Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Cinzi Lavin. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Cinzi, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

It’s extremely important for people to understand that being an artist/creative is a “regular” job. While everyone interacts with the arts every day (listening to music, watching TV shows or films, seeing graphic art or choreographed dancing), it’s still a struggle to be acknowledged as professionals. I was filling out a form the other day and every profession imaginable was listed, but not a single art; I had to check “Other” as my occupation. Who else has to do that? People who wrangle snakes for a living?

Corporate and government entities, by far, lose out on the value of having artists and creatives on board; we bring imaginative conceptualization and fresh ideas–we are the original “think outside the box” professionals–and yet we are woefully underrepresented in boardrooms and seats of government, the very places that could probably use our expertise the most in order to be innovative and relatable.

Creative and artistic professionals, in my experience, work far harder and more comprehensively than people in “regular” occupations. For example, a painter must also be able to market themselves and their paintings; an actor ideally has dance and singing skills as well; someone in the music business must be able to play various instruments and adapt to solo or group work in a variety of genres and venues, as well as having familiarity with the recording/sound editing process, and yet this breadth of work is done at vastly reduced income rates when viewed side-by-side with fields requiring a comparable diversity of skills.

Everyone can help raise the status and esteem of creatives and artists by acknowledging that our jobs are as demanding (if not more) than “nine to five” jobs and that we are often not afforded benefits such as paid time off, health insurance, or retirement accounts. Increased awareness of the relationship between all the art which people experience every day and the people who create it is crucial in developing respect for our profession so that it stands equal with all others.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I was born in Manhattan and raised in Texas, which provided me with a lot of perspective on American ideology. My family were European monarchists who fled to the U.S. before the second World War, so I grew up in a mixed culture. That may explain why so much of my work revolves around uniquely American subjects, such as my biographical musical drama about Captain Joshua James, the so-called father of the U.S. Coast Guard, or my novels, The Taciturn Sky and Nemesis of the Great, that deal with the twilight of American aristocracy; my play Dividing Line addresses Indigenous land rights. I’m especially honored that several genealogical heritage societies whose members are descendants of this country’s founders have chosen to recognize me for my contribution to American culture.

As a musical dramatist, playwright, and author, my career is a combination of everything that came before: experience as an actress, singer, theatrical producer, instrumentalist, choral conductor, educator, and composer. I became a professional musician in my teens, working regularly while I was still in high school, and despite having no formal education in music, in 2010, I performed by invitation at the White House.

I’m very proud of the diversity amongst those who enjoy my work, and I feel a tremendous sense of loyalty towards my fans. I’m truly honored to be inspiring and educating people, opening their minds to what is possible.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

As a working artist, I have to pivot more often than a polo pony! It’s not uncommon for future plans for a production to be changed suddenly due to any number of factors. Early in the rehearsal process for one of my musicals, a main character was unexpectedly widowed. Twice, I’ve had plays postponed due to unforeseen circumstances. A major musical I was composing—to be presented at a state park—had its funding completely fall through because of a very unexpected turn of events, and then, despite my securing alternate funding, the state park director ghosted me.

Between professionals that behave unprofessionally, money that dries up like a desert river, schedule conflicts, accidents, illness, and the occasional visit by the Grim Reaper, I constantly have to be ready to shift gears not only so the show can go on—like the time we lost electrical power in the middle of a musical and I told jokes to the audience for five minutes until we could get the generator running to power my electric piano—but also to redirect my work if necessary.

One of the most disappointing reversals of fortune occurred when I’d been asked to turn a popular book into a musical drama. I spent hours reading the book and creating an outline for the show, along with five sample songs. The authors loved it and were ready to sign a multi-million-dollar contract for me to begin work on the project when they suffered a devastating financial setback and couldn’t proceed. As for the songs, they got recycled into another musical years later. (When life gives you leftover songs, write another musical.)

Recently, on a professional business networking website, I read a post written by a discouraged job-seeker, saying that the job market had become so difficult, she might even have to consider a career change. I was stunned—after reading her harrowing description of her nonexistent prospects, that was the first thing I thought she should be considering! I was amazed that she considered it desperate to pivot; to me, it was just commons sense.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

As I explain in my book, Making Bread Out of Straw: Achieving Success with Almost Nothing by Helping Others, Thinking Creatively, and Ignoring Obstacles, the career that is most akin to that of a creative/entrepreneur is farmer. At first, farming might seem like an occupation that’s worlds away from the arts and entrepreneurs, but there are definite similarities.

A farmer chooses what they want to plant, and where (you decide on your product/service/talent and a service area in which to sell it). The farmer does everything they possibly can to encourage their harvest to develop (you hone your craft, creating an outstanding product/service/talent).

Now comes the most important part: the farmer stands back, their crop at the mercy of the weather, and waits to see what will grow.

A bank teller, a construction worker, a schoolteacher, and a surgeon all get paid for doing the work that they do, regardless of circumstances. The bank teller gets a day’s wages even if nobody comes into the bank. The construction worker gets paid for what they’ve done even if the project has to be halted or cancelled. The teacher receives their salary even if several of their students had failing grades, and the surgeon is paid whether or not their patient survives the operation. Yet a farmer is just one drought, flood, or frost away from losing everything they’ve worked for, and possibly going bankrupt.

Furthermore, the results remain uncertain over the course of time. A farmer who’s had ten great years of bountiful harvests could see their fortunes reverse overnight and suffer a decade of crops successively decimated by hail or other extreme weather. The same is true of individuals in creative/entrepreneur careers.

Meanwhile, people with linear careers steadily develop more job security and notoriety over time (not to mention ever-increasing salaries). The CEOs of major corporations become more coveted as they demonstrate outstanding leadership; the job titles of technology workers become ever more impressive as they gain experience with new advances in their field. While it’s true that they could become victims of a layoff, suddenly finding themselves without work, they generally receive generous severance packages to tide them over until their next position, and they typically pick right back up at another company, where they receive a comparable salary to what they’d had before—and sometimes even a higher one. In short, even the most devastating occurrence in their career would only result in a temporary slip of the foot on their ladder to success.

So, knowing that all the blood, sweat, and tears that we put into our endeavors may not result in anything—and that even if it does, we still have to muster the courage to start again the very next year, with no guarantee of continued success—how on earth do we persevere?

It comes down to a matter of faith. I believe that whatever instilled me with the talent and ability to do what I do will also make a way for me to offer that gift to the world. Keeping ourselves motivated is a must. Nobody’s going to give us a raise or a more prestigious job-title, so we have to take our victories where we find them—maybe in a great news article about our work, or an expanding fan-base. Realizing that my work could touch lives keeps me hopeful; I have no way of knowing who else I can help, inspire, or encourage, so I have to keep working!

Our business, unlike all others, is more about questions than answers. Where does our inspiration arise? Will others be receptive to it? Will we succeed?

But there’s one unknown that I think makes it all worthwhile in the end: we never know where our seeds will take root. History provides countless examples of creatives and entrepreneurs whose work will be remembered forever, long after all the workers with steady paychecks and predictable careers have turned to dust. The day-to-day workers may keep things running, and we have great need of them in society, but creatives/entrepreneurs offer things that make life worth living.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cinzi_lavin/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cinzilavin/

Image Credits

Anna Zuckerman-Vdovenko @AZV PHOTO/MEDIA