So this month I’d like to open up a discussion on Art & Activism, or “Artivism” (I would like to say I coined this term but a quick search on google would deny me this claim to fame and so I will settle for “I thought it up all by myself!”). Those of you who are familiar with my work would probably agree that activism is pretty important to me but I do believe there is a line that must be toed between sharing ones views and outright preaching, though this is a line I find is often blurred because where I may take something to be absolute truth, others might not. I believe there is also a danger of alienating an audience with beliefs they might find overwhelming, so I believe a balance must be struck between infusing work with personal political beliefs, international truths and calls to action.

As I am passionate about being a humanitarian, sharing humanities stories and information as a way of increasing collective power to motivate dissent, I work hard at infusing my shows and performances with some sort of message. That I make this statement at all would have some people crying out “left wing extremist hippy!” and, well, since the centre has moved so far to the right, there might be some truth in that tag.

Which leads me to an article I read recently. A friend of mine posted this article on my Facebook wall and I loved every sentence and every sentiment. Essentially Chris Hedges believes it is the role of artists to commentate on, challenge and rebel against the establishment. I have to say, I agree with him whole heartedly. Currently, we live in a system that rewards greed, frowns upon empathy and demands mass consumption. We exist to work in order to buy and this is what our frail economy relies on. Those of us who don’t contribute in the same manner are seen as worthless, lazy, strange or downright threatening to other peoples ways of life – which, by the by is just crazy talk.

I used to think, that if I tried to live my life a certain way, it would be enough. Enough for what? Enough to at least minimise my contribution to the madness that humanity has become (always has been?) that I could try to evolve as an individual and this would somehow make the world a better place. I no longer believe this. Now, I believe it is the duty of the artist to actively educate, persuade and stimulate dialogue that spreads truth and seeks justice. Even with different absolute truths, there must be some truths that hold for all of humanity – the right to safety, the right to water, the right to shelter, the right to food, the right to compassion, the right to empathy – essentially, the right for all of humanity to exist in the same way the majority in western countries do. (“WHAT?? That’s a wild idea! What are you? A socialist or something? That shit doesn’t work – look at Cuba! They couldn’t get it right! You’d all end up smoking weed, getting drunk. Nothing would get done! Your Utopia can’t ever eventuate!”)

Whilst parts of Europe cry out for help from the burden of the Global Financial Crisis, Central, East and West Africa have descended into full blown famine once again and other parts of the world are struggling under the weight of their own economic situations, it’s hard to fathom that there are more millionaires and billionaires than ever before. The disparity between rich and poor has become so extreme that it now exceeds those during the 16th century between landlords and peasants. Should I remain silent?

Australia has become nothing more than a large quarry from which to scrape carbon producing energy, most of that money remaining in the grubby paws of two extremely wealthy and greedy individuals. Should my work not reflect this?

More refugees are fleeing wars created by nations intent on pillaging what is not theirs, and we turn them away at our borders (or worse, allow them to drown). What is my obligation as an artist?

I will not continue to list the absolutely depressing state the world is currently in, but I will say this: I feel eternally lucky and guilty that I was born in a nation of plenty. I feel eternally ashamed by the conduct of my government and the governments of other countries and will openly state they do nothing in my name – this thing they call democracy is a sham (more money = more votes). Lastly, the fact that greed is sanctified by law when it comes to corporations will ultimately be what leads us down the path of disaster – and revolution.

I know these are some pretty big statements to be making, and I’ve thought long and hard about what the role of artists (and “Artivism”) is and so I’m making this blog a call to arms for all artists and supporters of the arts to help me write the “Artivism” manifesto. What do you believe the obligation of artists to be? No matter their medium, in this day and age where the voice of the little people is no longer heard (or in worse swayed with misinformation) what philosophy or ethos do you think the artist should live and practice by? Send me your suggestions to candy@candyroyalle.com or list them here as comments and come August I will propose this collective manifesto as something we artists may collectively choose to live by.

Peace & Respect,

Candy Royalle

During my work I come into contact with so many amazing, creative individuals from all disciplines – and they are really amazing. Incredible artists who spend their time giving birth to new, innovative work that inspires, educates and stimulates. From performance artists to visual artists, musicians to writers, I get to meet and work with some of the most incredible beings on this planet. But most suffer from the same illness that being an artist in this country can cause: poverty.

When I talk about this with people, they are usually pretty empathetic but one thing that comes up again and again is that we should supplement our artistic endeavors with a “real job”. For those of you out there who think along these lines, I want to paint a picture of what it actually takes to be a full time artist. ??We all run our own small business, that means that far from simply sitting around, smoking joints, sipping latte’s and talking about Kafka, we actually have to do some of the most mundane but labour intensive stuff – of course, there are moments where we do the above, like anyone else, but that time is much less than you might think. We don’t have a regular income, so we must generate that work ourselves. Generating that work is no different to what other small businesses must do. We have to create marketing strategies, implement them, apply for grants (these take hours and are much like winning the lottery), create and run events (which of course have their own long list of mundane tasks), maintain financials like profit and loss statements, network (constantly), make millions of telephone calls (sometimes I feel like I work in my own little call centre), produce proposals, and do other admin stuff. I know I speak on behalf of most creatives when I say that my working day is usually 10 -12 hours. And it doesn’t stop because of the weekend. In fact, it intensifies – that’s when we do what we do best: perform, exhibit, etc. And, somehow, whilst doing all this, we still have to find time to actually create.

