Written by Gregangelo Herrera
Opening any business entails a leap of faith and a risk. Launching a niche-market arts and entertainment venture that serves the public is a daring adventure!
For artists, risk-taking is intrinsic to career development. There's no safe or conventional path to success.
Balancing the roles of artist and entertainer, while serving the public's interests, involves navigating the delicate balance between egoism and altruism.
While individual artists express their egos through their work, collaborative productions demand compromise to create captivating and altruistic experiences for our guests. Combining artist egos is a risk in itself, especially when venturing into unfamiliar territory to create new unpredictable works for the public.
Over the years, I’ve managed an ever-changing collective of thousands of artists and collaboratively composed productions across various mediums, including theater, circus, dance, events, fairs, festivals, and even dreams!
It's crucial to note that my arts business operates as a for-profit basis, engaging artists to be entrepreneurial by collectively supporting each other. Unlike many non-profit arts organizations, we have to earn our livelihood one ticket, one commission, and one show at a time, placing us at the highest economic risk.
To remain afloat, we consistently innovate experiences that uplift, challenge, and entertain our guests, remaining relevant to changing times.
With over 40 years of experience, our creative headquarters, maker studios, and my home have grounded us in San Francisco's artistic scene. During dry spells of little to no work, our business faces extreme risk and must reinvent itself to remain relevant, self-sufficient, and public-serving.
How to Embrace Risk-Taking?
It was during those dry spells that we accidentally created "The Gregangelo Museum" — a byproduct of focusing our time and passions, culminating in our greatest attraction.
Today, it stands as San Francisco's newest landmark, recognized for its consistent contributions to the city's artistic and cultural landscape.
Every moment of this unexpected achievement was born from experimentation and ultimately, taking risks.
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