Publications
Living The Dream:
Building a Sustainable Career in the Performing Arts
By Kirstin Chávez & Johnathon Pape
Book description
An artist’s hopes, dreams, talent, and passion may feed the soul, but the art also has to feed the artist! The public may value certain artists and works of art, sometimes to the level of obsession, but all too often it is assumed that artists are supposed to starve. After all, isn’t that what makes them so poignant and moving?
While there are no guarantees with a career in the performing arts, neither should it be a one-way ticket to poverty and disappointment! The years spent at the ballet barre, in the practice room, rehearsing plays, or otherwise mastering your craft have been essential. But it takes a lot more to have a thriving career and a rewarding life.
Written as a poignant collaboration between mezzo-soprano Kirstin Chávez and director Johnathon Pape, Living the Dream: Building a Sustainable Career in the Performing Arts offers a detailed approach to understanding exactly how you can do that.
As an accompaniment to the publication, Kirstin and Johnathon offer a variety of classes and workshops in both online and in-person formats, designed to support young artists trying to build successful careers. To learn more and inquire about scheduling a workshop at your organization, please visit our website.
About Living The Dream
After completing her Master of Music degree at the Eastman School of Music, Kirstin Chávez took a brief foray into the world of finance, working for a large insurance company and discovering a love for counseling her financial clients and helping them to achieve their wealth goals. She prepared for the national CFP® (Certified Financial Planner) exam but did not complete her studies before her celebrated international career in opera took off.
Through the years, Kirstin found many occasions in which to share her financial knowledge with young performers around the world, but when the COVID-19 pandemic struck the world in 2020 and all singing engagements everywhere evaporated overnight, Kirstin decided that the time was ripe to resume those financial studies. She completed a Certificate of Financial Planning with the University of Utah in 2021 and passed the grueling CFP® exam in March of 2021.
The convergence of her many interests in singing, teaching, and financial planning made the creation of a new university course inevitable, and she launched the course Applied Entrepreneurship for Performers in 2021 while simultaneously creating her own financial advising practice. After the creation of the new college course, Kirstin teamed up with her dear friend, Johnathon Pape, a celebrated stage director, to co-create a new handbook for performers that would equip them with the tools and knowledge that they would need to launch successful careers in today’s performance industry as small business owners. Now, Chávez and Pape offer workshops around the country and strive to usher young performers toward more holistic and robust success.