One thing that I am grateful for in these wavering times is my ability to adapt. Being an artist taught me that.
My career is volatile. The ups and downs of financial stability is a relationship I am all too familiar with. There is no clear path for me. I wasn’t born into my industry with the connections or the wealth I would need to launch it. Being able to adapt quickly and try new ways of working is what’s kept me going for most of my career.
In my world, job benefits don’t exist and for most of my adult life, I pieced together "gig to gig," some semblance of stability. I got stronger and smarter as my skills grew and that helped. In my line of work, I get asked to do a lot for “exposure.” In the beginning of my career, I worked without getting paid for years to “build a portfolio.” I invested what little money I did have in school, programs and gear. I had lots of help from parents, mentors, friends and family. But it took years to build momentum and I lost it all during the recession of 2008. During which, I vowed to work smarter not harder. That strategy paid off.
Now, here I am again - with you in this crazy ground shifting time. Reinventing my work life to adapt to this new landscape. A little smarter than the last time and starting off in a better place. But it’s really got me thinking - this fear that everyone is feeling now is something the artist community has always embraced. Thriving is a mindset but not always a financial reality. It’s something I have been working on for a long time.
What are my skills worth? When do I walk away from an opportunity that doesn’t pay but could give me new opportunity? Who do I give my time to? When do I work on things for myself? How do I thrive in a world that expects me to give my skills away? The work that feeds my soul has taken a lifetime to build and yet it’s so fragile it can disappear overnight.
Fear has pushed me to try new things, take risks, plan smarter, innovate, streamline and advocate for better. I no longer take financial set backs as hits to my self worth. I set more boundaries for my mental health. I invest my time in people who invest back. With each new round of " things out of my control," I emerge into a new space. It doesn’t mean that I enjoy that fear. I fight that instability hard. I hate it all just as much as the next person. But I know it’s not permanent. One step at a time. I trust in myself to build something and to know that there are always options. I may not always like those options but I know they are available to me. That said, I’d like to build a kinder world out of this. One that respects equality. That makes it easier for everyone to thrive, not just a few. Where hard work for a days work yields results. Living wages for all.
I am curious to see what new life exists on the other side. I’m scared about what I’ll be going through as the safety nets I built for myself start to deplete. But I trust I can build back out again. I’ve done it before. Ask an artist about their resilience if you are feeling lost in all this. I guarantee they can offer you perspective and guidance.