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Don't give up the day job - how artists make a living

UK

Chapeau : As they await their big break, today's young artists are having to make ends meet with day jobs. How are they coping?

Source : Culture Europe International (http://www.culture-europe-international.org)
01 49 40 72 46 - contact@culture-europe-international.org
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Rubrique : Revue de presse

du 05/02/2010 00:00 au 05/05/2010 00:00
Paris France



Texte : By Laura BARNETT
The Guardian
UK
January 24th, 2010
(extracts)

How does the average ­artist make a living? If you're Damien Hirst, of course, you need only flog a couple of sharks in formaldehyde; if you're Tracey Emin, an unmade bed will do. If you're an actor, a well-publicised turn as Hamlet and near-omnipresence in the Christmas TV schedules, a la David Tennant, would keep the ­accountant happy.

But none of these scenarios will ring true for the average artist – who is more likely to be stacking supermarket shelves, waiting tables or writing ­advertising copy by day, and acting, dancing or sculpting by night.

Right now, the economic climate for artists in this country looks particularly bleak. There's the innate financial ­instability of most artistic careers (low earnings, and sometimes none at all; little job security; no pension or other benefits), together with the recession. Then there's the fact that – ­unlike some European and Scandinavian countries – the British government makes no ­specific social provision for artists, ­unless through the publicly funded ­regional arts councils.

In Denmark, for instance, 275 artists are granted an annual stipend of ­between 15,000 and 149,000 Danish krone (£1,750 to £17,000) every year for the rest of their lives. In France, public funds are awarded through regional bodies not unlike our arts councils, ­except that the range of awards is much greater: artists in the Ile-de-France ­region, which includes Paris, can, for instance, claim up to €7,500 (£6,545) specifically to equip their studios.

But in this country, for artists without a lucky early break, rich parents or ­benefactors, a day job is often the only way to survive.(...)

What a day job inevitably means, of course, is spending the majority of your waking hours not doing the thing you love: making art. This is something Lainy Scott, a 28-year-old actor from London, knows well. At least two-thirds of actors are out of work at any time, according to the most recent survey by performers' union Equity; hence the old euphemism, "the resting actor". (...)

"There are people who get very bogged down by having to do non-acting stuff," Scott says. "They tend to eventually just eat themselves up. Staying positive becomes a ­personal mentality. I sit there and think: any day now I could go to an audition that eventually gets me out of here." (...)

Christina Gusthart, a 23-year-old hip-hop dancer from Edinburgh, tries to stay similarly upbeat. (...) Last year, while living in London, she also worked on the cosmetics and ­perfume counters at Harrods. "It was soul-destroying stuff," she says. "It's not creative. It's all commercial: money, money, money. And doing anything other than dance is disheartening. Sometimes, you can't get to an ­audition because you don't have enough money – then you need to work a shift to get the money."

Even if they do make it to auditions, performers might find they are asked to work for free. Unpaid work is the ­elephant in the room when it comes to the performing arts. Equity ­advises its members to avoid ­taking unpaid jobs, but recognises that ­experimental fringe ­productions might make it a necessity.

Both Scott and Gusthart say they have seen the number of unpaid acting and dance jobs shoot up in ­recent years. Neither of them can afford to work for free, but the very fact that they are being asked to undermines the professions they have spent ­thousands of pounds ­training for, not to mention several years of their lives. "The money has dropped out of this industry," says Scott. "So many people are jumping on the bandwagon of ­being an actor now that companies are going, 'Oh well, if we can't get somebody who's trained who will do it for free, we'll be able to get someone.'"(...)

Visual artist 30-year-old Adam Bridgland (...) works as a freelance art handler, installing exhibitions at ­London galleries including Tate Britain and Tate Modern.(...) Many of the handlers Bridgland works with at the Tate are also artists, and he says he finds inspiration in their work, as well as in the art he ­installs. "Being an artist is quite a lonely ­business; the Tate provides me with a network of friends and fellow ­technicians. You're surrounded by the work of amazing artists, and you don't want to be lesser than that."(...)

The fact remains that these are tough times for legions of arts graduates; the chances of making a living through dance, music or acting are slim – and could be slimmer yet if the government cuts funding. But Scott, Gusthart and Bridgland are all determined the day job won't, ultimately, get in the way of their artistic ambitions. They're ­staying focused on the positives.

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Date de publication : 24/01/2010


Période traitée : 2010-01-24
Mots-clés : artists making a living, artists make a living, big break, UK artists, financial instability, arts graduates, unemployment,
Inséré le : 05/02/2010 11:20