The arts: hobby or living?

Inspired by this article in the Guardian http://gu.com/p/2j9a2/tw which highlights a debate in the blogosphere about the future of the arts.

Read it and join in the debate.

I have heard many sides of this debate.  There are folks who are following their hearts to carve a career for themselves in the arts, single-mindedly pursuing their vision and tolerating an inconsistent and insubstantial income.  Folks who have resigned themselves to doing bar work, cafe work, a 9-to-5 in order to subsidise their art, which they tend to do in their 'spare time'.  Folks who have come to a realisation that they won't find the ONE job in the arts that they are looking for, but have crafted a portfolio of occupations in the arts field.

Long gone are the days when artists could rely on a patron to support them.  Now we have governments....or do we?  There is currently a debate in Auckland, New Zealand, where I live, about the future of arts funding.  Auckland is in the process of merging its local governance bodies to form one 'super city'.  One side of this argument goes that if the city is to be 'super' by international standards, it will reserve a place at top table for arts and culture.  While we can campaign for the new local body to allocate arts and culture funding, we cannot sit on the sidelines and hope that sufficient funds are set aside for the sector.  We must take action for ourselves.  It remains in our hands, as the artists, to ensure that we make it work for us.  Let's not generate a dependency relationship with government, where our ability to create relies on the attitude of whoever happens to be in power.

As business manager of a young production company, I am faced with the task of raising funds, not only to finance the theatre, film and television we wish to create, but also to provide some level of income.  If we go down the track of having to get 'normal jobs' in order to support ourselves, what time and energy would be left to devote to our art?

Let us in the arts communities support each other by sharing creative ideas around fundraising.  And let's learn, together, how to make a compelling 'business case' for the arts.  Local businesses, both large and small, know that it's in their best interest to align themselves with good theatre, good film and good local artists.  They are simply waiting to hear the case for the arts.

And let's not limit our thinking so that we only consider what is in a gallery, on stage or in a museum as creative.  If we are to make a living from our craft, we need to see ourselves as businesspeople as well as creators; and we need to be creative in how we go about business as well.  When I hear of local theatre practitioners throwing a party to raise funds for their stage show, I am inspired by the creativity of their business sense.