on rituals, day jobs and not selling your soul

i have been to three interviews for jobs in the past week, gone through the end of a major breakup, and come down with a cold. many apologies for the silence. but i am back, dealing with a new challenge for the creative person: when you and your boyfriend break up and he moves out and you have to pay full rent, is it possible to find a job that is still exciting for the creative person? my answer, after the last week of conversations, is yes. finding a great job seems to be like finding a great partner: you need to wait it out -if you can- until you find the one that suits your strengths.

and what about taking on a full-time job? can this be supportive to an artist. i think it can be, too. here's why...

william carlos williams says it's cool to have a day job. image: wikipedia

i know i have been the trumpeter of the outside the 9 to 5 on this site and have been blaring away about ways to accomplish this. but when i was faced with bills, a lot of empty time, and the realization that i don't want the pressure of income to make my artwork a commercial enterprise, i realized that the safety of a 9 to 5- or 10 to 6 or what have you- can provide the safety and containment that an organization-happy type like myself needs.

i have been reminded of all the artists who had day jobs. william carlos williams was a beloved pediatrician whose patients had no idea of his other passion: poetry. my photography teacher, elizabeth opalenik, didn't make her living off her photographs for about seven years after she finished photo school; she made her living up to that point managing a jazz club and running a construction company and still teaches regularly today. my brother tim, a film editor, not only cuts shorts and music videos; he has also cut bar mitzvahs and an instructional pruning dvd we worked on with our mom.

so, my conclusion: there are clearly a lot of creative people who make this job/art thing work. and in fact, the more i thought about it, the more i realized it was a good idea for me. being out of the house forty hours a week means i appreciate my time at home and don't feel stir-crazy when i am here. and i am also one of those people who gets more done with a little pressure. i will get more done in the only two hours i have to write that week than if i had a whole week to write.

i think the key is to make the job do the most for you. then, in turn, you can offer your best self to the job. i realized i needed something that made use of all my weird and varied skills: art history, photography, some computer skills that i enjoy tinkering with, foreign language, and working with people  to make their projects come true in the best and most efficient way possible. i am currently interviewing at a gallery in beverly hills that seems to be interested. i don't want to say too much, but at the very least i am excited that my weird mish mash of interests is actually an asset in this situation. i think many of us creative types have tried a lot of jobs. i know the writer sark famously says that she has had 250 jobs throughout her career- some for just a day! while this might make for a messy resume in some circles, for her it means she is better able to speak from a place of authority about finding the right fit and about being real with yourself and others about who you are.

during my job search of late, i have succumbed to feeling like i should have taken a more straight and narrow path, but i am no changning my mind to feel good about the path i have taken. because there are jobs for people who love art, have been shrinks, speak french, understand photography and have lately begun to tinker in the internet. who knew?

so take your time if you feel you need to jump into the working world. it is a big jump, and a scary one. the thought of having almost no vacation time which will make it hard to see my family and travel for at least the next year is a scary thought. knowing where i will be every week from tuesday to saturday from 10am to 7pm is also a new thing. but what is also new is knowing i will have a regular income, the opportunity to use the skills i have worked so hard to gain, and will be able to look at works of art by picasso, miro, rembrandt and other wonderful artists every day at work. that is a great way to spend my time and ensures i will be having the kinds of conversations that fire me up to write or shoot or make something exciting when i get home.

it is a big leaf to turn over, and i don't know yet if it will happen at this particular place, but i am hopeful. and i think feeling hopeful is a good way to be, since as i have been whining about the lack of validation one receives as a lone artist, it makes sense to get into a situation where my skills and talents will be used and rewarded. i hope the same for all of you as you build your remabulous lives.

one way to keep life remabulous: make rituals out of your free time. my friend jan and i have tea on mondays at 4 and talk about ways to live creatively without selling out. some friends and i make "family dinner" on sunday nights and watch the l word. knowing i will still have these things to look forward to even with a full-time job means that i feel my time will be well used and maybe, more art will come out of that than has up to this point.

Comments

[christin of pbcb studios, la]

I'm entering my 10th year now since graduating art school, and for almost 7 of those years I've had a day-job with the same company. As an artist, I never in a million years would have thought I'd work in the corporate world, but I've maintained my studio life all these years as well. It's definitely difficult, but I've found a way to make it work for me. Like you said, I also do well w/ structure, deadlines, and small windows of art-making time. So good luck! It's possible to grow & thrive as an artist while bringing home the bacon!

[dada]

Oh man.