Does Art School Doom Graduates to a Life of Unemployment? Are TED Talks Lying?

                                                                                                            

  In my adolescence, I decided art school was the best choice for me, not because I thought it would help me find employment, to obtain my financial security. But because I knew academia was not where I felt or believed I fit, as my experience within the public school for me was an abysmal boredom, failure and most unpleasant  to say the least, although in spite of all this, my thirst for knowledge always remained, thanks to my family and peers.

Art was what I felt I was good at doing.
Later in my young adult years at art school, it became painfully apparent to me I was not headed for financial independence. I did however develop a resilience, a resourcefulness to find work, in whatever field I could, and managed to get by to make ends meet.

Gradually through hard learned lessons I began to value my work both aesthetically and monetarily, in spite of the challenges faced in an society and economy that certainly wasn't a creative one, with real integrity, but simply serving the top one percent, corporate, mostly self-serving class. Thomas Frank speaks about this in his article, Ted Talks Are Lying To You .

 Most working artists are not wealthy.The average artist's income is well below the poverty level, from what I can tell, and we more often than not, fly by the seat of our pants to pay the bills, support ourselves, and families.

It was told to me during my art education, this quote by George Bernard Shaw. "He who can does; he who cannot teaches". I love teaching and love creating art. I've never believed this adage. Teaching and creating art can be done consecutively, if not simultaneously. Many artists/teachers that I know and respect, do it very well, and are passionate, disciplined and committed to both.

In  Daniel Grant's item from the Wall Street Journal , I read today..."Artists can have good careers, earning a middle-class income," says Anthony Carnevale, director of Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce. "And, just as important and maybe more, artists tend to be happy with their choices and lives."

I find this hard to believe the median income for artists would be $42,000!? Certainly not the reality in Canada! Nay, Nay I say!!!
I whole hearted agree that artists are happy with the choices they've made, and their lives, because art makes them happy. Most artists intrinsically understand money does not bring happiness.
That said, if I ever could actually making a sustainable living as a full time artist, not any where near 42 grand mind you; you can bet, this would definitely add to my happiness, greatly lessen my stress, and I could refrain from eating dust sandwiches from time to time!
 

Post Script Quote from George Benard Shaw: "A fool's brain digests philosophy into folly, science into superstition, and art into pedantry. Hence University education."