I noticed a shift in my high school art class over a decade.

Back in 2012, almost everyone planned to be a professional artist, but by 2022, most students just wanted a creative hobby. I guess the pressure to find a 'stable' career changed our dreams. Anyone else see this happen in their creative circles?

4 comments

4 Comments

seth_shah2mo ago

Found a side gig to keep my art alive.

knight.felix2mo ago

Keep my art alive" really hits home. I used to do freelance graphic design to pay for my painting supplies back in the day. It was just boring logo jobs, but it meant I could buy the good canvas without stressing. That separation between the bill-paying work and the real work kept the fun in it for me.

wesley_jones2mo ago

Honestly, @knight.felix, that's the smart way to do it.

ivanscott1mo ago

Wait, isn't that kind of backwards? I mean if the side gig is what keeps your art alive then shouldn't the art be the side gig and the job be the main thing that pays bills? I've seen a lot of artists fall into this trap where they spend all their energy on the side work that barely pays and then have nothing left for the stuff they actually care about. The way Felix described it makes more sense to me, keep the boring work separate and let the art be the thing that matters. Don't lump them together like that because one will eat the other.