Money Matters: Artists Paying Rent

#TheStruggleIsReal

By The Quail Bell Crew
Inspired by Eric Nelson & Sarah Sullivan
QuailBellMagazine.com

Work. We all gotta do it (except, of course, for the independently wealthy, but there are more productive things to do than seethe over their lifestyle.) For many professionals, the trajectory is clear:

If your lifelong ambition is to become a lawyer, you go to college, take the LSAT, go to law school, and start practicing law. If you dream of becoming a doctor, you go to college, take the MCAT, go to medical school, complete your residency, and off you go doctoring. Should you wish to become a teacher, you go to college, and, depending on the state, take the Praxis, go to grad school, student teach, and earn your certification. 

Are you noticing a pattern here? No such pattern exists for the artist. 

You can become a "successful" artist with or without high school, with or without college, with or without post-graduate exams, even with or without actually making money from your art. You may be surprised to learn how even many popular novelists and independent filmmakers have to do something other than write novels and make films in order to survive. In fact, most artists do not make a living off of their art. They may make a living using their creative skills—such as a talented writer who writes riveting press releases or a talented painter who makes beautiful illustrations for ads—but most do not pay the bills from their purely artistic projects. It's really hard to sell enough poems or oil paintings to make rent month after month, year after year. For that reason, many artists go into journalism, advertising, public relations, academia, and similar fields. Others go into something else altogether. 

We asked a few members of The Quail Bell Crew what kind of art they make and what they do to get by. Here's how they responded:

Artistic identity: Writer and visual storyteller working in collage, comics, and photo media.
Day job: Freelance writer and television producer, teaching artist, small business owner (arts and communications.)
Rent: $575.

Artistic identity: Writer/poet. 
Day job: Nonprofit communications professional. 
Rent: $1,200.

Artistic identity: Comic book writer/artist, filmmaker. 
Day job: Freelance animator, videographer/photographer, teaching artist, and miscellaneous.
Rent: $675.

Artistic identity: Writer/artist. 
Day job: Editor. 
Rent: $880.

Artistic identity: Writer. 
Day job: Contracted social media community manager and editor/page designer for a newspaper. 
Rent: $825.

Artistic identity: Illustrator, comic book artist, storyteller. 
Day job: Security at an art museum. 
Rent: $390. 

Artistic identity: Actor/writer. 
Day job: Soccer coach and Sunday School teacher. 
Rent: $575.

Artistic identity: Artist and illustrator. 
Day job: Sales associate at a local card/gift shop and corporate retail store. 
Rent: $350.

Artistic identity: Actor. 
Day job: Freelance model and writer, small business owner (photography), and occasional theatre teacher and gardener. 
Rent: $450.

Words of wisdom: "Just for people who juggle a regular 'boring' job with their art not to be discouraged by the reality of having to earn their keep by some other means than their passion. We have a long history writers and artists of all sorts who did everything from banking and civil service to driving buses and selling furniture. They never stopped being full-time fabulous!"

#Real #Work #Career #PayingTheBills #SupportingYourself #MakingRent #HowArtistsLive #WorkingArtists #Adulthood

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