Your art career – is it for love or for money, or both?

In today’s turbulent economy, everyone — not just artists — can feel as if they’re on a runaway roller coaster.

It’s easy to get sucked into the idea that everything has to be about income.  When money becomes 99% of your reason for working, you can lose sight of why you really chose your field of work.

This is especially true for people with art careers.  Especially at the beginning, it seems like artists are always running from the spectre of the “starving artist” image.  (Which, by the way, is not a valid stereotype… unless you choose it for the apparent romanticism of the imagery: Shabby clothes, unheated garret, circles under your eyes, and maybe a little Moulin Rouge thrown in for good measure.)

So, this Reason article — quoting the WSJ — caught my attention:

The Economics of Heavy Metal – Hit & Run : Reason Magazine

reason.com12/6/11

The Wall Street Journal reports that European politicians and business leaders aren’t the only ones making high-level decisions in response to the continent’s…

Metallica’s decisions based on the money involved… who knew?

Okay, I’m joking.  This isn’t a huge surprise, but to cancel their European 2013 concerts, more than a year out… that’s a little chilling.

I’m also looking at their “summer vacation” plans.

The point is: You’ll need to balance your drive for money, which is common sense, with the importance of sharing and devoting time to marketing.

In a tight economy, it’s easy to shift your focus to earning enough money to survive.  The problem is, how do you define “survive”?  Is it adding heat to your garret?  Is it having enough money to afford a bigger yacht than your neighbor owns?

For most people, the line is somewhere in-between.  Before you get caught up in a constant drive for money — cued by alarming financial headlines — decide the exact point that’s “enough” money.

Maybe it’s three times (3x) your basic monthly bills.  Maybe it’s owning a $150k house, outright, and having a one-year supply of food & necessities in your basement.  Maybe it’s being able to take your kids to Disney World for two weeks each year, and not pinch pennies the rest of the year to do that.

Whatever your goal is, write that down, so you don’t lose sight of it.

Then, go ahead and devote half your time to that.  (Okay, if you’re one overdue bill away from having your family in a homeless shelter or on the street, get past the emergency phase.)

However, as soon as you’re out of absolute danger, financially, dedicate the other half of your workday to sharing with the community, and alternative marketing.

In a tight economy, you have extraordinary opportunities to share — to do things, free of charge — which will be remembered far into your career, long after the economy has settled down.

Some things can be for love and money, particularly if you’re able to look at the long-term picture.

Sharing with the community, especially when people are so grateful for your efforts, needs to be a vital part of your art career.

What can you share, today?

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