A while back I read a Theatre Communications Group chart comparing and contrasting the differences between artists and administrators. And it was … cute. There were some good points, but it was too simple and general to be of much use. 

Truth is, artists and administrators working together can do great things But we often approach those great things from different perspectives. And we are not the only group out there who tries to achieve great things despite vast differences (politics, anyone?). In this case, I am thinking of another group of creative, passionate individuals whose work does not always have an immediate, practical application–academics.

Clare Potter, Professor of History and American Studies at Wesleyan University, has a blog called Tenured Radical. She has written a wonderful, nuanced post about collaboration. If you substitute the words “academic” and “professor” for artist, it is a rockin’ treatise from the perspective of a radical, demanding, respectful and compassionate artist (oops, I mean academic).

Here are the adapted highlights:

Be firm and clear when expressing objections, but don’t be abusive or accuse the administrator of bad faith out of hand.

Give people the benefit of the doubt: sometimes they lack knowledge for a reason.

Administrators are not failed artists.

You can’t always get what you want.

Administrators, like God, help those who help themselves.

The highlights don’t do her justice, and the comments are worth a read too. As Barry Hessenius would say, Don’t Quit!