Full-time fun and transferable skills

I think most of us are scared of really plunging into art because we are afraid we will have to sacrifice too much of our lives to have this little glimpse of success. Some artists, and I have to admit I myself thought that way 2 years ago, think that to be an artists and really strive, you need to do it full time. If you don’t, it’s just too hard. Most of us are afraid of quitting their full-time job for the uncertain, wreackless and unforgiving world of art making. But that’s just a philosophy issue.

As a painter, one of my greatest sources of frustration was to have a 'to-pay-the-rent' job. Because it is necessary to have one for many good reasons, until you can live of your art, you need to find a job which fulfills at least one of the following: learning skills relevant to your dream or fulfilling another passion. This is important as much for your sanity as for time management.

I was very nervous when I graduated from art school. I went to Italy as my last course, and I think that lurking “will I make it” idea was already making it's way to my prefrontal cortex. It drove me nuts. I really loved everything I saw out in Italy; it is beautiful, and so astonishingly inspiring. But to me it also was a sort of end point, and I dreaded to come back home as much as I missed it. When I came back, I hit a wall and almost let go, I have to admit. I did as everyone seemed to do: I found a lucrative job which didn't need any special qualification. I survived a year, painting here and there, with a sweet and sour aftertaste in my mouth. How great was it to paint, but how awful was it to have to go back to this repetive, boring, soul killing job? And for what? The rent? Yes, it was for the rent. It seemed I lived only to afford that roof over my head. I wasn’t unhappy, but I wasn’t happy either; I was bored. My frustration came from the job itself, and not the fact I was loosing important paint time. I couldn't find meaning in this job I had, and thus, my motivation at all levels was suffering. That is what a 'to-pay-the-rent' job is; having to spend so much of your life doing something that brings you no gratification. If you find a job in which you feel you are evolving in some way or in which you are happy, you won't feel like your 40 hrs of work are a waste. After looking for better employment, I ended up in this small office with great collegues. This completely changed my world. I still have a full time job, and you know what? I don’t want to stop.

When you choose your job, no written law says you need to hate it or not earn something more than your salary. You will be spending so much time there that you need to find the intrinsic motivation 

( this will be discussed in another post) to what you are doing, whatever it is, and of course, do something that will bonify your competencies as an artist. You don't need to work in a museum. You can find a job which requires you to develop some aptitudes or knowledge which you can transpose into your art career. This is what we call transferable skills. Personaly, my present job requires I write a lot and assist in project management.

I’m really learning how to write calls for proposals and how to plan and implement long term projects. This last thing is a major benefit. It also confirmed my entrepreneur personality. A painting is a short-term project, an exhibit is a mid-term project and an art career is a long-term one. Acquiring these skills elsewhere makes it easier to project into the future and planning my art career. The more I learn, the more the wall disapears, and I realize all I was missing was really the method to cross it.

Artist are not free souls with no specific training. They are versatile individuals. The set of competencies you need to be an artist, professionaly anyway, can go on for pages and pages : creativity, problem solving, planning skills, accounting skills, marketing skills, social skills, writing skills... Artists need to think organically as well as plain rationally.

One of my teachers in college, I’m not sure which one, said that Picasso was not a great artist, but merely a great businessman and market analyst. Apparently, everytime his career was in a lull he would come up with a daring concept to shock spectators thus renewing his notoriety.

How about taking a few seconds to assess your own bagage:

-What skills have you acquired in past employment? How do they serve you now?
-What skills is your present job teaching you? How does this serve you?
-What skills do you yet have to achieve? Where could you achieve them?