Art = Real Job*

*hill I will die on

When most people think of artists, they think about a carefree lifestyle of magical creation in a studio. This studio is a place of wonder and effortless, non-taxing, work that is always fun and some how not “real” work.

The idea that artists are not doing real work is laughable to me. I think it comes from a place of jealousy because artists are doing something they love: making art. They are passionate about it, they thrive when making art, they often work for themselves, and often do not have the 9-5 schedule of most people for “real” jobs.

I’ve had/have other jobs. I am an attorney and was a scientist before that. Both of those jobs fit into what people call a regular 9-5. They are demanding jobs. They require a lot of brain power and determination (and some duct tape - I’m looking at you scientists).

They required training and student debt. They required ongoing education.

The same is true of making art.

I made my first quilt from my own design in 2022. It’s below. Yes, that is my very first quilt design. It took me a month to make the top or design part of it. A little longer to quilt, finish, and add a hanging sleeve.

It hurt my brain to work on that composition. I had to decide what kind of patterning I wanted to use to give the components of the flower depth and texture. I had to think about how to sew all those pieces together, and then sew them to one another. Before all that I had to get my mind wrapped around the fact that I could just make my own design?!?!??!

But before all that, I had to know how to sew.

I learned when I was about 8 or 9. My mom taught me and before that her mother taught her. My mom did not learn how to quilt from her mom and she is self taught. This was way before the days of youtube and googling “how to make a quilt.” You mostly had to know someone that could teach you or find a class. My mom is super smart and decided to just figure it out.

She taught me her figured out method of quilting and as I got older Quilt in a Day books became popular and we learned from those. By the time I got to my 20s, I figured out there were some things we were doing different than was traditional, so I learned those things. Then again in my 30s I learned some more and discovered modern quilting.

So when I finally decided I was going to take a class to learn how to design my own quilt, I had 30 years of learning and doing under my belt. (I really think I just needed permission to design my own quilt.)

So yeah, 30 years of training to become the artist I am today. And I continue to learn. I study with other artists and take classes from some truly gifted artists.

Is this sounding familiar? To possibly my other career paths? Attorneys get an undergraduate degree, a law degree, study for the bar, and then take continuing education classes every year.

I’m not sure why the two are considered different - oh wait, yes I do: attorneys get paid by other people to do legal work. They provide a service to their fellow citizens.

Art doesn’t file divorce paperwork for you, or a patent application, or adoption paperwork. It doesn’t stand beside you in court while you plead not-guilty. It hangs on your wall or sits on a pedestal. What could possibly be useful about that?

Well, let me tell you, recent research has shown that engaging with art improves your health. You don’t even have to the be the one making the art, just looking at it.

How amazing is that!!! Hang art on wall, look at art, be healthier.

I guess that argument that art isn’t a real job because it doesn’t provide something useful isn’t holding water anymore.

Maybe we can stop treating artists like they are providing something extremely important to society.

Go to museums and galleries, buy art, make art, appreciate the fact that someone decided this is what I am passionate about and acknowledge their career as an artist.