Tuesday, September 15, 2009

The Support of a Spouse

I am constantly amazed at the way most people view artists. It is quite rare that I meet a person that will take my art career as seriously as I do. I always have to laugh at some of the comments that I receive when I meet someone new and tell them that I am an artist.

Recently, I attended a social event with my husband. I began talking with a man who is currently out of work. When I told him that I was an artist, he began to ask me what my plans were for the future. He asked me if I would go get a "real" job once my children were a little older. I let him know my plans for my art business, which include opening a studio gallery and continuously building my business through exhibitions, shows, auctions, etc. He smiled and said how lucky I was to have a husband that will be able to support my business.

I laughed out loud when I heard that! My husband will never be responsible for keeping my art business afloat. Keeping my business alive is something that is entirely my responsibility. The experience did help me to realize how prevalent the idea of the "starving artist" is. Not many people believe that an artist can make a living creating art. The truth of the matter is that art is just like any other business - you need a good product, and you need to know how to run a business. If you have those two things, you should be just fine.

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