{"id":650,"date":"2015-03-20T22:23:35","date_gmt":"2015-03-21T02:23:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/marketingtrw.com\/blog\/?p=650"},"modified":"2015-03-20T22:34:18","modified_gmt":"2015-03-21T02:34:18","slug":"make-art-make-money-by-elizabeth-hyde-stevens-book-review-highlights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marketingtrw.com\/blog\/make-art-make-money-by-elizabeth-hyde-stevens-book-review-highlights\/","title":{"rendered":"Make Art Make Money by Elizabeth Hyde Stevens Book Review & Highlights"},"content":{"rendered":"

Make Art Make Money<\/a><\/h2>\n

Elizabeth Hyde Stevens<\/a>\u00a0| ISBN: 1477817387 &\u00a0978-1477817384\u00a0| Finished: 1\/2015 | Rating: 9\/10<\/p>\n

Make Art Make Money Summary<\/h2>\n

Make Art Make Money<\/a> by Elizabeth Hyde Stevens<\/a> is a gem of a book. Before reading Elizabeth’s book I didn’t know much about Jim Henson’s life and career. After reading it I feel like I went along on his journey. I followed his transformation from humble beginnings to one of the most well known artists of the modern era. If you are an artist or creative trying to make a living off your art it is a must read. This wonderful biography will change your mind about what is possible for creatives.<\/p>\n

Here are\u00a0some things I found especially interesting in the book.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

1. Success takes hard work<\/h2>\n
\"It<\/a>

Photo by jdhancock<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Jim Henson<\/a> was not only a great artist he was also a smart businessman. He built an empire with the Muppets<\/a> and Sesame Street<\/a>, amassing a net worth of $150 million before his death, and he did it without sacrificing his vision. How did he do it? One thing you must realize is creating great art takes not only a lot of time but some luck as well.<\/p>\n

As Stevens says “[I]f you\u2019re wondering why, as the song goes, you haven\u2019t made it yet, perhaps you just haven\u2019t earned it yet.” You need to make your time count. You must give “total self-sacrifice and servitude” towards your art if you want to succeed.<\/p>\n

The problem with most creatives is they want instant success. There is not a single self-made person in this world who has achieved success without putting in the work. Those instant successes are likely the results of years of hard work.<\/p>\n

Henson became a puppeteer because a children’s show came to his high school looking for pupeteers. He won the audition and taught himself how to be a pupeteer. While on the show, producers from another network saw his work and hired him. This may seem like an instant success story, but it neglects all the hard work that went into achieving this success.<\/p>\n

Henson honed his craft on the first show he worked on and he was eventually given his own show Sam and Friends<\/a>. Even though the show was only five minutes long, he worked all day to create them. He worked endlessly on his craft and even stepped into the control room to learn from the technicians. Sam and Friends was also the birth place of the world’s most famous frog, Kermit<\/a>.<\/p>\n

2. Surround yourself with like minded people<\/h2>\n
\"Surround<\/a>

Photo by aalto-cs<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Often times artists want to live alone on an island. They believe their best work only comes when they do everything themselves. This is the opposite of Jim Henson.Henson encouraged collaboration and play into his efforts to bring about his best work. He realized that he couldn’t do it all on his own.<\/p>\n

Henson had great power, but it came from generosity. As Stevens described it, “If you want a job like Henson\u2019s, you need to give someone else a job.” Henson’s work required collaboration and as an audience we can feel the joy of his team of people working well together.<\/p>\n

During one stint on Sam and Friends, Henson took a six week trip to Europe to get away from all of the work he was putting in. The remarkable thing is, the show didn’t stop when he left. The reigns were handed over to Jane. Upon coming back from his stay in Europe, he learned he could step back and rely on others. The show was bigger than him, and Jane’s work proved that to him. He also realized that he was meant to be with Jane\u00a0and they would later get married.<\/p>\n

“Henson\u2019s marriage effectively set the tone for the kind of relationship he would cultivate with his next employees\u2014 that of partnership, family, and brotherhood.”<\/p>\n

The teams Henson created for each of his projects were good because he found the right people. Instead of choosing the best or most qualified candidates, Henson chose people he knew would fit his crew. He even hired people who had never pupeteered before.<\/p>\n

For Fraggle Rock<\/a>, Henson hired actors, jugglers, and mime artists to work on the show. He wasn’t just looking for people who were good puppeteers, he was looking for people with a sense of humor and a spark. According to one account, the auditions felt “relaxed and low-key.” They were filled with a lot of laughs. Puppeteering can be taught, having a passion and a love for your work can not.<\/p>\n

The people Henson hired also had to be passionate about their work. Every artist’s goal is to make something good. When you are working day and night “the line between job and life is indistinguishable.” Most artists work to create something great, to become a master at their craft. This was especially true for the teams Henson assembled.<\/p>\n

The point is, Henson wanted people who could both have fun and be passionate about their work. He wanted to surround himself with people who were like him.<\/p>\n

3. Henson funded his art by making commercials<\/h2>\n