Those who try to discourage us

[Matthew Severson]

I feel incredibly spoiled after reading some of the posts in this thread. I have chosen art as my future career since I was 8 years old, and my parents have backed me up %100 - They even beg to pay for my art supplies.

If suffering is a requirement of becoming a great artist, I don't have a chance.

M.

[Mike McCarty]

If suffering is a requirement of becoming a great artist, I don't have a chance.

Patience, there will be other opportunities for suffering. Do you presently have a girlfriend?

[Matthew Severson]

Patience, there will be other opportunities for suffering. Do you presently have a girlfriend?

Hahahahaha, no I havent. (not officially)

Are you insinuating that girlfriends promote depression?.......don't answer that.

[David Bottoni]

Heidi, I am glad you started this thread. I am now able to see that my situation was not very isolated. Maybe I should have been more 'rebellious' against the advice of my counsellors and parents and listened to my art teachers, however, I think the underlying message I am seeing from everyone is to follow your passion for art no matter which road one takes or however long it may take. I basically came to the conclusion (only recently) that I should '**** the torpedoes' and do it. How many times have you heard someone tell you that you really couldn't make a living as an artist? Well I heard it a lot from many people, and only now, with age, do I realize that those people were ignorant. As far as education and formal training is concerned, I can only say that it is always more beneficial to have as much knowledge as possible, regardless if you use it or not. I have a degree in Labour Relations that has, to date, been useless as a career, but the has offered me knowledge that carries forth into other areas of life. At this point, I think I am beyond the allure academia and would rather take workshops and receive tidbits of advice from experienced artists. The struggle continues.

David

[Rob Sullivan]

In reading the replies here, it's easy to see that everyone has a different story with regard to the trials and tribulations of living the life of an artist.

No one (except Matthew, who admitted to it - and God bless you, Matthew!), has had it easy. There will always be lean times, detractors, and plain old artist's block. None of us are immune to these things. At these times, we feel very alone: I think I should hang it up for good - I'm not getting anywhere. I know I've thought this thought a few times.

I funded my own art training, and I'm still paying for it after graduating 11 years ago. I can't say I regret it, though. It was a fortunate thing that I found Marvin Mattelson. Of course, as encouraging as he was, he had other charges besides me. He couldn't replace my discouraging family, nor the poor environment that was fostered by it.

Despite that, I stuck with it. It has still yet to become a career, though I have made some money over the years. I got married, and my wife became the breadwinner. We had children. Things are now more difficult. That terrible thought (above) comes to mind again. The irony, and perhaps even saving grace is that it may be too late to quit. After illustrating, painting and drawing over the past 11 years, I have no other work history. What else would I do? What else CAN I do? I'm not qualified for anything else.

I still get the odd portrait commission, the once-in-awhile gallery show (with a rare sale), the every-so-often teaching gig. When these things happen, I feel like things might turn the corner. I feel truly happy, even if it is for a fleeting few days of optimism.

Of all the people who graduated in my class, I know of two who are painting. One is myself. The other is a very close friend of mine (why wouldn't he be, actually?) named Sean Beavers. We are both big fans of one another's work. Sean is moderately successful, but is destined for really big things in the near future. He is single, and his "non-art" obligations are fewer. More than that, his parents are huge champions of his career, and have been from the beginning.

I take note of that last sentence particularly. Not to pit it against my past, but rather as a lesson to be applied to the future. As I've said, I have children. Whatever they might do, I know now that their success hinges on my encouragement; not my wallet, not my aloof indifference, but by my sincere willingness to get behind their interests.

My oldest, a 6-year-old girl, knows that her daddy is an artist. Would I be doing her any favors in giving it up to (try) and get a "safe" job with "safe" money? The only thing she'd learn from that is: Don't pursue your dream, rather, sacrifice it in the name of (what we think is) security. Even her childlike mind knows what giving up means. She wouldn't be able to ride a bike if I didn't encourage her to get up off the ground and try again. Through tears from skinned knees, she did it - and the tears gave way to pure joy. I guess daddy needs to get up again, too.

Actually, Marvin told me something that bears quoting here (though I'm sure I'm paraphrasing): "The day you give up, the very next day might be the day of your big break."

[Michele Rushworth]

...and the tears gave way to pure joy. I guess daddy needs to get up again, too.

Sounds like you already know what to do now. And we can be your cheering section.

[SB Wang]

Learn from history:

Soviet leaders generally doubted the CCP's ability to win. In spite
of the fact that the GMD insistently took a pro-American stand as the
Cold War intensified, the Soviet Union remained neutral in the CCP-GMD
conflict. Stalin even pressured the CCP to compromise with the GMD, and
Soviet media kept a strange silence as CCP forces won a series of
crucial military victories. Gordon Chang, Friends and Enemies: The
United States, China, and the Soviet Union, 1948-1972, Stanford
University Press, 1990, 28. Several Chinese sources point out that in early
1949, Stalin advised Mao and the CCP leadership not to cross the Yangzi
River to avert triggering a direct Soviet-American confrontation.

For many of us, we are facing the same issue: cross river.