Ups and Downs of Being an Artist

Hello again my beautiful friends. Continuing to do the Monday blogs has brought something to mind that I figured could be an interesting perspective for readers interested in my type of lifestyle. It's the ups and downs associated with being an artist. Ahh yes, the classic "starving artist" conversation. I'd like to quickly unpack that for a moment.

Being a musician could be a pretty normal job. Musicians are hired to play in resorts and hotels, restaurants and bars, just like they would hire a cook or a waitress. My main grudge against this "starving artist" trope, is that often the system makes it difficult for musicians and artists to have a consistent work schedule. If I want a job as a cook in a resort for example, I would go to their website, look at job openings, check the food and beverage availability, and then apply. As a musician, if I want a job as the house entertainment at the same resort, I would go to their website, look at job openings, and there's no mention of musicians. Or entertainment. Almost never do they even have any information saying "We don't hire in-house, we outsource to an agency. Here is the contact information for the agency so that you can audition." Instead, for almost EVERY venue, it's a mystery detective game. You can already imagine what time, effort and critical thinking would be involved in just learning how to APPLY for any jobs as a musician.

People are so used to this that nobody seems to bat an eye and just repeats the old adages that it's difficult to make ends meet as a musician. Be a doctor instead. But being a musician, or artist, isn't truly the problem. It's that finding out how to apply for jobs is way more difficult than it should be or needs to be. Figuring out how to audition shouldn't be one of the challenges. It's challenging enough to be chosen for the jobs after auditioning, but applying for a job should be the same for everyone. If you're wondering "Why don't you just get an agent?" It's a good question. And the answer is simple. Many musicians have agents, but the agents only have their foot in the door in certain places. So many companies have agreements with one agency and won't use others, so it's kind of a mess. Often times you just get what you get.

I bring this up because, while I'm forever grateful that I've always been fortunate enough to find work, as a contracted musician, I often find myself at the end of a contract with no next contract lined up. This means that my "vacation" time is actually me playing detective, getting creative, and asking my network what jobs are available out there, and who is offering them. On my last vacation, I was trying to balance enjoying myself, while also wondering how to budget for my next unknown contract. Actors, musicians, and all creative artists with contract work experience this as just part of the job. Sometimes the people hiring us have several contracts available for us in a row, and sometimes those agencies lose their agreements with venues and suddenly it's back to the drawing board.

My friend in the Netherlands said to me "I can't believe you're out having dinner with us and not stressed! If I were you I'd be home applying to 100 jobs a day!" Well, I DO get stressed. But if I hid away in the house every time I was between contracts, I would never be able to enjoy my time with friends or family. I believe in trusting the Universe that I've prepared enough, and let things happen. If I worked a conventional job, I'd definitely be applying to 100 jobs a day if I was out of work. But the truth is, so much of auditioning for jobs as a musician is contacting different agencies, doing very specific auditions, sending videos and photos etc, and then you cast it to the wind, and hope the agencies are able to find a match for you. Then, check online everyday for any new auditions from agency websites and facebook groups, and hope something works out. I don't apply to every cruise ship and every resort, bar, or hotel. That's not how it works, even though I would love the sense of control that would come with it. I've definitely tried to circumvent the system on many occasions by finding emails on LinkedIn or anywhere I can. Doing this I simply either don't get responses, or I'll get a vague email saying they only hire through a separate hiring partner (without mentioning who it is). Dead ends. So, while there ARE plenty of lovely jobs out there for the musician, artists, and actors, my hope is that in the future I can find some way to help contribute to a more fair and transparent way for creatives to even have a chance to get their foot in the door.

One way that I've been working towards making it easier for artists is through my Vivid Vintages Artist Certification Course that I'm in the process of refining. More on that later, but basically I'm creating a very standardized art experience for freelance artists to teach so that they can feel empowered to make a steady living as an artist, minimizing the hoops and unnecessary challenges that cause so many creatives to give up. I'll be offering the course for free for the first 10 Beta testers once it's ready so that we can work out any kinks, so keep an eye out for that if you're an artist or know someone who would be interested. You can see more about this growing Vivid Vintages project HERE.

Thanks for listening to my two cents on the small challenges facing artists in the job market. I hope this gives you a little more insight on your friends or family who make a living in the creative sector. The application process for so many of these jobs is SO much more complex than many realize. There's a lot of gatekeeping and favors over "best person for the job", but I still think it's worth navigating. The stress can be real, but over the years I've learned to trust. Fortunately as usual, a lovely agency that I auditioned for two years ago contacted me on my vacation and offered me a wonderful job. It keeps it exciting and fresh! But lets also hope we can get a little more stability for future artists.