Two Sides of A Paper: All about Arts Management (Please scroll down for English version)
經過兩星期默默耕耘，三天近乎不眠不休、吃得很少，為的是完成一份藝術計劃書，希望能為一項有意義的計劃找到資助。剛剛交完，本應鬆一口氣，馬上回家睡一覺。寫了那麼多還不夠？呵呵，保持呼吸。痛苦過後便是歡愉。很想把此刻心情紀錄下來，趁晚上約會前的空檔，留下點點記錄，算是一個多面向藝術工作者的心路歷程吧。
從來都不愛做計劃書，自問沒有一手好文筆，每次都會弄得筋疲力盡，過程就如生產般痛苦。去年經歷過投入大量時間心血都徒勞的「比拼」過程，真的想起都怕怕。但這次，竟然在同一天內，有不同人都建議我試試，心想，莫非天意？劇場拍檔也問，想寫嗎？掙扎了一陣子，好的，寫就寫吧！
要寫計劃書，先要有構思、也要有熱情，如戀愛般真心愛上那些點子，才有力量起動；然後要和不同參與單位討論、互相交流以致完善想法；要有良好溝通技巧，須要理解並配合不同持份者的需要，也要有整合和書寫能力，要時間沉澱思緒，卻又要眼明手快，趕在死線前完成。最頭痛的要算是財務預算，更要回答一些很難答的問題，一個來回地獄又折返人間的過程。從來都覺得做藝術行政和管理工作是很惱人的，對這一部分的自己，又愛又恨。其實我滿腦子都是策展或創作意念（講出來可能引人發笑），很想嘗試不同藝術領域的東西，很想騰出空間，讓天馬行空的意念有機會實現，可惜每天總是被不同的瑣務困擾著，等到天荒地老還在做著項目管理工作。
十二月工作坊中，跟國際形體劇場大師David Glass繼續學習他的五個創意編作過程 （Five Creative Process）。課堂上，他多次嘲笑從事管理者，說他們如喪屍（其實他會說任何人都是喪屍，哈哈），每天做著沉悶事情。我不忿，上前跟他理論：沒有策劃和管理者的工作，幾個工作坊都不會辦得成啦。
如果藝術作品是一張紙，藝術創作和管理就是紙的兩面。有人能做出一張沒有底的紙嗎？我們會在紙上書寫，在其上繪畫，或是做拼貼；在展覽中，掛在牆上的都是被欣賞的紙面，但堅實地承托著作品的，是紙的背面。今天想起這個，就覺得從紙的兩面看管理很有趣。從事藝術管理工作多年，也許，經常看輕我的是我自己（哼！我的麻煩老我又出來搞事！）。其實，老師不是真的嘲笑管理者，他自己本身就是一個日理萬機，同一時間能管理和指導地球上不同角落創作戲劇作品的人。我也不是真的跟他理論，而是對他說「真正的管理」深表認同。五個編作過程其中一步是組織（Organisation），如何把散落一地的點子創意地連結起來，這種創意組織才是真正的管理之道（Management is a Process of Creative Organization）。
這半年經歷社會動盪，深感人心叵測，更加希望集中做好自己，做點對社會對青少年有意思的事。書寫過程中，很感謝David老師和策略伙伴Olivia的共同努力，沒有他們一起聯手炮製，沒有他們豐富的劇場功力、知識和經驗，就沒有藝術氣息的呈現；沒有他們一起從詳計議，只有精準架構、內容設計和意念，著實完成不了。大家在自己的崗位盡己本份，單單是這個過程已經很美麗。無論計劃能否獲批，我們都只是在專心做自己認為對的事；互相支持勉勵，彼此互補不足，不正是香港人精神嗎？
計劃書中談及藝術管理的承傳與指導，結果無論怎樣，這篇文章或許已開展了第一步。
#剛剛有年輕的說要學寫計劃書_其實就係咁 #寫過計劃書的人一定明 #寫野寫到癲左唔俾自己停 #仲寫bilingual真癲 #有興趣的一齊邊學邊做殺出血路 #藝術管理 #項目管理 #藝術互動策略 #DottieColab #DreamofTomorrrow#OTheatreWorkshop #DavidGlassEnsemble
Photo Credit: Albert Poon | O Theatre Workshop
Two Sides of A Paper: All about Arts Management
In the past few days, I slept for a few hours and ate very little. After two weeks’ hard working, a proposal about arts development was finally completed and submitted. How come I still want to write at the moment? Keep breathing. Keep staying alive. Pleasure comes after pain. I would like to seize the élan and jot down my thoughts and feelings. It is a journey about multipotentialities from an arts practitioner perspective.
