of the way so you can focus on the fun part – the art part.
For example, the Annual Awards event. Folks have been raving about this year’s celebration being the best yet, but what they didn’t see was all the desk work that came before it.
We had to secure a venue and date. We opened nominations. We gathered a jury to go through those nominations. We had to book caterers. We had pick a vibe. Then we had to create a mega-slide show. We scheduled, laid out and designed the program. We had to create ad campaigns, sign-up forms, registrations. We had to rally to sell tables and chairs. We had to fundraiser. We had to order the awards. We had to get licenses. We had to hire staff. We had to secure volunteers. That’s all just leading up to the event. We started that process MONTHS before the actual event.
Unfortunately, you can’t just say you want to throw a party for 200 guests and have it happen the next day (unless you want to die trying). The liquor license alone might take 3 months.
I’m in the same boat in planning for the Bots on Broad Project. We have to get contracts and agreements signed. Get approval. Fundraise. So much goes into getting something big of the ground. Hey, you should donate so we can make these bots – thanks: https://augustaarts.info/Donate-Bots-On-Broad.
So, get that boring paperwork ready. Yah just gotta.
-Heather