How to Land Creative Gigs — World Headquarters of Me pg214

Colorful companion to my memoir The Incompetent Psychic

Over six weeks of consulting with a team of decorators and the director of the sports facility, I came up with designs for hundreds of square feet of art and lettering for an enormous gymnasium. The estimate was also elaborate, and I made the proposal. It came to over $30,000. They said yes, and were prepared to write a check for a one-half deposit the next day. t had been a long winter. Rent was coming due and I didn’t have it, but I could put fifteen grand in my account tomorrow. I could pay off the credit card. I could put cream cheese on the chard!

All I needed to do was sign the Community Youth Center contract, and have them additionally insured on my business policy. I stopped by the insurance office all happy about landing the biggest commission of my life. They said no problem… “We will just need a copy of your State Contractor’s license.” Dead stop. Can’t breathe. — From Chapter 11

“How do you get art jobs?” a jazz musician friend asked while walking our small dogs around our Woodstock neighborhood. I could have asked him the same question as Dennis regularly conducts and plays gigs in Europe and Asia. Well, he did until covid. Fortunately, he also teaches music at an NYC university. Since he…