I hate writing proposal. It is all about pain. Giving birth is one of the most painful experiences in woman’s life. Maybe writing a proposal is similar, at least it is to me. Last year I spent a lot of efforts on preparing a funding proposal that finally failed. It scared me and I do not want to fall down into that hell again.
Once I decided to do one thing, I would work in full gear. Lately somebody asked me how to write a proposal. I think of a few things we have to equip ourselves. Before you write, you need to have ideas, whatever great or small. Passion is an appetite for preparing your writing feast. You have to fall in love with the ideas, otherwise you will not have any motivation to move things forward. Then you have to discuss with different parties. Sometimes you need to vigorously discuss with them for improving the plans. You have to well understand your partners’ thoughts and feelings. Good communication skills do help. Be slow enough to let your ideas evolve and sublimate, while you also have to go fast to finish it before deadline. The most headache part is the budget estimation while a lot of stupid and difficult questions are there waiting for you to answer. It is like a journey travelling between the hell and the earth.
For me, arts administration and project management is such a boredom. As an arts administrator and project manager, I feel complicated. Sometimes I do want to create, to curate and to produce more interesting and meaningful art works (You may find me strange if you know my million crazy thoughts inside). However, I have been occupied by tonnes of nuts and bolts that I really hate.
In the December Devising Theatre workshops, the theatre Master David Glass continued to share with us his Five Creative Process. In the class, he kept laughing at the management professionals, said they were zombies without life. I pretended to be angry and argued with him. No workshops could be successfully held without group of people to arrange it.
I ponder, if an artwork were a paper itself, creative artwork and management would thus be two sides of this paper. Anyone can make a paper with only one side? On the paper, someone will write, another will paint. Some might work on it with arts collage . When the artwork is hanged up in a gallery, visitors may only see its front side but not the back. If you sees it from the back, you may observe how it strongly supports the front. Today when this paper analogy came to my mind, I found great insights and real joy. I suddenly realised that no one look me down, except myself (again!).
David did not really laugh at the management people, in fact, he is a management expert as he can take care of many different theatre projects in different countries around the globe at the same time. He is a superb about management. I did not really argue with him, but agree with him on how he defined Management. One of his Five Creative Practice is about “Organisation”. He said that management is “a process of creative organization”. A genuine creative manager is able to link up different fragmented ideas creatively and weave it into a beautiful picture.
In the past few months, we experienced a lot of social unrest and witnessed the vicious side of the city. No great thing I can do but I would like to do something meaningful to our society. In the process of writing this proposal, I am most grateful for the input from David and the strategic partner Olivia. Without them, without their abundant theatrical knowledge and experiences, nothing can be achieved. We all try our very best to contribute our own efforts. Whatever the result is, this collaboration is very meaningful and encouraging. Life is beautiful. Partnership is beautiful.
In the proposal, arts administration and facilitation coaching is included. If this article has already kicked start the first step? Despite the outcome, Let’s focus on what we can do, and what we should do.
#WritingBilingualformydearTeacher #ArtsAdminstration #ArtsManagement #ProjectManagement#ArtsEngagementStraetgies #Proposal #ProposalWriting #Facilitation #Coaching #Management #Organisation #Creative#Creativity #CreativePractice #FiveCreativeProcess #LostChild #LostChildProjectHongKong #DevisingTheatre#PhysicalTheatre David Glass Olivia Yan Wing Pui
Photo Credit: Albert Poon | O Theatre Workshop
