Destination School Marm?
Apparently, according to my astrological chart, I am on a path focused on career and money. If that is true, then why am I an artist?! Money is always going to be a concern in some way, but I’m equally if not a bit more concerned about my career. Ever since I first encountered art at a very young age, I knew that I wanted it to be a huge part of my life. Another thing that I also enjoyed was having the ability to impart information. In other words, I like teaching. I’ve had a pretty funky job path with a lot of having to be in the right place at the right time. I am a full-time professor, but I don’t like defining myself as such. The implications are usually not the favorable especially in the art world. It’s like, oh, you teach, so you’re not really an artist or you really haven’t committed to being an artist because you went the safe route and got a safe job. As time moves along, I think about the problem I have with being an artist/teacher when it comes to saying what my career is in. My passion lies with making art and I am fully committed to my artistic visions, but it doesn’t pay me anything. I make a descent living from teaching full time, but it doesn’t move me. With the number of artists out in the world, it can get exhausting trying to get your work in front of ‘the right people’ or have your work be picked up by a good gallery that wants to support your work. I am still hoping for that kind of relationship. I still believe in higher education or any education for that matter, but its hard for me to envision what the next 20 years will be like if I am still a professor. Will I still be in the Midwest, single spending my days as a School Marm / Old Maid?
