| Philoshophical Question: Positive thinking vs. Planning for bad outcomes
Posted: 6/24/2008 9:01:04 AM | First off....go get a job. One that pays a steady income weekly or bi-weekly.
Keep the art in your life...but only as a sideline. Obviously, if you are in financial straights bad enough that you have to start selling vehicles and your home to get out of a debt, you are in the wrong business.
Let this be a lesson to you. They don't call them "starving artists" for nothing...cause that is what most artists do...starve.
When you get out of the financial hole, put away a contingency fund. This will get you over most of the sudden debt loads we all seem to run into.
Sure...some artists do make a living off their works...but very few. You are not one of them, because you failed to make it financially. It doesn't mean you are not a good artist...or maybe a great artist. It means you can't make a steady living at it.
Now....there is one more thing you could do, as an artist, and actually make a good living at it. As you may know, many artists works go up in value, sometimes WAY up, after they die. So...fake your death, and have someone you trust take control of selling your pieces. With the huge profits garnered form this, go retire on a beach in Tahiti or something.
Have fun!
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| Philoshophical Question: Positive thinking vs. Planning for bad outcomes
Posted: 6/24/2008 3:13:26 PM | Yna6,
I was told my entire life by people just like you not to quit my day job, and after 11 years as an artist and the last 5 being full time, I'm not about to go work for Boeing or Microsoft just for a paycheck, not only that, but no one else pays as well as art, so going to work for someone else wouldn't help me in the least.
I'm in financial straights due to my divorce 2 years ago and a very short term 6-figure loan I took out to keep my home, gardens, and studio, not because of some starving artist thing.
I make a FINE living at my art and find it humorous that you'd say otherwise since you don't know who I am, my art, or my successes. The only "problem" with art, and I call it that without really seeing it as a general real problem, is that the income comes as it comes, not before, not after... I just happen to need it to come sooner rather than later in the particular case.
Now.. as for this faking my death thing so my art value increases. I've thought about it... the biggest problem as I see it is that even in a firey car crash, I need a body [looking left and right and lowering my voice] want to come over for dinner this week? 
I appreciate your sentiment behind your suggestions, but they won't work for me. Quitting my current job to get another, lesser job, is not what the doctor ordered in this case.
James, Seattle, Washington, USA, Earth
PS... if you come over, we'll have big, juicy steaks and shrimp on the bbq.... but I suspect we'll have to drive along that dangerous sea-side road to get to the store. | |
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