Myth #5: You need a day job to support your art

They say that the words our parents use with us are the words that we use against ourselves for the rest of our lives. This means that all of that self talk we hear in our head, like, “You’re not good enough” or “That was such a stupid mistake,” are things we’ve heard someone else say to us at one time or another - more than likely it was our parents. For me, the myth about the day job has been the hardest myth to kick. Although my father has been an artist his entire life, he really believes Myth # 5 to the core and he pushed it into my head with all his might.

So what’s an artist to do surrounded by a world of limiting beliefs that’s as big as Costco, Sam’s Club and BJ’s all rolled into one? Nothing makes me madder than hearing others around me buy into those myths. As someone famous once said, “To suffer in silence is a sin.” I will reprimand you if you’re around me and your slinging such hash. What do you do?

The answer is in your art, my friends, in your heart my friends, not in the outside world or in the opinions of others, for it is in your heart and your art where your dreams are born, grown and manifest.

Myth #5: You need a day job to support your art

Ditching the Day Job?

Does your day job give you enough time and energy to not only create, but also market your art consistently each week?

If not, there are still some things to consider before you make the jump. If you’re going to have a legitimate art career without a day job, you should, at the very least, plan to: 

·        work long hours, usually 10 to 15 hours a day seven days a week.

·        spend about 65% of your time doing business tasks as opposed to creative tasks.

·        devote 3 hours of business promotion time for every hour of creative time.

·        spend some of your savings on your start-up costs.

·        have an income that isn’t steady or consistent.

·        get lonely.

·        fight the odds of failing. According to the Small Business Administration 4 out of 5 small businesses fail within five years.

Myth #5: You need a day job to support your art

Ever wonder why some artists seem to shoot straight to the top, quitting their day jobs and manifesting their creative destiny almost immediately while others linger in struggle for what seems like forever? In this inspiring video Margaret Wertheim talks about how filling a 3,000 square foot space with a coral reef she knitted (yes you read that correctly) helped an entire creative universe unfold.