Author Archives: lindaessig

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About lindaessig

Linda Essig is Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Baruch College and principal/owner of Creative Infrastructure. The opinions expressed on Creative Infrastructure are her own and not those of Baruch College

Winners, Thought Leaders, and System Change

I just finished reading Anand Giridharadas’ 2018 book Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World. This isn’t a book review – I don’t do book reviews here – but rather a thought exchange which, according to him, … Continue reading

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Tenth Anniversary!!

This isn’t just any New Year’s Eve post, this is the TENTH ANNIVERSARY of Creative Infrastructure! Continue reading

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Creative Infrastructures: Artists, Money, and Entrepreneurial Action

Creative Infrastructures: Artists, Money, and Entrepreneurial Action is a labor of love, the culmination of fifteen years of ever-evolving thinking, and, now, a manuscript submitted to Intellect Books. A prologue, nine essays, and an epilogue (this last is still in … Continue reading

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Real Estate

All too often, artists who are attentive to the “business” of their creative practice are accused of “selling out.” But for many working artists, that attention to business–to revenue generation, asset accrual, the arts economy—is what enables an artist to … Continue reading

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First Principles, Inadequate Soil, and Artist Entrepreneurs

On June 8, I participated in a virtual symposium sponsored by the Arts, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Lab at Indiana University entitled “New. Not Normal.” Some panelists were invited to pre-record ~15 minute talks, while others, like me, were invited to … Continue reading

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An Open Letter to Students: “Don’t Wait”

A colleague dean clearly articulates both the challenges and the hope…”We need the next generation to define and improve the next normal”

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A Covid-19 Prompt from Artivate

[The co-editors of Artivate: A Journal of Entrepreneurship in the Arts invited me to submit some “thoughts on arts entrepreneurship in light of the recent economic and social shifts brought on by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.” Here is that … Continue reading

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Love is in the Air (and the office)

February is a time to celebrate love and friendship. I try to bring love into the office every day: love for student success; love for colleagues and collaborators; and love for the beautiful Tongva land on which Cal State LA … Continue reading

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New Year Post 2019-20

Happy New Year! Happy New Decade! Since I launched this blog on New Year’s Eve 2010 it has been my tradition to offer a recap of the blog’s year, summarizing its stats and revisiting its most popular posts. As the … Continue reading

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Post Chanukah Thoughts

Hours after I posted my “Chanukah Thoughts,” tragedy struck. As I was considering the lessons of Chanukah, the persistent resistance to oppression and the collective action of Tikkun Olam, tragedy struck in two ways, intellectually and violently, and in two … Continue reading

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