In working across arts advocacy and adjacent roles for almost 40 years, I am aware yet despondent about my inability to put a dent in what appears to be embedded and systemic indifference that routinely sidelines structural reform for public good via not-for-profit arts investment.
As a 20-year-old naive and idealistic, a 30-year-old educated but ignorant, a 40-year-old disillusioned and disoriented, a 50-year-old experienced and connected, and as an almost 60- year-old supposedly wiser, but still rarely possessing clarity, I’m confounded as to why we/I still approach the same industry issues the same way, yet expect a different outcome. Indeed, maybe there is good reason for at times feeling insane.
In unpacking this I’ve explored connections between stoicism, Shakespeare and advocacy. The insights I’ve discovered provide a means of directing myriad streams of thought into a more powerful river that seems to progress the ‘how’ part of advocacy with a greater sense of direction and, dare I say, flow.
Passion versus efficacy: why measured advocacy matters
Advocacy emerges from discontent. In the arts, it’s often borne of witnessing creative practice undervalued, institutions destabilised and public funding eroded. These grievances are real and deeply felt. But passion alone, when untempered, can be self-defeating. In advocacy, being right is not the same as being effective. When emotion drives the message without being strategically grounded:
- language can become combative or accusatory, which can alienate those in positions of power
- the argument risks over-reach – ignoring the constraints public servants and elected officials face, and
- advocacy collapses into catharsis, where venting replaces influencing.
This is especially challenging in the arts, where passion, vulnerability and conviction are not only common but essential tools of the craft. Yet in the policy realm, uncontrolled emotion often reads as self-interest, naïveté or lack of professionalism – fairly or not.
“Give me that man / That is not passion’s slave, and I will wear him / In my heart’s core.” – Hamlet, Act III, Scene II
Stoic insight
Stoicism teaches that while we cannot control external events, we can control how we respond. This is essential for advocates who must operate in slow-moving, complex systems. The goal is not to suppress feeling, but to discipline it into sustainable, ethical and effective action.
“You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realise this, and you will find strength.” – Marcus Aurelius
Measured advocacy is not weakness. It is courage under control. It channels anger and urgency into action that is more likely to move systems, not just stir emotions.
Read: How to be an effective arts advocate
Shakespearean advocacy: drama, rhetoric and timing
Shakespeare’s canon is filled with characters navigating power, influence and public opinion. Many of his most potent figures succeed, not because of their strength or status, but because of their timing, language and moral framing.“
There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries.” – Brutus, Julius Caesar, Act IV, Scene III
Brutus is a quintessential example of the Stoic-advocate archetype: morally serious, loyal to principle over popularity, and fatally convinced that rational argument will prevail in a deeply emotional, volatile context. His downfall is instructive – it’s not enough to be ethical; you must also be strategic. Contrast this with:
- Portia, who disguises herself as a legal scholar to win a courtroom battle using calm logic and ethical rhetoric.
- Henry V, who unifies a nation with oratory that stirs loyalty without tipping into demagoguery.
- Rosalind, who navigates patriarchal structures through disguise, intellect, and timing.
Shakespeare shows us that effective persuasion is both art and strategy. In the context of advocacy, especially in the arts sector, this means:
- using emotional appeal as the entry point, but relying on evidence, story and context-specific
- reasoning to carry the message
- knowing when to speak, whom to address and how to shift the narrative, and
- recognising that to be persuasive, you often need to play a role – not to deceive, but to connect across difference.
Politics versus policy: understanding the terrain
This is where many advocacy efforts fail – not through lack of sincerity or clarity, but by misunderstanding the system they’re trying to influence. The distinction between policy and politics is not academic; it determines your strategy.
Policy:
- is about what governments do – the programs they fund, the structures they create, the regulations they enact
- is informed by research, stakeholder input and technical advice
- is the domain of public servants, analysts and policy advisers, and
- responds to evidence, feasibility and alignment with broader goals.
Politics:
- is about how decisions are made and who makes them
- is driven by ideology, media framing, party priorities, electoral cycles and personal relationships
- is the domain of elected officials, ministers, political advisors, and lobbyists, and
- responds to narrative, timing, public opinion and risk perception.
In short: policy is the architecture. Politics is the weather. Advocacy that ignores one or the other is building without foundations – or sailing without a forecast.
For example:
- Advocating for a reform to arts funding criteria is a policy ask.
- Convincing a Minister to publicly defend arts investment in the lead-up to an election is a political act.
- Effective advocacy in the arts requires you to work both tracks:
Behind the scenes: partnering with departments, submitting evidence-based proposals, participating in consultation processes.
In public: building media narratives, mobilising communities, leveraging ambassadors and alliances.
A considered path of arts advocacy: from passion to strategic action
Grounding
- Clarify the core problem. Is it visibility? Funding? Policy architecture? Misunderstood public value?
- Anchor in shared values: equity, access, national identity, intergenerational benefit.
- Define the ‘north star’ – what outcome would genuinely shift the dial?
Framing
- Translate sector needs into terms that government understands: productivity, public impact, value for money, wellbeing.
- Use stories strategically – combine data and emotion to resonate across ideological lines.
- Avoid framing arts as a ‘charity case’ – instead, position it as infrastructure for civic life and social cohesion.
Targeting
- Map the players: Who decides? Who advises? Who influences those decision-makers?
- Understand which levers are policy-based (long game) versus political (short-term wins).
- Align messaging with portfolio objectives: link arts to health, education, regional development, climate resilience etc.
Timing
- Match your ask to the budget cycle, electoral timeline or moment of public attention.
- Anticipate windows of opportunity – public inquiries, crises, major events.
- Avoid reactive advocacy. Develop a calendar-based advocacy plan that moves across the year.
Tactics
- Vary tactics by audience: Ministers need public alignment and reputational pay-off; policy staff need logic, feasibility and alignment with internal KPIs.
- Consider third-party validation: economists, regional mayors, First Nations leaders.
- Engage continually, not just when something goes wrong – build the relationship before you need something.
Harnessing passion strategically
The arts sector has a unique power: it speaks not just to the mind, but to the heart and the collective imagination. But that’s also why it’s often marginalised – because its value is not easily monetised or simplified.
To advocate effectively:
- Use the sector’s storytelling prowess to create visceral, memorable, human cases for change.
- Bring decision-makers into the experience: invite them to events, spaces, rehearsals and workshops.
- Show rather than tell – let them feel the impact.
‘The arts are not a bonus. They are a public good.’ But this must be demonstrated through consistency, calm credibility and cross-sector connection – not only through passion.
Final thought
Measured advocacy is not apathy. It is passion in service of outcome. It’s what separates the flash of protest from the grind of policy reform.
- The Stoics taught us that true strength lies in self-discipline and moral clarity.
- Shakespeare showed us that influence depends on timing, rhetoric and knowing your audience.
The advocate must be both: philosopher and performer, strategist and citizen.
To advocate effectively is not just to speak. It is to speak wisely, relentlessly and on purpose.
The views expressed above are Rick Heath’s personal views and are independent of the Chamber of Arts and Culture WA.