Now, don’t get me wrong – I love what I do. Absolutely. And I simply can’t see myself doing anything else, but it seems crazy to me that I have to go into combat constantly against other extremely talented artist to try and secure tiny amounts of funding. And we all deserve it. I know that when I submit a grant application that I am competing with a vast pool of very creative people – people who deserve that money just as much as me.

In a system and society that places value only on that which can turn a profit and generate an income, it can be said that not enough value is placed on the importance art should have in our society. Art is very rarely profitable – but is it such a crazy idea that we artists, creators, crafters of song, poetry, images, life, might be able to pay our rent, buy our groceries month after month and not actually constantly be in fear of the fact that next week, we might not even have enough money to get to the next gig? I don’t know a single artist whose goal it is to get rich, but I do know a bunch who simply want to stop worrying about money – constantly.

What is insane to me, is that Gina Reinhardt can make a million dollars every half hour and most of the artists I know regularly struggle to pay rent.

While we’re here, I’d like to take a moment to talk about “love jobs”. Those are the events, work, etc that event organisers and organisations are always asking artists to do for free. Those that know me, know that I am absolutely against free work for a number of reasons. It’s not because I’m a tight arse and it’s not because I’m greedy – it’s neither of those things. The biggest reason (though there are many) is that I believe it completely undervalues any artist and all their work to do so. I have been undercut many times by other artists simply seeking to gain exposure but it always does more harm than good. Let’s look at it this way, no one would ever ask a builder to work for free, not a sound technician, not a tutor – ever. Why is that? We value the work they do, we understand it takes skill and time and we appreciate that that person would not have a viable business if they worked for free. So why artists? On the rare occasion I do an event for free (mainly for fundraisers or worthy causes) I spend a great deal of time writing, rehearsing, traveling, performing and the rest of it. Why is my time and craft worth less than anyone else’s? For those of you who work in offices, would you work for free just because? For the love of it? No matter how much you love your work, you expect to be paid for it, so why should an artist not expect the same? (As an aside I would like to say that artists doing free work for other artists is completely different and is far removed from exploitation – often, it is collaborative or a bartering deal of some sort and these I completely understand and engage in myself).

There is a consistent perception that our creations don’t cost us anything therefore we shouldn’t charge for it. Let me give you an example of how untrue this is. Recently, I was asked to do an event for a worthy cause. I agreed because the cause was something that resonated particularly loudly for me. I was asked to write a piece, memorise it, be on site for sound check at 5pm perform at 9pm and then network until midnight. The piece took me 4 hours to write, 8 to memorise and I rehearsed that particular piece for a total of about 10 hours. Take into consideration traveling time and then the time spent at the actual event and we’re talking a total of 30 hours work for nothing. Nada. Zip. How many people do you know who would actually do 30 hours of solid work for nothing? And then, for other similar events where I have asked for as little as $200 (let’s put that into perspective – $6.67/hour) the organisers have balked and gone with someone who would do it for free.

At this point, I feel it’s necessary to reiterate what I said early – I love what I do. Nothing compares with the sensation of connecting with a room full of people, that experience of being told I inspired someone, that feeling of elation that comes after a performance. But I can’t eat elation and my landlord doesn’t accept inspiration for rent (though wouldn’t the world be a beautiful place if we could eat elation and pay for things with inspiration!!)

So, I know a lot of you will have been nodding your head in understanding, or if you’re an artist, in agreement but perhaps wondering what you can do about it? Let me put it this way: I have seen people go totally crazy at a gig, completely lost in the music that sweaty, passionate musicians are playing, connecting with the tunes in a way only music can make us feel. I have seen people listening to poetry, watched them nod in agreement, seen their arms covered in goosebumps as they listened to someone pour out their inner most thoughts in a way so eloquent as to make us all want to be better human beings. I’ve seen people stand in front of art for the longest stretches of time looking into that piece of work and perhaps seeing themselves reflected in it in some way.

I have then seen these punters balk at the idea of buying a CD for $10, a book for $15, an original work for however much and then walk to the bar to buy themselves a cocktail for $18.

This is not a criticism but an observation – the value we place on the immediacy of alcohol or something similar versus art that actually sustains us, feeds our minds and souls is totally out of whack. This is a symptom of the illness that is capitalism at its worst. Now I wont descend into a lecture on the evils of capitalism, because that’s not what this is about. But I will say this: Next time art moves you – in whatever way, think about buying that piece of merchandise, that photo, that artwork, because that is money that the artist needs and nearly all those proceeds will go into their pocket so that they can keep creating that which you love. Support your favorite artists – go to their gigs, their exhibitions, their event. If they make you feel something in this world where emotions are stunted then know that they are worthy. I am lucky enough to be surrounded by some of the most loyal and supportive people on earth. Do not underestimate how much I value that support – I know there are so many of you who regularly come to my gigs, spread the word, support me financially – and you need to know that it is because of you that I have scraped by these last couple of years.

