Artists Gotta Art
Art comes in many forms: paintings, sculpture, music, poetry, literature, plays, and more. Artists make art because it's what they do. The common stereotype of the tortured artist driven to create is based on reality. I know for myself, if I go too long without being creative I get restive, even depressive. Artists gotta art.
Every artist dreams of doing his art as their full-time job. They yearn to be creating in their "studio" day after day, undisturbed by the sordid cares of this world, but this doesn't usually work out. The other common stereotype of artists is the starving artist, also based in reality. Van Gogh worked construction jobs to buy his paints. Picasso burned a lot of his early works for heat during the winter.
A few artists make it bigStephen King comes to mindbut most don't. If you're an artist you need to create but you also need to eat. You can go through life frustrated and hungry because you can't make a living with your art, or you can be reasonable.
I worked a dozen years trying to make writing my career. I got a lot of books published and some did okay. I got published in a few magazines, an anthology, and won the 2012 Crow Award, but I only made enough money to live off it for about a year. I made the mistake of quitting my day job and had to start over.
A lot of actors drift along from job to job as waitresses, shop clerks, and such waiting to "be discovered" all the while never putting any effort into their day job beyond making enough for the rent. They end up frustrated and angry because they don't "make it." From experience, I think artists ought to assume they're not going to make it. History proves most won't. An artist ought to put effort into their "day" job and be content with creating their art on their time off. Artists gotta art but they have to eat too.
Being content with your art, and not being driven in a futile manner to despair from failure to make a living from it will avoid much misery and depression. And who knows? Maybe you will be successful? But in the meantime you won't be depressed and hungry, and end up cutting off your ear and shooting yourself like Van Gogh.
Every artist dreams of doing his art as their full-time job. They yearn to be creating in their "studio" day after day, undisturbed by the sordid cares of this world, but this doesn't usually work out. The other common stereotype of artists is the starving artist, also based in reality. Van Gogh worked construction jobs to buy his paints. Picasso burned a lot of his early works for heat during the winter.
A few artists make it bigStephen King comes to mindbut most don't. If you're an artist you need to create but you also need to eat. You can go through life frustrated and hungry because you can't make a living with your art, or you can be reasonable.
I worked a dozen years trying to make writing my career. I got a lot of books published and some did okay. I got published in a few magazines, an anthology, and won the 2012 Crow Award, but I only made enough money to live off it for about a year. I made the mistake of quitting my day job and had to start over.
A lot of actors drift along from job to job as waitresses, shop clerks, and such waiting to "be discovered" all the while never putting any effort into their day job beyond making enough for the rent. They end up frustrated and angry because they don't "make it." From experience, I think artists ought to assume they're not going to make it. History proves most won't. An artist ought to put effort into their "day" job and be content with creating their art on their time off. Artists gotta art but they have to eat too.
Being content with your art, and not being driven in a futile manner to despair from failure to make a living from it will avoid much misery and depression. And who knows? Maybe you will be successful? But in the meantime you won't be depressed and hungry, and end up cutting off your ear and shooting yourself like Van Gogh.
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