The R-Word - It's All About Reputation, Baby

Sometimes, while I was still studying, I've come across people, who have been cherishing an idea, a concept, a work of art for  a long time and have told me about it, but then when it came to finally realising it, they sort of backed down. One might of course conclude that there were some financial aspects troubling these projects, but nothing was further from truth. So I discussed my findings with fellow students and they answered: "It is all very well for you as a student to try to realize these sometimes daring projects, but they are professors and artists they have a reputation to lose."
Later on exactly this word "reputation" was also featuring in a book on some daring theatrical project
I've benefitted from, for I was lucky enough to attend a performance: The ESC "The Wars of the Roses", a staging of the Shakespearean history plays from Richard II to Richard III, all done in a row and sometimes at just one weekend, which they toured around the world. Here the word "reputation" almost killed the whole project at the beginning because institutions that wanted to support this effort were reminded that this just might endanger their reputation.
Thus I've come to learn that this tiny word is the obstacle to many a wonderful and daring work of art, and yet again the true artist reveals himself in exactly this moment, for he or she would not bother about his or her reputation at all and just skip it.
So thanks to all you lovely artists who don't give a damn about their public image and just daringly do whatever they feel compelled to.