Rebel in the arts
By Grace Okereke
The proverb “all good things must come to an end” is a saying that I am fully embracing as I write this, my final article for International Arts Manager magazine.
Over the past two years I have written 21 articles that look at the landscape of the performing arts, both nationally (where I live in England) and internationally. Many times, I have written from my personal perspective as a Western, black woman, a viewpoint that does not often get the chance to be heard on national, let alone international platforms.
However, my hope has been that each article topic has resonated with those who share my background, as well as more generally. I may focus on certain nuances based on my experiences, but I believe that many of us go through similar things, that are often relatable and sometimes even interchangeable. And for perspectives that don’t intersect with mine, I hope I offer respect for other positions.
I am a person who has an opinion 95 per cent of the time. However, I have not been one of the millions of people who have embraced social media as a platform to assert my thoughts and position. Writing a regular column is the closest I have come to feeling as I imagine artists do when they make work and put it out in the world to be judged, but luckily, I am of a resilient nature and rarely find myself affected by others’ opinions. I cannot deny that praise and compliments feel nice and criticism, if levied unkindly, feels negative, but my purpose and motivation for anything I do comes from within, and so that serves as my anchor, both mentally and emotionally.
With all this said, I look back at the 21 topics I have covered and my own evolution, offering insights into how some of them came to be.
My first two articles, “Where are all the black producers?” and “Touring work by black female artists”, were me finding my feet, so to speak. I felt (and still feel) that they are important topics to discuss, especially for me. But I recognised that it is not the priority of most in the industry. This has been the balance I have tried to strike when looking at what to write about – between topics I care deeply about, topics most people care about, and the most current affairs.
The articles “An uncomfortable truth”, “The look of success” and “Failure through success”, felt deeply personal. I cried while writing most of “An uncomfortable truth” because I was frustrated and tired of being in this world, continually feeling vilified and unsafe simply for the colour of my skin and the gender I was born – and still am. The other two helped me find motivation in an industry that can often leave you feeling demoralised.
I learnt about the term symbolic violence some time ago, and as I looked into the concept, it felt like a vindication in many ways. Symbolic violence refers to the subtle, often invisible power used to maintain social hierarchies through cultural norms and practices that people internalise as natural. Through its meaning, I recognised the types of treatment many people endure but are often told are not real. My article, “Symbolic change”, was clearly inspired by this – my attempt to shout out, “You see, we aren’t just making it up! We are treated differently and unfairly.”
The articles “Humanities infighting”, “Professional ghosting” and “The entitlement factor” (which came out a lot less harsh than it had started) were written when I was fed up with everything and everyone and wanted to stick two fingers up at the world. Sometimes the same cycle of nonsense gets to you.
Finally, “International gains” and “Building your own table” came at a point when I felt I was investing a lot of time, money and effort in attaining success for myself and those I work with, but I wasn’t seeing any return on my efforts. I wondered if I was giving up on the industry.
I have written more articles than I have mentioned here, and I still have many more ideas to explore. But for personal growth and progression, it feels like time for me to consider other ways to share my thoughts. There is no roadmap to help us navigate life. All I know is that I am continuously evolving and entering different phases and stages. And as I enter a new stage, I recognise the importance of moving beyond my current space—both physically and mentally – to embrace fresh perspectives.
I have learnt so much over the past two years, as writing these articles has made me take a closer look at the industry, human behaviour, politics and myself. It’s very easy to make a one-line comment, or even a “long” post on social media, where we just state our own point (then argue about it in the comments section). Taking the time to gather your thoughts and consider perspectives beyond your own is a practice I believe more of us should adopt.
If I were to summarise one pattern of human behaviour that I believe holds us all back, it is the overly binary way in which we position opinions and beliefs makes us deaf to the many nuances of life. We can be wronged and be wrong. We can give up power without becoming powerless. We do not have to suspend our moral compass for the sake of power.
We can be the change we want to see in life and for the world.
