Learn to Erase Negative Stereotypes
Artists are devoted, hard-working people. Stop saying we starve.
Whenever another writer dismisses visual artists as “bad with money” or “not career-focused,” I lose interest and stop reading. It frequently happens, unfortunately. Declaring artists to be financially unreliable is one of the oldest stereotypes there is, and it is false.
So, you had a bad experience with your ex, who happened to be an artist? Don’t lump the rest of us creatives in with one person who made poor choices. Aren’t you a writer? Do you appreciate the litany of negative stereotypes about people who choose to tell stories with words (rather than visuals)? Likely not.
Professional artists are some of the hardest working people I have ever met. We have to hit deadlines, please our clients, create fresh content every day, and if the artist is a freelancer — she has to do all of the bookkeeping.
I’ve heard it all, though. “No, but what do you really do? Like, for money?” I draw for money. Not part-time, not just on weekends, full-time. How did I get here? Way more than 10,000 hours of practice and training, I will tell you that much. Someone has to pay back her loans for all of that school, too. Guess who? Yup, me. On-time. Autodraft, even.
So while a few uneducated individuals are busy stereotyping an entire workforce, I’ll be over here earning a good salary, contributing to my retirement, and maintaining a perfectly functional twelve-year-old car rather than waste cash on a flashy vehicle to impress people who don’t appreciate what matters. Art, music, poetry, novels, dancing, living — that is what matters. It is a shame that our culture doesn’t value creativity more. Maybe then we could eradicate the “starving artist” stereotype once and for all. In the meantime, please don’t choose to be someone who perpetuates it.
