Thoughts on being an artist with a day job | coping with Sunday Scaries
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 มิ.ย. 2024
- Sharing my thoughts on being an artist with a day job. If you're an artist with a day job and you get the sunday scaries, you're not alone!
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Pick up your phone please by baegel
Courtesy of Epidemic Sound
I was at an artist residency I realized that I am my most creative and productive when I have balance. Getting out, being physically active and interacting with the world is where inspiration comes from. Having a life outside of art making is important to keep me grounded, not burned out, and connected to the world. I've also realized that having more free time does not equal being more productive, but this is probably something I need to work on.
That’s a great point, having a day job exposes us to different experiences, which is important!
I really like the way you phrase it as "being your own patron."
Yes! 🙌
Drawing something every day is the big one for me. I get antsy when I skip a day. My schedule is like: Work 7AM - 4PM, Make and eat dinner until 6PM or 7PM, Relax or play games until 8PM or 9PM, Draw/Paint until midnight. Sleep.
I'm not connected to any other artists in the area, so I have no idea what goes on in the local art scene. I'm basically just making stuff for myself.
I feel you. Glad you found a schedule that works for you :)
My day job was working as a career firefighter. It was so cool one day on two days off for art. My firefighting job also provided me with a good salary healthcare and retirement.
That’s great! Glad you found a balance that worked for you :)
I think one more benefit of having a day job is it helps to break the monotony and overcome artist's block.
Many good points like most of your other videos.
I like the 'long distance relationship' metaphor - never come across this before!
Thanks for sharing.
Oh that’s another good point! Glad the video resonated with you :)
I absolutely loved 'Paterson', just a guy making time for his art. I really feel like this is such an overlooked topic, It's nice to hear a refreshing opinion.
Totally agree ❤️
I think of myself as consisting chiefly of three personae: an art guy, a music guy, and an IT guy who supports the other two. My art guy gets crazy (mostly adolescent-inspired) ideas, and I have to indulge him periodically to see where they lead and what they end up looking like. My music guy is held over from when I was a full-time classical music student. If I hadn't switched careers, I think I would probably be a music theory professor somewhere. My IT guy grew out of a hobby I took up while still studying music, then he became the bread-winner after switching chairs with my music guy as an experiment. Most of my "soft skills" in IT come from habits I learned while studying music, so I check in with my music guy fairly often, especially if I need to drag myself out of thinking about work stuff during my time off. You made a bunch of excellent points in this post, and I hope tons of our fellow world-straddlers see this.
That’s cool! Sounds like you have found some balance and ways to keep each of the guys happy :)
The best thing i have found for balance in this is having a part time (30ish hrs) job that fits one’s creative lifestyle. I currently have a job driving auto parts on delivery for Advance. I get to go places, listen to good music in the car, and ask my work buddies all sorts of questions (fueling my car hobby and learning about car stuff). (I can even fit in a little bit of projects on the go for down-times at work). I don’t make a boat load of money, but i do enjoy my job and find it still gives me time to be creative on the side. 👌
That's awesome! Sounds like a great balance.
The right kind of day job can be a blessing for an artist. A revenue stream large enough to take care of the monthly expenses with enough to get supplies and equipment for one's creative pursuits would be like winning the lotto or at the very least like a paid work study internship. I have been an artist with a day job for most of my life in various aspects of Marketing. Now, web design is the dominant source of income and commissioned digital art is the extra. Some day jobs are good fits for artists.
That’s awesome! Yeah, if you can find a day job that is enjoyable and pays the bills, you are in a great spot!
I LOVE THIS VIDEO. GAVE ME SO MUCH REASSURANCE AND CONFIDENCE AND WAS NICE TO SEE THAT YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE NEED MONEY TO CREATE. THINK ALOT OF ARTISTS LIKE MYSELF NEGLECT THIS!
For sure! Artists have to pay the rent too! Glad this resonated with you :)
In my case, working a 9 to 6 on-site job, and doing house chores once i get home, I feel the little time i have left is barely enough to rest my body and tend to my interpersonal rela, which has caused me to neglect my art for most of this last year. At times it is hard to cope with the guilt that carries, as well as to try and plan to switch to a less time consuming day job by maybe studying a short course in design.
This whole video is very well put, I myself try to keep in mind some of the points you mention so to keep going. And definitely the daily sketch tip makes an absolute difference. Thank you for this video ❤
I feel you, that's a lot to deal with. I also think there are different chapters/seasons in our lives, and some of these will involve less time for art. In my own life, I basically stopped making art for several years. But we can always pick up art again once those chapters are over.
This is a really great video! As someone who has a somehow-related-to-art day job but also passionate about drawing and painting since ever. I loved your tips. I've managed in the past to do commissions and have illustration clients but when the momentum was gone it was so hard to have it back. Right now I'm traying to be a regular in our local plein air painting group in Montreal and I hope I can get back to an art routine. Especially cuz my day job is only 32 h/week and theoritically it should let me enough free time for art. Thank you for awesome insights!
