Now, before I get stoned and outcast, I should explain that I am not a communist, anarchist…I like capitalism, I think free enterprise is pretty groovy. It should also be said that I fully encourage everyone and anyone to donate to your local arts community- especially arts education, because that is absolutely crucial.
To further contradict myself, I am not arguing the point that less money leads artists to be creative with available resources. That is absolutely true, and I am constantly amazed by the innovation and spirit that my peers and myself are able to summon when necessity is pushing a project forward. However, a well-funded project with lots of resources allows a vision to become a reality without compromise, and it is also fulfilling to see that product.
Confused now? Good.
As a freelancer, I am my own boss and run my own business as a scenic and production designer for entertainment and events. I do not view my chosen path as enlightened, and I will not shepherd the lemmings from their corporate shackles to join me on the plains of freedom and unsupervised…
Because there is not a lot of money out here, and it is not an easy life. It is also not the most important job in the world. It is my calling, and a lifestyle that works for me, and I could not see myself doing anything else-but I will never dare to presume that any one job is more important than another. It would not work for doctors, lawyers, bankers, and so many others whose work is crucial to our success and survival as a society. It is, like all of those professions, a part of the whole that is our society.
So when I say I am glad there is not a lot of money in the arts, it is because a career in the arts, or a career as any independent business, is one that should be entered into out of love and a desire to follow what you know you are passionate about. Do not strike out on your own because you’ve failed, been fired, or are scared. Forge your own path if you are going to create one that you think the world needs to see, not because you are afraid of what lies on the paths already ahead of you.
‘Independence’ should not be a way to dress up ‘unaccountable,’ or ‘unwilling to try.’
There are lots of reasons to be on your own. There are also many reasons to trust the many industries and businesses that exist, or attempt to fix those that are broken instead of leaving the future in a wasteland of scared pioneers among wreckage that may have been saved if we’d tried.
Find the path that is right for you, not the path that is easiest.
That said, please like Patrick W. Lord Designs, my business page on facebook, and hire me for your entertainment or event ventures, I’m a small-business owner, I mean…c’mon.
Ryan Gosling gets it (that’s for you, ladies).
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