Money Lab: Excerpt from The Neurology of the Soul

The new play I've been working on, The Neurology of the Soul, addresses not only neurology, but some of these issue I'm exploring for Money Lab.  Mark, in the play, is a neuromarketer, someone who using neurology as a basis for his marketing.  In the course of the play, Amy starts making art basic on the images of her brain, and Mark becomes interested in marketing that art. This on the cost of being an artist:

mark

Do you know why starving artists choose to starve?

amy

It’s a choice?

mark

Usually.  Because, let’s face it, plenty of artists are just as smart and capable as businessmen, wouldn’t you say?

amy

I suppose.  Yes, of course.

mark

But they put a value on something other than money, correct?

amy

Right.

mark

Let’s call that thing artistic fulfillment.  How much is artistic fulfillment worth, in terms of dollars and cents?

amy

It don’t think it can be evaluated like that.

mark

Nonsense.  Saying something can’t be evaluated simply means that you haven’t found the right formula, yet.  Let’s take a theoretical scenario.  Let’s say you compared what artists and businessmen of similar background and education make.  And say you found that, all things being equal, an average businessman makes $50,000 per year more than the average artist.  Does that seem plausible?

amy

More than, unfortunately.  It’s probably more than that.

mark

OK, but let’s be conservative, and say $50,000 per year.  Over 40 years, that’s two million dollars per lifetime.  Available, for you, for any artist.  Only thing is, you need to make that choice.

amy

Some artists make good money.

mark

Many?

amy

No, of course not.

mark

And you know that, going in.  Two million dollars, on average.  Maybe, less, if you’re a successful artist.  Maybe more, if you’re a successful businessman.  Two million dollars, and the choice is yours.  Business or art?

amy

I’ve worked in offices, too.

mark

To make ends meet, or as a career?

amy

Does it matter why?

mark

I think it does.  I think that makes a difference in salary.  You’re a smart woman, Amy.  You could be making a lot of money, if that was your major goal in life.  So, two million dollars, or artistic fulfillment?  Which do you choose?

amy

If that were the choice, and I’m not sure I buy that it is, I choose artistic fulfillment.

mark

Exactly.  As I said, everything has a definable value.  You just have to find the right formula.

amy

What if you are artistic, and not fulfilled?  Have you just thrown away two million?

mark

Do you feel unfulfilled by your art?

amy

Often.

mark

So let’s value your fulfillment at five hundred thousand.  Maybe we can fill in the rest of that value by making a few sales.

amy

What are you after?

mark

A commission, of course.  If my company is partial owner of the images, perhaps we should get a small percent of sales.  Or maybe I want some artistic fulfillment myself.