In a recent blog I commented upon the extent to which the careers of many artists depend upon their being able to draw upon other sources of financial support going beyond the sale of their work. Reflecting upon this since then I have become aware of the need to tell another part of that story. I have in mind what can only be described as the sheer ferocity with which my colleagues hang on to their calling. That might sound a bit of an exaggeration, but I choose the word carefully. I’ve been prompted to think in these terms by messages I’ve been receiving from two friends over the past week.
One artist I have known for several years (indeed, who at one time ran a life-drawing class I attended) was made redundant from the further education college at which he had taught for many years, as support for art in public institutions was steadily diminished by the government. He supports his income by providing a dog-walking service–which actually ties in quite well with his interest in landscape!
Another I have known since I taught him as a student back in the ‘seventies. Even then he was painting, and already producing very saleable material. The recent restrictions on movement have meant that galleries from which he was selling work have closed, and he is immensely anxious about his future. With the most enormous resourcefulness he has obtained a contract as a model and a film extra. His facebook feed is still carrying examples of his current work.
These stories could easily be matched by others, illustrating the sheer determination displayed by many artists in hanging on to the activity that they love, and which they feel defines them more than any other. Established figures in the art world are frequently condescending about people who commit themselves to art without being able to sustain themselves from this activity alone. In the cases I have cited here, as in many others, to be an artist is far more than a job: it is an identity, and the degree of intensity with which that is defended and sustained can only be described as “ferocious”.