Do What You Love, and the Money Will Follow
Ever heard that before? I have, and even managed to follow it for a few years, until my own lack of business acumen caused me to need a “real job”.
Of late my thoughts have turned again to that kind of life, though, and the joys of making your own hours (“work any 23 a day you want!“) and making your own work. Of course, it’s not all fun and games, as any starving artist will tell you. Still, in today’s job market, the old maxim from “The Full Monty” might apply: “It’s more fun to be an unemployed dancer than an unemployed plumber.”
(please, if you’re a plumber, don’t take it personally.)
Anyway, Amanda Abrams (via Great Dance Blog) has been musing on it as well, and several of her comments shed an interesting light on the reality of making a living this way. The gist? It’s not as insecure as you might think (let’s ask the people at Enron how secure they find the corporate environment) and it’s not as carefree as you’d think.
“…to move up even a step is tough, it seems. i know folks who are aspiring dance critics, and making any money doing it–and even establishing the slightest foothold–takes a lot of persistence, almost as much as getting anywhere as a dancer. we can all agree that actually making a living as a dancer is a ridiculous impossibility, at least in this country, but making money writing isn’t a whole lot easier. “
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