If you are an event organiser please, please don’t ask artists to work for free. Respect that those individuals have put everything they are into whatever their medium is and they deserve something for their efforts.

And finally, if you are an artist make it part of your ethos to be a fair pay advocate – don’t do jobs for free, don’t undercut other artists – it only devalues your own art form. But most importantly: don’t stop creating – the world needs us, maybe now more than ever.

So, I’ll assume that now you are all familiar with my new fantabulous website you will expect regular blogs from me and this here is one of them! The year is quickly wrapping up and time seems intent on speeding up. There is loads of great stuff happening and last night was no exception. The Red Room Company (http://redroomcompany.org/) is an incredible organisation that commissioned me to produce a poem based on my time with the Wollongong Illawara Roller Derby League. Instead of just handing them a poem, I decided I wanted to collaborate with my favourite photographer Nicola Bailey (www.nicolabailey.com) and produce something a little bit different. We embarked on a photo shoot where we sought to explore the integration of poetry and photography and came up with a great body of work called ‘Violence’. The exhibition launched last night with a bang attended by a bunch of poetry and photography enthusiasts including Mr John Fairfax himself. It will continue on throughout the weekend and it the only way to see the images so get over to the Rocks and check them out in the pop-up gallery at 77 George Street Sydney (finishes Sunday).

Moving on to another exciting project, let’s talk about ‘Stories by Starlight’ which I will be touring next year. (Some will know that the first show is actually this year on the 3rd of December in Sydney at a super secret venue. It’s a preview for those people who continue to support me and what I do).

For those who don’t yet know exactly what ‘Stories by Starlight’ is, its essentially a poetic extravaganza involving the incredible musical trio Sloppy Joe, a couple of brilliant burlesque and performance artists (which will change state to state), a few other co-conspirator collaborators and of course – me! I personally feel that it is my best work to date and so if you liked/loved/were amazed by the show I toured last year ‘Love Spectacular’ then prepare to be totally, like, blown away man! If you didn’t like ‘Love Spectacular’ well, then, give this one a go anyway…

The tour kicks off as part of Midsumma where the event is featuring as a ‘Premier Event’ and will be happening at the 1000 £ Bend Gallery (it’s a great venue, check it out here: http://thousandpoundbend.com.au/). We’ll be doing four shows as well as making an appearance at Carnival – I am so excited about that! I’ll also be doing a number of guest/feature spots around town at the great poetry events that Melbourne manages to sustain. If you want to get your dirty paws on some tickets for the Midsumma shows then head here: http://sa2.seatadvisor.com/sabo/servlets/TicketRequest?eventId=100395430&presenter=AUMIDSUMMA&venue=&event= and then click attending here: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=285289521510283

Not too long after Midsumma we’ll be back in Sydney to do an event or two that I can’t yet talk about but suffice to say I’m almost bursting out of my skin to tell you all about. In any case, keep your eyes and ears peeled if you live in Sydney and are keen to see what we’re up to.

After Sydney our whirlwind tour will continue to the Adelaide Fringe Festival where we will be doing a number of shows at the Queens Theatre (another amazing venue). Tickets aren’t on sale yet but as soon as they are, I’ll let you all know.

Lastly, please feel free to contact me with feedback etc and let me know whats going on in your world.
Also, please feel free to click like here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Candy-Royalle/104254722939945

Peace, Love, Respect,
Candy Royalle

The thing I’m most excited about at the moment is my upcoming Secret Gig: ‘Stories by Starlight’ on the 3rd of December. The costumes are being designed, my co-conspirators and I have been rehearsing, there’s musicians and singers and of course me! If you don’t yet have a ticket, you’ll need to follow the steps listed on the facebook event page which you can access here: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=246941895344721 (for those of you who don’t use facebook, hit me up at candy@candyroyalle.com and I’ll send you details).

The ‘Stories by Starlight’ east coast (and maybe national!) tour will begin in Melbourne at the Midsumma festival where the show is a premier event! We will also be at Carnival – so exciting! For those of you not in Melbourne or Sydney, keep your eyes and ears peeled for dates because we will be bringing the show to a city near you soon!

Another exciting development has been the creation of the ‘Stories by Starlight’ video (which you can see here:). This was a collaborative effort spanning Australia, Sweden and the UK all done thanks to the brilliance of my collaborators over the interweb. This is one of my favorite poems as it conjures memories of performing under an open night sky filled with stars, to a group of beautiful hippies somewhere in the north of Queensland at a doof (for those not familiar with this Australian term, a ‘doof’ is an outdoor bush rave). I’d love to know your thoughts on this piece (or any others actually!) so feel free to drop me a line here or on facebook.

Remember, add me on twitter (link) and facebook (link) and check back here regularly for gig updates, media, poetry news and other exciting stuff!

Peace, Love and Respect to all,
Candy Royalle
October 2011