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Andrew Nemr

Artist // Speaker

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Entrepreneurship

What Does Your Desk Look Like?

April 23, 2014 By Andrew

I am often asked what a day in my life looks like, and my standard response often feels like I’m dodging the question. However the truth is that what my day looks like really depends on the day. As I manage my solo performance and teaching schedules, Cats Paying Dues rehearsals and performances, my olde tyme jass Quartet, Tap into Freedom programs, as well as other projects (writing, public speaking, collaborations, and new project development), my day is often filled with whatever is most necessary.

Desk-computer
My self-built standing desk. Currently in need of a good cleaning.

Some days I’m in front of my computer for hours – writing emails, creating budgets, updating my website, or designing postcards for upcoming events. I call these work days.

Joria and Shoes v2
My shoes after a session at Joria Productions Studios (NYC)

Other days are spent in the studio. Just me and my shoes – although music and other players often join in the fun.

Desk-plane
Superior leg room on this particular flight. My feet were happy.

Yet other days are spent on the road…plane, train, or automobile.

Desk-Stage
A theatre in Fair Lawn, NJ, before load-in commenced for a presentation of Echoes In Time.

Some days are spent at the venue of a performance, arriving before load-in, and staying through load-out.

Desk-Lap
L.A.P. – the mobile office…

And when I began writing this particular post my desk was simply this, my lap.

With such variation I’ve had to develop a way of working that is both flexible and portable. I’m continually refining my toolkit of high tech project management systems and devices, and low tech note-taking methods. But we’ll talk about those in a later post. Right now I’m wondering, what does your desk look like?

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Desk, Entrepreneurship, How I Work, Standing Desk, Where I Work

Entrepreneurship isn’t stress, it’s just work.

March 31, 2014 By Andrew

AJN-Slides-CallingPeopleArticle

After my two days at Wheaton College – talking at one point about the joys and challenges of entrepreneurship – I returned to the big city. Within two days I received two last minute cancelations. Not gigs that wouldn’t be happening (which would be bad), but rather folks who had confirmed their involvement in upcoming events were canceling. Both cancelations were for personal reasons and I totally understood – but they were also key roles. There’s nothing that could have changed the situation – I had to find subs. But wow, how do you fill in two key slots only a day or two before a big show? Would anyone be available? Who could I call? (Ghostbusters would not have been the right answer).

Well, I hopped on the phone and started calling. For everyone that I could reach, but couldn’t make the gig, I asked for referrals and recommendations. Going through my contacts list was even taking time I didn’t think I had. I now realize I need to build a short list with names and numbers and roles for moments like this. Well, I am indebted to a few people who made amazing referrals. Through their graciousness I was able to fill the roles needed, just in time, literally. Roller coaster ride done. Potential fire put out. Amazing.

Life happens. This isn’t stress. This is just what the job entails. Being a leader, building projects and bringing large scale productions to the stage, means handling many moving parts. Many of those moving parts are people, and people are important – dare I say more important than the actual work. Although through this particular situation there was a feeling of “I don’t know what’s going to happen” – it was more important for me to keep in the forefront of my mind that although work is a large part of life, it isn’t all of it. Personal things happen. It’s important to be there for the people, not just the work.

In the end everything went well. I even got to catch up with some old friends and meet some new ones.

Living to dance another day 🙂

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Organization, Stress Management

Wheaton College Residency

March 24, 2014 By Andrew

In addition to speaking Wheaton’s Chapel, Andrew will be sharing his experiences as an entrepreneur with Wheaton College business students, and working with both music students and Zoe’s Feet (Wheaton’s student-run dance group).

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Tagged With: Entrepreneurship, faith, Speaking, Workshops

Going to the Chapel…

March 20, 2014 By Andrew

WheatonCollegeLogo

No, the rest of the song doesn’t apply just yet. This time I’m going simply to talk (and dance), for the folks at Wheaton College. I’ll be speaking not only at the chapel, but with some of the business entrepreneurs and music and dance students. I’m in the final preparations for my chapel talk and thought I’d share some thoughts about what I’ll be sharing.

An Achievement Oriented Society and LOVE

I’m most excited about talking about how Love can ease the perceived burden of an achievement oriented society. So many students suffer from pressures that are imposed by themselves, their families, and society at large, to do more, bigger, and better things. The ideal achievement becomes so prominent in ones life that it begins to intrude on the students’ identity, eventually fighting for attention with the very fuel of self-worth, love. Even instilling doubts and distortions leading to ideas like “I can’t say I love myself, unless I achieve this or that…”

I’m hoping to dive right into the fray and turn the model upside down. Love must come first.

LOVE as a fuel for Entrepreneurship

With the business students we will be talking about the ideas of service, sacrifice, and failure in the context of building businesses. How can Love shape their choices in terms of what businesses to build, but also how they go about building those businesses?

LOVE in the ensemble and in the body

For musicians and dancers proficiency is an undeniable necessity, but virtuosity can limit one’s ability to relate. For the musicians we’ll be talking about roles in the ensemble and how Love for the music AND the other players can provide a fundamental context of relatability. For the dancers we’ll be talking about how the dancer path is a reflection of sacrifice and embodiment and how those two concepts are fueled by and reflected in the greater idea of Love.

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Filed Under: Public Speaking Tagged With: Achievement Oriented Society, Chapel, Embodiment, Ensemble Trianing, Entrepreneurship, Love, Wheaton College

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