“But What’s Your REAL Job?”
A Study in the Contradictions of Being an Artist
“What do you do for work?”
“I’m a full-time artist.”
The uncomfortable giggles and shifting of feet emerge from my dining companions almost reflexively. Involuntarily, like a hiccup, almost an allergic reaction or tic. Their limbic system strains to process such an odd scenario.
That’s the response I typically receive when I’m asked what I do for work and I reply that I am a full time working artist. It’s as if I’d told them I was an astronaut or chocolate taste-tester; jobs that technically exist but for most people is just a naive fantasy.
After this spasm of disbelief, their bodies tense up as if to say, “Oh, you’re serious?”
Yes, I am serious. I make paintings and drawings for a living, and sell them. It’s not a glamorous or easy living, it’s unpredictable. It’s long hours and odd hours. I drive more miles and send more emails than one might think.
“Artist” is one of those jobs that no one seems to be able to take seriously. It’s one without a clear educational path or ultimate goal. It helps to have a degree but you don’t need one. It’s grungy and elitist at the same time. It’s one with plenty of myths about being touched with an ethereal “talent” or otherwise being blessed by an unseen…
