Morning Musing on Dolly Parton and the Art of Giving Back
Luvlies, it’s a bad morning. Like many of you, I am distraught over the passing of the queen, Dolly Parton. Believe it or not, my very black household grew up listening to her music every other day (thanks to CHFI FM 98). Whether it was her duets with Kenny Rogers or just a beautiful renditions of songs she wrote, she was a constant musical presence in our home.
I’m not going into the details of her career here, I just want to focus on a particular aspect of her life as an artist. She managed to find her way through the music industry at a time when woman were fighting for their rights. Yes, she made bank from her songwriting and her success can be considered an anomaly, but her generosity was not.
Dolly was a Philanthropist. Like, the real good kind. After she took care of her family and future family, she famously said:
I always count my blessings, more than I count my money. I don’t work for money, never did. It was the art, it was the job. I loved the work. And I’ve done well, and I’m thankful for it. – Dolly Parton
Her way of giving back to community had no hard limits. Her support ranged from buying band uniforms for Tennessee High Schools students every year to creating the Dollywood Foundation, which formed the Imagination Library, so millions of kids could read books every month. Whatever she viewed as community, received her attention and support.
This is what they don’t teach you in art school.
As artists/ creatives, we are taught how to write a grant proposal, or a submission to a gallery, but we’re not taught how to be a contributing community members. Many of us are groomed to believe that when we get to a certain point in our careers, then we’ll be able to give back. But we have to shift the attitude from ‘give back’ to ‘give forward‘. Dolly contributed to her community when she was rich and poor.
A great example of a ‘give forward’ organization is Draw Brighton. Everyone gives something to create this sustainable arts ecosystem for growth. Everybody is paid. Everyone is fed.
For some of us, this will be our role in the arts community. We might never put our fine arts training to any use as we grow-up, but we might become a patron of the arts instead. We might be someone who makes a yearly donations to the Opera House or to your local theatre company. We might donate our unused art supplies to a community centre. We might bequeath our life’s earnings to a school to develop programming around the arts.
We might take a chance and purchase art from an unknown artist’s show. A gesture of investment in their journey. We might turn your second home in the south of France into an artist-in-residency. What schools are not teaching us is how to be purveyors in our society as we navigate this hell scape (lol).
We’re not working 9-5 for nothing y’all. So whenever you think you might not be in a position to support your community, you probably are.
Just think WWDD – What would Dolly Do?
…and that’s time. Still here? Share your luv for the queen of country down below.
See you later Luvlies!
xoxo Luv Laney Luv
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Morning Musing is a pomodoro-timed, free thought experiment to get back into the swing of things. No Ai added.
