TED Residency
Hadi Eldebek: Why must artists be poor?
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The arts bring meaning to our lives and spirit to our culture -- so why do we expect artists to struggle to make a living? Hadi Eldebek is working to create a society where artists are valued through an online platform that matches artists with grants and funding opportunities -- so they can focus on their craft instead of their side hustle.
Hadi Eldebek - Musician, educator, entrepreneur
TED Resident Hadi Eldebek is a musician, educator and entrepreneur who creates artistic, cultural, and educational projects around the world. Full bio
TED Resident Hadi Eldebek is a musician, educator and entrepreneur who creates artistic, cultural, and educational projects around the world. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
I come from a family of five brothers,
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all scientists and engineers.
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A few years ago,
I sent them the following email:
I sent them the following email:
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"Dear brothers, I hope
this message finds you well.
this message finds you well.
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I am emailing to let you know
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that I'm dropping out
of my master's program in engineering
of my master's program in engineering
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to pursue a career
as a full-time musician.
as a full-time musician.
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All that I ask from you
is not to worry about me."
is not to worry about me."
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Brother number one replied.
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He was encouraging but a bit skeptical.
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He said, "I wish you the best of luck.
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You're going to need it."
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(Laughter)
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Brother number two
was a little bit more skeptical.
was a little bit more skeptical.
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He said, "Don't do it!
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This will be the worst
mistake of your life.
mistake of your life.
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Find a real career."
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01:01
(Laughter)
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Well, the rest of my brothers
were so enthusiastic about my decision,
were so enthusiastic about my decision,
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they didn't even respond.
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(Laughter)
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01:12
I know that the skepticism
coming from my brothers
coming from my brothers
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is out of care and concern for me.
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They were worried.
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They thought it would be difficult
to make it as an artist,
to make it as an artist,
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01:22
that it will be a challenge.
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And you know what? They were right.
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It is such a challenge
to be a full-time artist.
to be a full-time artist.
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I have so many friends
who need to have a second job
who need to have a second job
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as a plan B in order to pay for the bills,
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except that plan B
sometimes becomes their plan A.
sometimes becomes their plan A.
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And it's not just my friends and I
who experience this.
who experience this.
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The US Census Bureau states that only
10 percent of art school graduates
10 percent of art school graduates
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end up working as full-time artists.
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The other 90 percent, they change careers,
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they work in marketing,
sales, education and other fields.
sales, education and other fields.
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But this is not news, right?
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We almost expect the artist
to be a struggling artist.
to be a struggling artist.
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But why should we expect that?
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I read an article in the "Huffington Post"
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saying that four years ago,
the European Union
the European Union
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began the world's largest ever
arts funding initiative.
arts funding initiative.
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Creative Europe
will give 2.4 billion dollars
will give 2.4 billion dollars
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to over 300,000 artists.
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In contrast, the US budget
for our National Endowment for the Arts,
for our National Endowment for the Arts,
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the largest single funder
for the arts across the United States,
for the arts across the United States,
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is merely 146 million dollars.
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To put things into perspective,
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the US budget for the military
marching bands alone
marching bands alone
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is almost twice as much as the entire NEA.
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Another striking image comes from
Brendan McMahon for the "Huffington Post,"
Brendan McMahon for the "Huffington Post,"
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saying that out of
the one trillion dollar budget
the one trillion dollar budget
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for military and defense-related spending,
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if only 0.05 percent
were allocated to the arts,
were allocated to the arts,
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we would be able to pay
for 20 full-time symphony orchestras
for 20 full-time symphony orchestras
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at 20 million dollars apiece,
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and give over 80,000 artists
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an annual salary of 50,000 dollars each.
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If that's only 0.05 percent,
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imagine what a full one percent could do.
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Now, I know we live
in a capitalist society,
in a capitalist society,
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and profits matter a lot.
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So let's look at it
from a financial angle, shall we?
from a financial angle, shall we?
