My name is Joe Lombardo, the owner of Artists and Creatives.
I am an agent, although that word hardly describes what I am trying to do in this industry. Let me first start off by recognizing that we have all been through many challenges in this creative business most recently. The economic downturn and many other factors has forced myself and many of us to downsize our offices, release our huge staff, sometimes even operate out of our home-offices in order to economize. Some of us have had even tougher hills to climb and have closed doors. I was heartbroken to hear of many of my peers who have left us already. They were good people and great competitors, helping to raise the bar and keep the market value of art in the place it should be. And every day I work hard not to have to endure the death of a dream, my dream, Artists and Creatives. Sticking to your guns is sometimes a double-edged sword my friends. But if you have “infinite purpose” I find you will survive, whatever the struggle. Sometimes I feel like I have been defending this company since the day it opened doors. But those people trying to kill my dream, did not succeed. And I am thankful every day for that gift. (that story, my friends will have to be told ONLY in my memoirs) But be clear on this … my commitment to staying the course and sticking around in an over-saturated and competitive market wherein budgets are painfully reduced and where there is little loyalty left to speak of … is because I LOVE my job. It is one of the few things I have ever had passion to stick with even when sometimes the odds were impossible to bear.
I instead choose to focus on how lucky I am to be doing this job. I get to wake up every day and represent those who have become my friends and not have to go to an office-place with bleak fluorescent lighting (something I detest as I get older), stuffed in a cubicle, (I am claustrophobic) where I cannot light up a cigarette every once in a while when I need a break. (a bad habit, but one of the few vices I have left) And I think … is this really possible? or even standard business practice? Probably not. But it is my truth.
Artists aren’t units sold … as an ex-friend and ex-business associate used to claim! They aren’t just numbers on a page, or part of some receivables or cash-flow analysis. They are, like me, innately human. They create because they MUST. They have families and lives that go far beyond what duties they perform as artisans of the craft. And I get to help give these artists a voice. I am blessed to be charged with the responsibility of teaming up with each of them to create opportunity. To take care of those families through the negotiation of their photographic services and the sale of their art. I get to inspire them to reach further than what they once thought possible. To help them crystallize their voice and their vision, ultimately resulting in a portfolio which takes the viewer on a journey that tells their story and wins them work. I take this responsibility very seriously.
But I too am human, and have made as many mistakes as I have had successes. What you will see as you peruse the pages of my website is hardly the creation of “the one” but “the many”. I have hardly been an island unto myself, and I owe the agency’s successes to each person who has worked with and for me over the years. Most of whom I have had to let go of in the decline of our economy. I have been touched by each of them. Good, bad, and sometimes dis-functional as sometimes “families” are. They were in many ways as much teachers as they were students, and always of value.
So ladies and gentlemen, I am still here, fighting for my place in the market like so many others large and small before me. I have overcome many challenges to keep this company alive and I am still fighting. WHY? Because it is worth it to do so. Because this is MY “art”. My calling. I hope you will allow me to continue doing what I love. The art of skillful and strategic artist development/negotiation – is highly under-rated, I find these days. But that is my opinion and not really important. What is important is that you come to understand me and the people I represent. And I am here to tell their story, ever resonant, ever relevant.
So please be my guest and visit my house. The House of Artists and Creatives. You will see much remodeling in the coming days, but the core values and the base will never change. I hope you visit often and consider us for your projects forthcoming. It would be our pleasure to collaborate with you.
We are … I am … Artists and Creatives.
http://www.artistsandcreatives.com
