My friend Katarina Wong (http://www.innerworkings.net) has started an online discussion about the artist’s relationship to his/her day job. The thing that sparked this inquiry was a NY Times article by Holland Cotter called, “The Boom Is Over: Long Live the Art! “ In the article, Cotter looks at how past down markets have creatively-fueled artists by allowing them a freedom that being tied to the marketplace may not. He writes, “It’s day-job time again in America, and that’s O.K. Artists have always had them — van Gogh the preacher, Pollock the busboy, Henry Darger the janitor — and will again. The trick is to try to make them an energy source, not a chore.”
Wouldn’t THAT be nice – to have a day job that actually fed the creative and contributed to the ones energy level in the studio. Maybe teaching. Artists I know who teach certainly talk about how much they get from teaching, how it keeps their “edge” up, how much they learn from students, etc. But a majority of us who have day jobs are not teaching. When I decided I wanted to ditch the 9 to 5 and get serious about making art, I did what a lot of creative people do: I became a waitress. A fine job for someone in her late 20’s or early 30’s, but not for much longer. After that, I bit the bullet and trained to be a paralegal. This made sense to me since I had once been accepted to law school (though I quickly got over that idea). I landed a great part time job with full benefits (hard to imagine that now). Though I used to complain about working half of every day, a lot of my artist friends were envious of the security I had. I did paralegal work for many years, for four years full time. During those four long years I didn’t do very much art. It felt impossible. I had a studio but eventually gave it up and worked some at home. The irony was,
I could easily afford a studio, but I couldn’t find time to paint.
When I moved to Asheville NC in 1998, I assumed I would find a part time job. Imagine my surprise when I was offered work at one third of the pay I had gotten on the West Coast. Subsequently I found contract work running art shows at gaming/sci fi conventions. I still do this, but it is limited and at this point only involves one show a year. (I had the pleasure ha ha of running three “Star Wars Celebration convention” art shows.) For most of the past ten years, I have made a decent income selling my work. I’m not rich, but I didn’t have to look for other work.
Fast forward to 2009. Like a lot of creative people I know, I am trying to keep my head above water by increasing my online presence, networking, and increasing my visibility in various ways.
I am also painting smaller pieces and making linocuts. These pursuits are good; they do not feel like a compromise. Being creative about being creative is always a good thing, even if it is spurred on by a decrease in sales.
Now to explain the graphic: I have been thinking about what I am good at that not many others are. I have come up with two things: trimming cat toenails and reading Tarot cards. I can see the logo now: a paw holding a card. I joke about this, but I may end up doing one or the other before this recession is over. People are finding solace in their pets, and everyone wants to know what the future holds, so maybe m crazy idea isn’t so crazy. Stay tuned.
Wouldn’t THAT be nice – to have a day job that actually fed the creative and contributed to the ones energy level in the studio. Maybe teaching. Artists I know who teach certainly talk about how much they get from teaching, how it keeps their “edge” up, how much they learn from students, etc. But a majority of us who have day jobs are not teaching. When I decided I wanted to ditch the 9 to 5 and get serious about making art, I did what a lot of creative people do: I became a waitress. A fine job for someone in her late 20’s or early 30’s, but not for much longer. After that, I bit the bullet and trained to be a paralegal. This made sense to me since I had once been accepted to law school (though I quickly got over that idea). I landed a great part time job with full benefits (hard to imagine that now). Though I used to complain about working half of every day, a lot of my artist friends were envious of the security I had. I did paralegal work for many years, for four years full time. During those four long years I didn’t do very much art. It felt impossible. I had a studio but eventually gave it up and worked some at home. The irony was,
I could easily afford a studio, but I couldn’t find time to paint.
When I moved to Asheville NC in 1998, I assumed I would find a part time job. Imagine my surprise when I was offered work at one third of the pay I had gotten on the West Coast. Subsequently I found contract work running art shows at gaming/sci fi conventions. I still do this, but it is limited and at this point only involves one show a year. (I had the pleasure ha ha of running three “Star Wars Celebration convention” art shows.) For most of the past ten years, I have made a decent income selling my work. I’m not rich, but I didn’t have to look for other work.
Fast forward to 2009. Like a lot of creative people I know, I am trying to keep my head above water by increasing my online presence, networking, and increasing my visibility in various ways.
I am also painting smaller pieces and making linocuts. These pursuits are good; they do not feel like a compromise. Being creative about being creative is always a good thing, even if it is spurred on by a decrease in sales.
Now to explain the graphic: I have been thinking about what I am good at that not many others are. I have come up with two things: trimming cat toenails and reading Tarot cards. I can see the logo now: a paw holding a card. I joke about this, but I may end up doing one or the other before this recession is over. People are finding solace in their pets, and everyone wants to know what the future holds, so maybe m crazy idea isn’t so crazy. Stay tuned.
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