"Art" as a "Job"

Flint · 06-14-2006, 04:16 PM

Some say you should "do what you love" . . . find it, and do that.

Others say, keep your hobby as a hobby, so you can keep loving it.

What do you think?
Do you do something creative?
Do you do it for money?
Is it your primary source of money?
Do you have a "real" job?

Tell me your story. I'll be back, and tell you mine, if you want.

Happy Monkey · 06-14-2006, 05:01 PM

I almost never program for fun anymore...

06-14-2006, 05:06 PM

I acted & wrote as a job and was fine with it... when I cooked as a job it ruined it for me. Cooking is relaxation for me though, not so much art, may be why.

limey · 06-14-2006, 05:17 PM

I play music a lot for a hobby and I don't think I'd want to do it for money, it'd take the spontaneity out of it for me.
I also knit for fun, and have some ideas about knitting for money, but it would be pin money as to actually get a reasonable "skilled work" rate per hour for anything knitted would price the goods out of the market. My attitude is that when I've run out of things I want to knit for myself and family or friends, I'll want to go on knitting so I might as well get paid for doing something I enjoy.

xoxoxoBruce · 06-14-2006, 05:31 PM

Or have more children to knit for.

Ibby · 06-14-2006, 05:37 PM

I wanna ROCK. [/twisted sister]

Seriously, though, I'm gonna make music. I don't care if I'm selling out stadiums or playing a three-string broken acoustic on the street corner for nickels. I'm gonna make music.

DanaC · 06-14-2006, 06:48 PM

I'm GORGEOUS for a living!

wolf · 06-14-2006, 10:54 PM

I fuck with people's heads for fun. Does that count?

limey · 06-15-2006, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Or have more children to knit for.

Nope. No children. No thank you. No way. Na-ah. Negative. Definitely not. Currently working my way through a drawerfull of socks for my ma, interpersed with a few pairs for me.

limey · 06-15-2006, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolf

I fuck with people's heads for fun. Does that count?

Of course it does, dear.

smoothmoniker · 06-15-2006, 09:32 PM

There is a massively big difference between making a living as an artist, and making a living in a creative field. I don't make much money as an artist, but I do it because I love it. I make a fairly decent living as a professional musician, which is a very, very different thing.

Being a pro in a creative field means getting to work with people who are at the top of their game, all the time. For something like a recording session, it's like heroin. Once you've done it, you can't go back to being the one skilled guy playing with 3 hobby players. But you only get to do it if you're also at the top of your game, and being paid to be in the same room with those guys, doing what you do.

Maybe it would be different in a less collaborative creative field.

Speaking of which, I just got a call to play a record in August in one of the vibey-est rooms in LA - el dorado studios. I'm stoked!

(who says "stoked" any more? Seriously! I'm a nerd.)

skysidhe · 06-15-2006, 11:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolf

I fuck with people's heads for fun. Does that count?

Only difference is you get paid so it isn't so creative anymore.

Griff · 06-16-2006, 06:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smoothmoniker

Speaking of which, I just got a call to play a record in August in one of the vibey-est rooms in LA - el dorado studios. I'm stoked!

(who says "stoked" any more? Seriously! I'm a nerd.)

I loved the studio picture 18 gazillion dollars in hardware and the computer sits on a 3 dollar table.

skysidhe · 06-16-2006, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Griff

I loved the studio picture 18 gazillion dollars in hardware and the computer sits on a 3 dollar table.

I loved the studio pictures too.

oh my gosh. What style it has! It's glowy warm and begging to be loved if design and architecture could be.

It even has a little sleeping room. The cement painted in warm jewel tones of red and green. A small bed and a red leather couch. How cool is that

I am happy for you smoothmomiker. What a place to relax and play. ( or work) It's not harsh cold or sterile...that is very cool!

Kitsune · 06-16-2006, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flint

Others say, keep your hobby as a hobby, so you can keep loving it.

Trust me: nothing ruins the fun of a hobby like making it into a profession. I started to turn my photography into a business, but then found myself no longer using it as a creative outlet because I associated it with work. Since I was going it on my own, I was allowed to be as creative as I wanted to in my business, but it still had the same effect. After some product shoots, some advertisement work, and a dozen or so weddings and events, I gave it up so I could have my hobby back and get back to using the camera not for the mighty dollar, but to get thoughts and ideas out of my head.

Should anyone be in need of a small studio strobe set with stands, I'm willing to sell. :p

06-14-2006, 04:16 PM	#1
Flint _______ Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Posts: 11,183	"Art" as a "Job" Some say you should "do what you love" . . . find it, and do that. Others say, keep your hobby as a hobby, so you can keep loving it. What do you think? Do you do something creative? Do you do it for money? Is it your primary source of money? Do you have a "real" job? Tell me your story. I'll be back, and tell you mine, if you want. __________________ ************** There's a level of facility that everyone needs to accomplish, and from there it's a matter of deciding for yourself how important ultra-facility is to your expression. ... I found, like Joseph Campbell said, if you just follow whatever gives you a little joy or excitement or awe, then you're on the right track. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Terry Bozzio**

06-14-2006, 05:01 PM	#2
Happy Monkey I think this line's mostly filler. Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: DC Posts: 10,860	I almost never program for fun anymore... __________________ _________________ \|...............\| That's right! I cut my hand off!!! What do you \| Len 17, Wid 3 \| say to THAT, you bubble-talking HYPOCRITE?!? \|_______________\| [homepage][pics]

06-14-2006, 05:17 PM	#4
limey Sassenach Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: An island within the south-west coast of Scotland Posts: 4,552	I play music a lot for a hobby and I don't think I'd want to do it for money, it'd take the spontaneity out of it for me. I also knit for fun, and have some ideas about knitting for money, but it would be pin money as to actually get a reasonable "skilled work" rate per hour for anything knitted would price the goods out of the market. My attitude is that when I've run out of things I want to knit for myself and family or friends, I'll want to go on knitting so I might as well get paid for doing something I enjoy. __________________ Living it up on the edge ... of civilisation, within the southwest coast of

06-14-2006, 05:31 PM	#5
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 41,807	Or have more children to knit for. __________________ Everything is interesting... look closer.

06-14-2006, 10:54 PM	#8
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,548	I fuck with people's heads for fun. Does that count? __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

06-14-2006, 05:06 PM	#3
rkzenrage Guest Posts: n/a	I acted & wrote as a job and was fine with it... when I cooked as a job it ruined it for me. Cooking is relaxation for me though, not so much art, may be why.

06-14-2006, 06:48 PM	#7
DanaC Shipwrecked and comatose Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Yorkshire Posts: 20,071	I'm GORGEOUS for a living!

06-15-2006, 09:32 PM	#11
smoothmoniker to live and die in LA Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 2,088	There is a massively big difference between making a living as an artist, and making a living in a creative field. I don't make much money as an artist, but I do it because I love it. I make a fairly decent living as a professional musician, which is a very, very different thing. Being a pro in a creative field means getting to work with people who are at the top of their game, all the time. For something like a recording session, it's like heroin. Once you've done it, you can't go back to being the one skilled guy playing with 3 hobby players. But you only get to do it if you're also at the top of your game, and being paid to be in the same room with those guys, doing what you do. Maybe it would be different in a less collaborative creative field. Speaking of which, I just got a call to play a record in August in one of the vibey-est rooms in LA - el dorado studios. I'm stoked! (who says "stoked" any more? Seriously! I'm a nerd.) __________________ to live and die in LA

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