Glad you found it helpful! Good luck with your plein air group and getting back to an art routine :)
Thank you for busting the myth of the full time artist. No shame in a dayjob, it always feeds
feeds into my paintings ☺️🎨❤️
For sure! For me, the day job ended up being too draining for my art practice. But it's awesome that yours feeds into your paintings!
Hi Christine, I work full-time as well and do artwork but not yet selling. Thing that I have learned to make sure that’s in my schedule is my growth in my spirituality. Sometimes we get so busy in life that we forget about I feel the most important thing, that’s being thankful for our life and the creator who gave us life. Just something to think about and introducing or making sure that this is part of your schedule as well. The best and I hope you do become full-time artist.
Important point! I think your life becomes meaningful when you're in touch with your values and faith, and make sure they're incorporated in your everyday. And when you remember to take moments to reflect and think about the things you are grateful for. That way you won't be so much at risk to 'get stuck in the grind', lose sight of your purpose and burn out.
For me, this is 'green living', minimalism, art, and connectedness to nature. For others, it's religion, dedicating time for family, or something else.
I play the Sims 2, and in that game every character has a lifetime aspiration. It's something like what I listed, like basic grounding values of the character. If you fulfill their wishes related to that aspiration, they will live happily. If you don't, they will get depressed. I think we are kind of like sims and we need to fulfil those important wishes in order to be happy and have good mental health.
That is a great point, and I completely agree. Honestly though when I get busy, sometimes my spiritual practice is the first thing to go :( but I feel it is the foundation of my creativity, so I keep bringing myself back to it.
You’re right. This is not a topic that’s often really talked about and it helps to hear other artists who are experiencing the same thing. Thank you for sharing! I’m definitely going to be implementing these tips.
Glad you found it helpful! :)
I also like to read about other artists that have day jobs. A book I like that talks about this is Daily Rituals: Women at work by Mason currey
That’s cool, I have to check it out!
one of main reasons why I am still hesitant to switch to full time art career is that I am afraid this decision might put too much pressure on my “artist” self. that I would be picking projects for money rather than because they genuinely interest me
Yes, I think that's a super important concern. Having a day job took time away from my art, but when I did paint, I could work on and develop whatever genuinely interested me, without concern for money.
Hi Christina, I’m juggling trying to get better at painting with a 4 day/week job and two small kids. One of the things that I find hardest is switching my attention between painting, work, and family life. Often I’m thinking about painting as I am supposed to be working, or when I’m with my kids, which means I’m not completely present and in terms of work, not very focused or effective. I would sometimes bring a sketchbook to work to do a quick sketch during lunch break, which sometimes helped sort of ‘release’ that pressure, but sometimes it got me even more distracted. And sometimes I would be in work mode so much (and be tired) that I found it hard to switch to painting at night. Did you experience something similar? How did you ‘turn off’ your painting brain and stop your stream of inspiration and ideas to focus on work or other things?
Hi Suzanne, thanks for your question! First of all, I want to recognize that it is amazing you have a job, young kids, and an art practice! That is no small feat, and you have my respect!
I know the feeling, and I honestly found it very hard to turn off my painting brain when working on my day job. And I was doing policy consulting, so it required a lot of hard thinking. One thing that helped was getting up early and painting first thing in the morning, so that I could "release the pressure" before I started work. However I bet with kids you already get up quite early... Another thing that helped was to take a few deep breaths and "talk" to my creativity as if it were a person, saying something like "thank you for these ideas. I'm excited to work with you later! Right now I am working my job so I can support us. But tonight I will spend 30 minutes after dinner working with you and developing this idea." Might sound weird, but it helped me!
It is equally important to note that many influential artists had day jobs and that Van Gogh only sold a single painting in his life. I photograph weddings whenever they have one for me. so i have more time then most at the moment.
So true! There are so many ways to live a creative life.
I think there are a lot of benefits to having a day job as an artist. The first, it allows you to do the work you want without having to chase market trends or money to support yourself. And second, it gets you out of your own art head space, where we find ourselves when creating. It gives your subconscious a chance to work out those art problems without us agonizing over them. Third and last, it helps refill your mental and creative well.
Yes, these are great points!
having a regular show and doing art never seemed to conflict as i see art as an escape....
....now art with kids, job or not....that's the real tough juggling act
For sure! I have so much respect for all of the artist parents out there.
Thank you for this topic. I love hearing other artist's stories in similar situations. Do you know of any single mom artists with a day job? I would love to learn more about how women like me are able to make it work for them. I would also love to find a community of single mom artists with a day job too.
That's a great question. I don't know any single mom artists with day jobs. I'm really impressed that you can manage all of those roles! I'm sure there are others out there - I hope you can find your community.