Should the Artist be concerned about Money?
I’ve dealt with this topic before, but I am always challenged by it.
Art is one of those things that requires a certain amount of money to make money in. I, of all people, wish canvases were given away for free down on the street corner. Actually, I think they should be, along with a set of paints and brushes.
I think we might live in a happier world if they were. There is such a trend toward expression in our culture, we are seeing more and more ways that people are being creative, but we are still seeing many people withdraw from some of the …um, finer arts because they just cost too much in order to be successful (according to culture).
Let me elaborate.
We don’t have a money problem we have a "definition of success" problem.
If I never sold another painting, I would still paint.
If I never made any money off of writing again, I would still write.
Because what drives me isn’t the money. It’s the love of the thing itself.
This is how I must define success. If I begin to dread painting, I am doing something wrong or focusing on the wrong thing.
2 Comments
My wife and I have never sold a painting yet the walls of our house are covered with our own artwork. If you’re poor and miserable it might be difficult to paint. Too bad for a lot of people.. being artistic gets put off when “real life” gets in the way, work, family, etc. If you have the ability to do art for a living and can survive that way, more power to ya!
I just completed my debut cd project. It’s a Christian contemporary solo project. I needed to read this post, because I am beginning to feel the pressure of going out and selling my cds.. I put a lot of money into it, but it really comes down to the love on ministry, & of the creative art itself. Thanks for sharing this. It was timely.