There are tectonic shifts taking place in workplaces, indicated by movements like the Great Resignation and the continued unionization efforts across the art world. Even before the pandemic, career growth and how our careers impact livelihoods have been on many people’s minds. Typically, the further on you get into your career, the more complicated the next steps become. As you grow, it’s more likely that you’ll end up in managerial roles, leading teams, and having others report directly to you.

Social media is important for artists because it helps connect you to a larger community of audience members and supporters. On the other hand, managing social media can be a big drain of your time and energy, especially when we’re already looking at screens for a large part of the day. It can also make you feel guilty – you may feel like you should actually be spending more time in rehearsal or in the studio, working on your practice, instead of being on social media.

Fractured Atlas has undergone some big changes in the past few years, including entering into a period of interim leadership led by Theresa Hubbard, who is also our new Chief Operating Officer.

In the ever expanding digital world where it can be challenging to understand how you can let others know about your work, cross promotion can be an important mindset and tool. Cross promotion is when you work with another person or group to mutually expand your networks by sharing their work with your audience and vice versa.

Funding your project takes a multitude of methods, one of which is applying for grants. Artists apply for grant funding constantly, and it takes great effort to get through the application process. Narratives need to be well-written and concise, budgets must tell a comprehensive financial story of your project, and you’re probably applying for more than one grant application at a time. Given the challenges, it can be tough when you don’t see the results – whether it’s because you haven’t been successful yet or you had one big win but haven’t been able to replicate it. It’s really tough and honestly, it’s probably not your fault.

A social media presence is one important method by which your audience can engage with your art. However, it can be tough to grow that follower list. There are so many social media platforms and so many tactics that you can take to increase your reach. At times it can feel like you are just throwing spaghetti into the void trying to increase that list. Here, we’ll cover the challenges you may face while trying to grow your followers and what you can do to overcome them.

It’s that time of the year again – artists and arts organizations, welcome to NYSCA season! From the basics of what is NYSCA to what to do if you are a Fractured Atlas member looking to apply, we’ve got you covered.

As the art world considers the different ways that artists can be supported now and into the future, it can also be helpful to look to the past for successful models.

At times, creative practices - the work of research, ideating, building, and crafting artwork - can feel at odds with the flow of capitalism that dictates that you always do more, go faster, and think about yourself in isolation. In this world of speed, money, and individualism at the forefront, what does it mean to slow down and think intentionally about where artists and the economic ecosystem generated by the arts industry fit in within the greater world? “Solidarity Not Charity - Arts & Culture Grantmaking in the Solidarity Economy: A Rapid Report” written by Nati Linares and Caroline Woolard presents one answer to this inquiry. This report covers how artists and culture bearers fit into the larger solidarity economy that is growing; organizations, individuals, and collectives who are transforming how we think about funding and wealth building; and numerous actions we can take to educate ourselves and enact change.

Language in "These Unprecedented Times” The protests ignited by George Floyd’s murder are still going strong as the public demands changes to the systems of the past that have perpetuated injustices. Artists have played a large role in this movement. This isn’t new. Artists have always been integral to social justice movements. From Emory Douglas’ drawings that are now widely associated with the Black Panther Party to the three queer Chinese American performance artists (Kitty Tsui, Merle Woo, and Canyon Sam) that started the Unbound Feet Collective moving Asian American feminism forward. Artists can affect great change.