"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed." --Albert Einstein

If you've ever thought of making your passion your profession, this class is for you. Just bring your passion, be it creative writing, painting, classical music, photography, hiphop, open source CMS & DRM, or movie production, and during the semester you will research the business structure and technological needs for launching your venture or career. From ecommerce to bricks & mortar art galleries, JD's & DJ's will rock out in new ventures. Diligent students will leave the class with their own record label, photo gallery, digital movie distribution system, or video for their band's new song.

The class looks forward to your group's final presentation on your startup movie/film production company, publishing house, modeling agency, fashion brand, professional photography studio/archive, high-tech hosting/bittorrent distribution venture, music-booking agency, nonprofit foundation for Baroque music, talent-management agency, or indie record label. This class is your chance to live your dream for a semester, and hopefully beyond!

The class's structure will be based on classical story elements as outlined in Aristotle's Poetics and Joseph Campbell's Hero With a Thousand Faces. The independent projects will be adventures akin to Campbell's "Hero's Journey," wherein students will become protagonists as artists and entrepreneurs attempting to realize their dream by launching a successful venture. Along the way students will encounter antagonists and pitfalls, but these shall be overcome by the end of the semester, when students will present their artistic ventures.

Anyone who has studied Hollywood knows that every blockbuster, from Lord of the Rings, to Star Wars, to The Matrix, is founded upon classical story structures, and the class will be taught in this classical context. The Declaration of Independence and Constitution are the two most fundamental business documents for artists and entrepreneurs, and students will be required to study the pertinent aspects of these classics. From Aristotle's Poetics to the Bill of Rights to 50 Cent's insights regarding the music business, students will be given the tools to venture forth in the contemporary context.

Technology's daily advance is fostering vast opportunities to create sustainable ventures in the arts. This class is just the beginning of the journey. Perhaps some students will venture up to NY or west to LA, or take advantage of the digital high definition (HD) technologies, bittorrent, open source CMS, and DRM to become tomorrow's writers, directors, producers, and record company executives right in Chapel Hill.

Every work of art tells a story, and behind that work of art is another parallel story--the business of its creation, promotion, and distribution. Such are the stories students will tell in Artistic Entrepreneurship & Technology 101.

BLOGGING THE VENTURE'S PROGRESS:
Students will be required to set up a blog which will serve as a log for independent projects, charting progress in pursuit of that distant shore. The blog will link to useful resources/articles regarding the venture, and will become a valuable asset for other groups in the class and beyond.

"GENIUS IS 1% INSPIRATION AND 99% PERSPIRATION" --THOMAS ALVA EDISON:
Artistic Entrepreneurship will be a lot of work, but the kind of exalted work that is rooted in a creative vision. As Edison said, genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration, and as the class studies the careers of famous artists, entertainers, and entrepreneurs, students will see how much work, how much relentless, unyielding effort was devoted en route to achieving their dreams. A common theme will be just when it seems all is lost, a new day dawns.

The class will be a lot of fun too. The harder one works, the more fun it will be.

TEAMWORK: THE WHOLE IS GREATER THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS:
Students will work in self-selecting groups combining creative individuals across all disciplines, including artists, designers, writers, musicians, photographers, and programmers.

ARTS & TECHNOLOGY:
Steven Jobs never programmed, nor designed a microchip, and yet he's responsible for Apple, Pixar, the Macintosh, and the iPod. He lead and still leads hundreds of the best and brightest designers, programmers, and visonaries. Richard Branson never played an instrument nor piloted an airplane, and yet he's responsible for Virgin Airlines, Virgin Records, Virgin Mobile, and a ton of other companies. He too leads hundreds of the best and brightest.

All successful artistic ventures require a vision encompassing a wide array of talents, disciplines, and vocations, and this class will emphasize the teamwork that underlies all successful implementations of technology. Programmers and artists will work side-by-side in independent groups.

A theme of the class will be the social aspects of technology.

Modern artistic venture require huge respect for all professions, and students will work in groups combining writers, computer programmers, artists, marketers, business majors, and more.

Do you want to set up a record label? You will build it with cutting edge technology implemented by a CS major. Do you want to set up a non-profit center for classical music? You will research the business structure and write the business plan alongside a business major. Do you want to become an indie movie producer, bypassing Hollywood? You'll work alongside a busines major, a computer programmer, and a marketing/communications major.

BLOGGING REFLECTIONS ON REQUIRED READING:
Students will be required to read trade journals in the area of their passion. Publishing entrepreneurs will read Publisher's Weekly. Rising movie moguls will read The Hollywood Reporter and Variety.

Required reading for this class will include Aristotle's Poetics, iCon: The Biography of Steven Jobs, and Richard Branson's biography Losing My Virginity : How I've Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way.

TELL YOUR VENTURE'S STORY:
During the semester you will tell a story. You are the hero entrepreneur in this journey, and your dreams are the destination.

Passion for the arts and entrepreneurship are the major prerequisites for this course, and we encourage all writers, filmmakers, poets, programmers, and musicians to apply! Within this class English majors will work with Physics majors to create new ventures.

Whatever your passion, Dr. E will guide you in devising a plan for pursuing it as a profession.

The course structure is based upon Aristotle's Poetics and Joseph Campbell's Hero with a Thousand Faces, which have inspired thousands of storytellers including George Lucas in the creation of Star Wars and the Wachowski Brothers in the creation of the Matrix.

Just like Neo and Luke Skywalker, all artists/entrepreneurs must look within for that magic creative inspiration. As the artist/entrepreneur, you are the hero protagonist in this course, and thus the story falls upon your shoulders as we progress through the semester. Success will be defined by the course taking you closer to your dreams in arts and entrepreneurship.