Get Your Vote On! Guest Blog by Candidate for Governor Evan Falchuk
As part of MALC’s Get Your Vote On! series, we invited four of the five gubernatorial candidates* to guest blog about their policies and share their thoughts about our sector.
Our second guest blogger, presented below, is Candidate Evan Falchuk.
Evan Falchuk (United Independent Party)
Campaign Website: www.Falchuk2014.org
MALC analysis of Candidate Falchuk’s Campaign Platform: http://wp.me/p2W9Iu-129
Running Mate: Lt. Governor Candidate: Angus Jennings
Answered Lt. Governor MALC questionnaire (PDF): http://www.artistsunderthedome.org/Jennings.pdf
Campaign website: http://www.angus4lg.org/
Creativity is a kind of risk-taking. It is driven by a unique conviction of truth, and a passionate desire to express that truth through actions or words. It is, above all, a reflection of the aspiration to be free, to connect with others, to question accepted norms, and to live life on your own terms. It may be expressed through arts or culture, and it may be expressed simply in the way you live your life.
I grew up surrounded by a family that was imbued with this kind of spirit.
My father’s father, Solomon, was born in Ukraine in 1905. When he was 14, much of his family was murdered because they were Jews. He escaped, and ended up in Cuba, alone and penniless. He worked odd jobs, and eventually was able to move to Venezuela, where he started a business. Over time, he saved enough money to reach his goal – making sure his sons were educated in the U.S.
My mother’s father, Murray, grew up in New York City, the son of a Polish immigrant and tailor. By the time he was 30, he was running the business with his father, and quickly began to transform a traditional clothing manufacturer into a creative, forward-thinking custom clothing designer and manufacturer. Murray traveled the world in search of unique fabrics and designs, and developed a whimsical and imaginative brand and marketing approach. Murray always questioned conventional wisdom, and it meant his customers would wear beautiful and meticulously designed clothing, apparel that others would recognize as being uniquely interesting and noticeable.
Given these creative, problem-solving role models, it should be no surprise that so many people in my family have chosen career paths outside the “norm,” or which have involved seeking out challenges to take on. My father became a doctor and a professor, but also started a highly successful business based on a visionary understanding of medical care. My mother was a nurse, but also became the President of a global charitable organization called Hadassah, leveraging her talent for inspiring others through stories. My brother, as the co-creator of Glee andAmerican Horror Story, has poured his creative spirit into the creation of stories that speak to deep – and for some, uncomfortable – truths.
In my case, I spent the first few years of my career as a lawyer doing work that was enjoyable, but ultimately unsatisfying. What became so clear to me during those years was the absolute importance of doing work that was inspiring. I learned that my own creative spirit was driven by a desire to be part of building and organizing people around ideas and purpose and meaning – particularly ideas that call into question widely held preconceptions.”
– Evan Falchuk
*MALC invited four of the five candidates for Governor to guest blog and the candidates will be featured in reverse alphabetical order. (MALC did not reach out to the Lively/Saunders Campaign.):
Tuesday, October 28th Candidate Jeff McCormick
Wednesday, Oct. 29th Candidate Evan Falchuk
Thursday, October 30th Candidate Martha Coakley
Friday, October 31st Candidate Charlie Baker
MALC does not endorse candidates for office, but seeks to provide needed and timely information about candidates’ platforms and policies that impact artists of all disciplines, the art, and cultural and creative economies. Nor does MALC take positions on the statewide ballot questions.