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Petition to normalise successful creatives/all creatives acknowledging the non-creative jobs they did during early career stages/throughout in order to keep the lights on. (1/?)
When I was younger I was so mystified by the process of ~making money in the arts, particularly in writing/producing roles. Where did the money come from? No one really talked about it. I thought I must be missing something really obvious. (2/?)
And I guess, in a way, I was. The obvious thing being that almost everyone has another job. And I don’t mean another job that’s equally as unstable — runner or production assistant or usher. I mean jobs like teachers, assistants, receptionists. (3/?)
Esp in a culture that equates career success with financial success, it’s important to highlight that the same barometer can’t be used in the arts. I was blown away by a recent thread asking writers/directors when they’d been paid enough to live by writing/directing alone (4/?)
Reader, the answer was none. These were people I admired, looked up to, blue tick folk. Folk I had down as successful. It was like this wave of relief hit me. Pressure lifted, a little. (5/?)
Because - of course - they are still successful. They have other jobs and they are still respected and admired as writers, directors, producers. (6/?)
Maybe this is a penny drop moment just for me. But I wish I had realised sooner that having another job doesn’t mean you care less, or that you’re not trying hard enough. Lack of art-based income doesn’t mean lack of art-based career. (7/?)
Having another job is okay. People will understand (and if they don’t, they’re dicks). It’s okay to not be available at the drop of a hat. It’s okay to work around work. It’s okay (and this still feels a bit blasphemous to say in the arts) to want financial security. (8/?)
The starving-artist-in-a-Parisian-garret aesthetic is actually not that fun. What about dinner with pals, holidays, theatre trips, even (heaven forfend) a mortgage one day? The things that bring us joy/security matter, too. (9/?)
Let’s stop teaching young creatives that to be part of this industry, you have to sacrifice everything else, & hide the parts of your life that don’t match. The idea that your art should sustain you completely — emotionally, financially, spiritually — is damaging. (10/?)
(Especially when your art is going to get rejected so much!) (11/?)
Art alone will not sustain you. And that’s okay. It’s not a failing. It doesn’t make you any less of an artist. Instead, find something that will sustain your art. (12/?)
And sustain you! We do our best creative work when we’re safe, secure, loved, supported. And there is no shame in that support coming from outside the industry. (13/?)
I think most people reading this will already have the Other Job — we just never talk about it. Let’s start. Especially to young people. Navigating the arts is hard and confusing enough, for all our talk of transparency. (14/?)
At drama school I got the classic, “you’ll hate your other job & be desperate to create art good enough to escape it,” along with the “hope you enjoy surviving off pot noodles and never going on holiday.” That’s utter bull. (15/?)
It places immense pressure on your creativity to “save you,” & crucially, it’s untrue. There isn't One Big Escape. This path is so unlinear. The other job will likely always fill the gaps between. And that’s okay. (16/?)
Of course, disclaimer here to note that YES the problem is the arts is underfunded and you SHOULD be able to choose this path like any other and survive within it. But that isn’t the reality and we have to survive today, now, in the meantime (17/?)
This became much longer than I thought! Basically-
Let’s be transparent about our other job. Let’s be mental enough to even find ones we like. They’ll be around quite a bit, and that’s okay. They’re not guilty secrets. You’re still an artist. Happy Valentine’s
(18/18)
Let’s be transparent about our other job. Let’s be mental enough to even find ones we like. They’ll be around quite a bit, and that’s okay. They’re not guilty secrets. You’re still an artist. Happy Valentine’s
(18/18)
