Why should you be an artist?
So, recently someone asked me:
"If you weren't an artist, what would be your job?"
My answer kinda shocked them, but after I thought about it it kinda shocked me too.
"Well," I said, "before I was an artist professionally I had a lot of jobs that were never the right fit. Being an artist is the only thing I'm good at that doesn't involve hurting people."
The person asking the question gave me a look that required me to explain further.
"When I was younger," I continued, "I was a security officer for a few different companies, a bouncer at half a dozen nightclubs and venues, and for about a year I was the co-head of security for a professional wrestling company. Granted, I got tired of random people being belligerent and it being required that I always be nice to them... or them stepping over the line and starting a fight that required me to shut them down without actually permanently injuring them."
The person asking the question was impressed, but after I explained how being a knock-around guy was hell on the body (and really bad for the soul), they asked me what else I had done that qualified as "a lot of jobs".
This is where it got silly.
"I've had a lot of jobs I sucked at," I said. "I've worked at a grocery store as a bagger (my first high school job); for a design firm as a cad plotter; a door to door salesman (twice); funeral services salesman (I sold old people coffins... that was a bad fit); vacuum cleaner salesman; bible salesman (no shortage of sales jobs, high turnover); theater lighting tech; baker; knife salesman; pizza guy (twice); singer (ok, I wasn't too bad at that); MC (I throw an amazing party); a private investigator; project manager for a Fortune 10 company; collection agent; usher; tech writer; babysitter; trainer; coach; martial arts instructor; and short order cook. I've also fought back from being homeless, twice."
They stared at me.
"The truth is," I finished, "I was ok at some of it, and terrible at most of it, but being an artist is what I was meant to be. Even if the world never sees what I do, I'm a hundred times better off being broke and making art than being well off and sucking at everything else."
For some of us, being an artist isn't a choice... it's the end of a journey that leads us to who we really are.
"If you weren't an artist, what would be your job?"
My answer kinda shocked them, but after I thought about it it kinda shocked me too.
"Well," I said, "before I was an artist professionally I had a lot of jobs that were never the right fit. Being an artist is the only thing I'm good at that doesn't involve hurting people."
The person asking the question gave me a look that required me to explain further.
"When I was younger," I continued, "I was a security officer for a few different companies, a bouncer at half a dozen nightclubs and venues, and for about a year I was the co-head of security for a professional wrestling company. Granted, I got tired of random people being belligerent and it being required that I always be nice to them... or them stepping over the line and starting a fight that required me to shut them down without actually permanently injuring them."
The person asking the question was impressed, but after I explained how being a knock-around guy was hell on the body (and really bad for the soul), they asked me what else I had done that qualified as "a lot of jobs".
This is where it got silly.
"I've had a lot of jobs I sucked at," I said. "I've worked at a grocery store as a bagger (my first high school job); for a design firm as a cad plotter; a door to door salesman (twice); funeral services salesman (I sold old people coffins... that was a bad fit); vacuum cleaner salesman; bible salesman (no shortage of sales jobs, high turnover); theater lighting tech; baker; knife salesman; pizza guy (twice); singer (ok, I wasn't too bad at that); MC (I throw an amazing party); a private investigator; project manager for a Fortune 10 company; collection agent; usher; tech writer; babysitter; trainer; coach; martial arts instructor; and short order cook. I've also fought back from being homeless, twice."
They stared at me.
"The truth is," I finished, "I was ok at some of it, and terrible at most of it, but being an artist is what I was meant to be. Even if the world never sees what I do, I'm a hundred times better off being broke and making art than being well off and sucking at everything else."
For some of us, being an artist isn't a choice... it's the end of a journey that leads us to who we really are.
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