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The Brampton Guardian
Ian Thomas special guest speaker at HACE
The Brampton Guardian
Wednesday November 4 2009
By ASHLEY GOODFELLOW
 
BRAMPTON - Persistence is one of the keys to success— just ask the Brampton Arts Council.

BAC spent three years pursuing singer/songwriter/author Ian Thomas as a guest speaker for the HACE Business of the Arts Weekend— and this year, the multi-talented artist finally said yes.

“Saying yes was easier than saying no,” teased Thomas, who said the timing worked this year despite his busy schedule of writing a new album and touring with his second book. He agreed that persistence is paramount.

Thomas will be a presenter on Friday, Nov. 13 at 7:30 p.m. with the topic of Keeping Creativity Alive, Spirits in a Material World.

He hopes to keep the workshop informal, and plans to “chat generally about the whole creative process.”

As a singer/songwriter/author/actor, Thomas’ passion for the arts remains fervent, and for him it’s because of the ability to branch out.

“It’s just that these things are curious to me,” he said, noting the songwriting led to writing a book, which led to doing movie scores and screen writing. In between he did some acting, and voice work.

“But songs,” he admitted, “still remain the most satisfying creative package for me.”

During his workshop, he plans to address the struggle of artists— how a talent can also be a curse. In his career, he meets this challenge continuously.

“It’s about being restless. You are constantly restless. You are at your happiest in the afterglow of creating something,” he explained. “But for me, that means about a week’s peace— then it starts all over again.”

And for Thomas, moving from one outlet to another allows him to feel refreshed each time he pursues a new project— but he concedes that creative process doesn’t work for everyone.

What does work, however, is being aware of what you are as an entity, he said.

“I’ve met so many people over the years and it’s interesting to observe who survives with their creativity in tact,” he shared. What works, he suggested, is to find appendages of your main interest that will “fascinate you, keep you passionate and sometimes earn you a little money.”

His advice for success is to keep moving, and keep producing— even if former projects receive no recognition. Don’t waste years, he said, marketing the same material. His mother taught him that to be a successful artist, you have to be responsible to creativity (keep creating) and for creativity (to be conscious of the market).

Which is the point of the HACE Business of the Arts Weekend.

“I think the weekend is for anyone in the arts in general...whether artists are thinking about this as a method of commerce or whether it’s something you just do for your soul...I think it’s for anyone who feels creative,” said Thomas.

HACE runs Nov. 12 to 15 at the Brampton Golf Club. For more information about Thomas’s workshop, or any of the other segments running over the weekend, visit www.artsbrampton.ca or call the Brampton Arts Council at 905-874-2919.