Christopher Jagers

Sunday, September 3, 2006

Dean Terry: Art, Business, and Community

I had breakfast with my friend Dean Terry this weekend, who provided some guidance for my new business. His background has provided me an alternative for how an artist can “make it.”  After starting (and selling) his own successfull startup, he became a professor of aesthetic studies for art and technology at UTD.  (Click on the link at the bottom of this post to hear more of the story).  Apparently, he is also personal friends with Dennis Hollingsworth and Steven La Rose - small world. Above is a picture from his lastest film “Subdivided,” which examines how communities are being destroyed with brainless development. This is particularly pertinent in Dallas, where McMansions are being built all around me as I type this post - depressing. Our conversations are so enjoyable because they occilate between fine art and business in such a natural way, which is very rare. He is working on some exciting new technology ideas as well, but he swore me to secrecy on pain of death. So instead, check out his post on “artists and entrepeneurs.” Here is a snip:

“Hopefully a lot of the way people in the arts view entrepreneurship will change. There are signs. The fact that you can build your own network and market yourself with various Internet strategies is a major change. It’s an unstable and evolving scenario, but the “long tail” effect is a real one, and the opportunities for a significant level of creative independence for artists with a strong, personal , authentic voice are promising.”

posted by cjagers at 10:24am