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The US nonprofit arts industry
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generates more than 166 billion dollars
in economic activity,
in economic activity,
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it employs 5.7 million people
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and it returns 12.6 billion dollars
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in tax revenue.
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But this is only a financial angle, right?
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We all know that the arts is way more
than just an economic value.
than just an economic value.
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The arts brings meaning to life.
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It's the spirit of our culture.
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It brings people together
and it supports creativity
and it supports creativity
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and social cohesion.
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But if the arts contributes
this much to our economy,
this much to our economy,
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why then do we still invest
so little in arts and artists?
so little in arts and artists?
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Why do more than 80 percent
of our schools nationwide
of our schools nationwide
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still experience budget cuts
in arts education programs?
in arts education programs?
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What is it about the value
of arts and artists
of arts and artists
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that we still don't understand?
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I believe the system is flawed
and far from being fair,
and far from being fair,
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and I want to help change that.
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I want to live in a society
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where artists are more valued
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and have more cultural
and financial support
and financial support
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so they can focus on creating arts
instead of being forced to drive Ubers
instead of being forced to drive Ubers
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or take corporate jobs
they'd rather not have.
they'd rather not have.
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There are other sources of income
for artists, however.
for artists, however.
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There are private foundations,
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grants and patrons who give money,
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except a vast majority of artists
don't know about these opportunities.
don't know about these opportunities.
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05:07
On one side you have institutions
and people with money.
and people with money.
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05:10
On the other side
you have artists seeking funding,
you have artists seeking funding,
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05:13
but the artists don't know
about the people with the money,
about the people with the money,
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and the people with the money
don't necessarily know
don't necessarily know
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about the artists out there.
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This is why I am very excited
to share "Grantpa,"
to share "Grantpa,"
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an online platform that uses technology
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to match artists with grants
and funding opportunities
and funding opportunities
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in a way that is easy, fast
and less intimidating.
and less intimidating.
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Grantpa is only one step
towards solving an existing problem
towards solving an existing problem
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of funding inequality,
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but we need to work collectively
on multiple fronts
on multiple fronts
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to reevaluate how we view
the artists in our society.
the artists in our society.
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Do we think of arts
as a luxury or a necessity?
as a luxury or a necessity?
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Do we understand what goes on
in the day-to-day life of an artist,
in the day-to-day life of an artist,
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or do we still believe that artists,
no matter how struggling they are,
no matter how struggling they are,
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are happy simply because
they're following their passion?
they're following their passion?
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In a few years, I plan to send
my brothers the following email:
my brothers the following email:
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"Dear brothers, I hope
this message finds you well.
this message finds you well.
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I am emailing to let you know
that I am doing great
that I am doing great
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and so are hundreds
of thousands of artists
of thousands of artists
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who are being valued more
culturally and financially
culturally and financially
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and getting enough funding
to focus on their crafts
to focus on their crafts
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and create more art.
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I appreciate all of your support.
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Couldn't have done it without you."
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Thank you.
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06:35
(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Hadi Eldebek - Musician, educator, entrepreneurTED Resident Hadi Eldebek is a musician, educator and entrepreneur who creates artistic, cultural, and educational projects around the world.
Why you should listen
After completing his undergraduate studies in math and chemistry, Hadi Eldebek enrolled in a master's program in industrial engineering before he decided to focus on music, culture, and entrepreneurship. His choice was encountered by doubts about how he was going to make it as an artist.
When Eldebek was awarded a music grant in 2015, he started to explore how to make funding opportunities more accessible to artists around the world, sparking grantPA -- a platform that connects artists and organizations to funding and professional development opportunities.
Eldebek's collaborations with pioneers in the world of arts, culture and education, including Yo-Yo Ma's SilkRoad Ensemble, Disney World Imagineering and Harvard Graduate School of Education have equipped him with a valuable mindset and powerful insights that led him into the creation of numerous projects. He often tours as a musician and a panelist. He was recently a TED Resident, where he co-developed grantPA and Circle World Arts with his brother, Mohamad Eldebek, into ideas worth spreading.
Hadi Eldebek | Speaker | TED.com