Niche Market or Generalist?
Niche Markets or Generalist?
People often ask me what my experience has been with trying to make a living in the general market, the "regular" job market. When I explained that I make a living as an artist and teacher, they would always respond back with something like "Oh, so you are a niche market success story." This bothers me because it seems as if they think that being an artist or a teacher is not viable as a career. However this is not true because many artists are homeless and teachers are starving artists in some cases.
The general problem with being lumped into one of these categories is that many people have prejudices against those who live on different terms than themselves. This is why when I am often asked what my "true" job is, it causes me to experience a bit of cognitive dissonance. Although I know that I make a living by doing what I love and what most people would consider "cool", many people do not want to believe it. When you are an artist you are not merely a member of a niche market but an enabler and purveyor of art.
This is because most people love and respect the arts but do not want to support them by paying for their services. Instead they would prefer that artists be confined to their niche markets and make the bulk of their money while they are in school or working at jobs that they really don't like. Then when they quit their jobs to become artists, they find out how hard it is to make a living as an artist and would rather go back to working as a graphic designer or something else. This makes them resentful of the "lucky" few who have jobs that pay well if they are artists. However, most artists do not consider themselves lucky because this just represents one tiny portion of their lives.
On the other hand, many people would prefer that you not be an artist and instead be a generalist because this can often lead to more stability in your life i.e. a real job that pays well and won't leave you homeless. However, I find this one of the most difficult professions to pursue because you don't have a singular field of expertise. Instead you must be willing to stick with work that may not always be high on your list of interests and often face a lot of rejection, rejection that is often based on your appearance, not your skillset or credentials.
It has often been said that if you want to be a professional at doing X , then you should be able to do Y . This is why it makes more sense for people to pursue jobs like graphic designer or accountant than it does for those who want to make a living as an artist and teacher. It is not as if one can say that "since you are an artist, then you must be able to draw". People wouldn't say that because they realize that there are many things besides drawing that contribute to your ability to make a living as an artist. This is why it seems like the general market is always the hardest field to get into.
Although it may be very difficult at times, I would like share with you how I have been able to make a living as an artist and teacher. I will start with the obvious answer and explain how this relates directly to my teaching experience.
The basics of my story are not particularly interesting so perhaps it comes as no surprise that I was always interested in doing something different. When I was in school, I didn't care much for my classmates who were often afraid to try something new. This was because they were generally very content to follow the pre-defined path of what their future jobs would be and they would rather pursue perfection than try something new. In fact most of my friends who were in art or graphic design always felt that those "regular" majors were better than their chosen fields of study. I find this ironic because in order for them to make a living as designers, they must be able to use graphic design skills effectively without the need for formal instruction. Instead many designers think that if anything is wrong with a design then it must be the fault of whoever made it.
This may be why many of my students would often blame me when they were constantly failing and not improving at all. This was because they had been taught that if you can't learn something right away then it's your own fault because you clearly lacked the talent. In fact, there are many people who want to be able to create art but don't have the skillset or desire to learn and use the correct tools to do so effectively. As a result, they would rather get someone else to make their art for them through photography or some other medium. I find this ironic because most would actually prefer to take classes in order to learn how to do these things themselves but instead prefer outsourcing this work in order to "get it done".
This is why I would often spend my time with other artists who were not artists and just tried their hand at photography and sculpting. This was because they wanted the distraction of having a job that wouldn't leave them constantly feeling like they were failing or scrambling to find money when they needed it. I find this ironic because most people don't realize that these jobs do not leave you fulfilled or well off even though it may seem like you are. Instead, these jobs are actually more about surviving off of easily available money rather than finding a way to make your art full time.
I guess some people would consider this "real" work but I consider it not nearly as meaningful as being an artist working on your own terms with no outside interference. This is because most people aren't willing to take the plunge and make their dreams a reality. Instead they would rather settle for a job that they don't really enjoy and will allow them to become complacent. This is why people who are "regular" majors tend not to see my art as real work or work at all but instead just some hobby.
This is why I have always been the kind of person who actively sought out things that interested me while also working hard to improve in every area of my life. This was also one of my "real jobs" before I realized that I could actually make a living by doing what I loved full time without starving or living in poverty somewhere.
Conclusion
I will finish this post by saying that it is possible to make a living as an artist, but it will take hard work, discipline and commitment. I know this is true because when I was in design school, there were some that made the choice to follow their dreams full time while others chose to work a "real" job instead. Sadly, the former are often seen as failures by people who think that making a living with their artwork is easy because they can't do it themselves.
This is why many fail at what they want to pursue and then think that artists are doomed to fail no matter how hard they try or how much progress they make.