What do you need to be creative?

In his Geniocity.com blog, Arts-Entrepreneur Resources,  Matt Charboneau takes a look this week at the steadily rising pool of resources for Northeast Ohio artists. The latest wave in that pool is something unique, but not just to the Cleveland area: The arts-project loan program launched last week by NoteWorthy Federal Credit Union may be the only one of its kind in the United States.

Matt and I are both volunteer directors on the board of NoteWorthy FCU, a nonprofit financial institution that began 50 years ago as the credit union for the Local 4 Musicians Union. It has since become independent and is in the process of broadening its mission, aiming to become the credit union for the whole arts community – local, regional and national.

NoteWorthy’s first step in that direction is the Creative Arts Project (CAP) Loan program, which offers loans of up t0 $50,000  to artists of all kinds who need capital for the tools and materials of their particular disciplines, from documentary filmmaking and ballet to death metal and graphic novels. NoteWorthy believes that many American artists need access to loans of this kind and encourages arts organizations around the U.S. to join the credit union (call 216-263-7034 to find out how), so making their employees, members, students and affilated artists eligible for NoteWorthy membership and special artist services.

The CAP loans are just NoteWorthy’s most recent service innovation for artists - the credit union plans to keep adding  new artist-oriented financial products and programs to the checking and savings accounts, credit cards and vehicle and musical-instrument loans that it already offers. All of us on the board hope that arts organizations including performing groups and companies, recording outfits, professional associations, support and advocacy institutions, schools, museums, galleries and more will find in NoteWorthy the helpful, artist-friendly and easy-to-use financial home base that they’ve always wanted. 

NoteWorthy’s getting creative so you can, too. Now: What do you need?

Find change – and not just beneath the sofa cushions

Creativity happens on a lot of fronts and, these days, all of them are important. With another Election Day facing us in the U.S., all registered voters here have the opportunity and duty to make sure that needed change takes place in our different levels of government, local communities and larger society.

Everyone who is eligible should vote – it’s one of Americans’ most effective ways of helping new ideas and policies take shape.  Today in Seth Rosenberg’s blog, “Inexact Possibilities,”  you can find out about key races around the nation and the new directions to which they may lead. 

But infinite other paths to innovation exist, as well, and you can explore some of those right here. Read  Matt Charboneau’s blog, “Arts-Entrepreneur Resources,” to find out how social networking offers the fresh, creative means for artists to publicize and promote their work, and Will Limkemann’s “The Constant  Entrepreneur” to learn useful and imaginative tips on managing small business of all kinds.

Take a look at how scientists’, artists’ and your own personal work or business products can be affected by evolving fair-use law, which Peter Friedman examines in “Ruling Imagination“  with perspective on the lawsuit brought against the ’80s Australian rock group Men at Work for allegedly using the music from “Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree” for their hit song  ”Down Under.” 

And keep an eye out for fresh posts from Terrence Spivey on the just-concluded National Theatre Conference in “Theater of Change“; Charlie Eby on a just-released electronic game in “Media Man“; and Len Steinbach on the latest connections between art and technology in “Culture-Tech Verite.”

You can change the world – it’s happening right now.

Our new blogger, Matthew Charboneau

I wish every Monday started this happily: Today all of us at Geniocity.com welcome Matthew Charboneau, the new leader of the COSE Arts Network, to the site as our newest blogger.

In his blog, “Arts-Entrepreneur Resources: Creative Views from the COSE Arts Network,” Matt will keep you up to date on the innovative and ever-growing resources offered by COSE to artist-entrepreneurs. But he’ll also shine a light on regional and national arts-business issues and the creative approaches to them developing on the frontiers of art and commerce.  

Though he’s been on the job at the Arts Network for only a few weeks, Matt brings years of experience as a working musician and nonprofit arts manager to his new task of helping other arts entrepreneurs find and make best use of the contacts, information, programs and mentoring they need in order to succeed.

He started out with a bachelor’s degree in double-bass performance from the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, added a master’s degree in nonprofit organization from Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management and has most recently worked as associate director for the nonprofit Roots of American Music, helping to bring arts-based programs to underserved schools throughout Northeast Ohio. 

At the same time, he’s performed regionally, nationally and internationally in jazz, rock, blues, roots music, Afro-Cuban and Brazilian music ensembles for 12 years.  Matt plays double bass and electric bass and studies flamenco guitar and tres cubano, a Cuban folk guitar. He even served as guest clinician and adjudicator for the 2004 Tiffin Jazz Festival, twice served as artist-in-residence for the Summer Festival of the Arts in Bar Harbor, Maine, and has been featured with his instrumental trio, the Up ensemble, on NPR and PBS.

I’m excited to have him among us here and I know his posts will give everyone who reads them a clearer view of the creative economy and future coming to us through the work and influence of arts entrepreneurs.  

Matt, thanks for joining us.

And here’s another news item, smaller this time: The video I made for the Women’s Enterprise Network explaining my plans and hopes for Geniocity.com and for human creativity in general has been posted. You can see it by clicking here. Creativity is vital to all of us on so many levels, starting with our survival, that I hope more and more of you will join the growing exploration and discussion of it in our Geniocity blogs.