Chapter Eight

Jobs for Young Artists

I hate to say it like this but I am so glad this is my last post on this book. The further I got along the more I enjoyed the information Dunning was trying to convey to me as a young artist. I think that there are some values that are worth taking along if I were to pursue photography as a career, the only problem would be trying to work two jobs to afford the studio time and take great shots, too.


A long time ago the phrase, "starving artist" was coined and I think that after a month out on their own trying to live solely on their art, a new artist truly starts to realize what this statement actually means and the fact that it can certainly be true. There are some headstrong artists out there who think they know they are good, they have some connections and have produced good work, but what happens when the gallery buying the art decides that they want to go a new direction and they need some thing new and totally different, trying to live by only making and selling art is going to run you into the ground.


I think that the option of holding a part time job while living your dream is the plan that should be stuck to. I say this because you never know how it's going to pan out. Will you sell 10 or 15 pieces this week and 2 next week? Will you have a bidder on 5 today but none tomorrow? I think that having a part time job not involved with art, or even with art maybe an understudy, would relieve some of the stress that an artist is sure to feel once they are hit with the sledge hammer of reality. Bills still have to be paid and gas still has to be put in the car and food doesn't just appear either. I am not trying to suggest that this is how it will be forever. I know that there are some very talented people out there and they work hard and produce great work, but that takes time and money, and to get to the top, to where selling your art, only, can pay the mortgage and feed the kids, sacrifices have to be made, even if it means waiting tables at Chili's til you save the money to truly put every thing you have into your love (art) and not have to struggle with every day life decisions.