Advice On Living The Artist Life
posted on 09/05/2009
As people working in the creative field, we all want to put all of our time and effort towards working on what we do best. To be realistic, we can't do that. A lot of things in life won't allow us to get by living solely on our dreams. There are bills to be paid and things to be done that will take up our time, making total dedication to our art impossible. Just because you can't put all of your time towards your art doesn't mean that you can't do something towards its creation.
Getting a Day Job
The truth is you don't want to be a starving artist. Everyone needs money, and so do you. How else can you buy the supplies that you need to produce your work? If you're an artist, you'll need paint, sketchpads, canvases, and easels. If you're a photographer, you'll need film and chemicals to produce your photographs. If you're a writer, you'll need a computer, printer paper, and printer ink. No matter what your creative profession is, you'll need money to provide for your necessities. You also need money for food.
To get money to pay for all the things that you'll need, you'll have to get a job. I am well aware that getting a job goes against the ideal of living the artist's life, but there really isn't much of an alternative. Unless you have rich patrons or parents willing to support you until you start making money, you'll need to support yourself.
A job that doesn't require very much thinking would probably be ideal. If you get a job that involves repetitive tasks or doesn't require any kind of creativity, then you don't have to worry about using up all of your creativity on a job. You can always quit this job once you start making enough money from your work to support yourself.
Finding Time to Work
It's your choice on what kind of job you will get. You can get a part-time or full-time job. If you want to have time to work on your art, you should get a part-time job. A part-time job doesn't pay as much money as a full-time job pays, but at least you'll have more free time.
With a part-time job, you probably won't be as stressed out or as tired as a full-time job can make you feel. If you're less worn out, you can easily dedicate more time towards the things that you like to do.
Since you probably won't have overtime, either, you are free to use the weekends fully to work on your art.
Making Money off Your Work
When you're just starting out with your work, it can be hard to make money off it, especially if no one knows who you are. Now that the internet is available, you can show off your art to the world and make a name for yourself. Enter contests or display your work in art galleries. Your opportunities to make money are increased thanks to sites that will allow you to sell your work.
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Previous Comments
Reteena says:
(72d 4h 3min ago)
I have a relative I have been trying to get this point across to. She wants to be famous film maker and refuses to work a full-time job, even when you basically can tell she just doesn't want to work - plain and simple. By refusing to get a "real" job while perfecting her craft, people do not have a lot of respect for her, and I can't help but wonder if people will ever take her seriously. Hope others read this, too. Thanks so much!