You Don't Have to Have an Art Job to be a Successful Artist

At some point every artist has that excitement of maybe doing art not just as a hobby, but as their job. Maybe working for an animation studio, or a game developer, or even selling your own work in galleries or as commissions. It’s fun to think about, right? And yet some people will give you that one rather frustrating suggestion: don’t quit your day job!

As annoying as that phrase is, there’s actually some truth hidden in there, in a good way! Having a job that involves your art skills can be great, but it’s actually pretty awesome to have a job that isn’t art! In fact, having a job that you might feel is “boring” can actually help boost your creativity. We’ll get to that in just a second. First, I want to mention that while I think it’s beneficial to have a non-art-related “day job”, I’m not aiming to be dismissive to those of you who are seeking an art career full-time. I think that’s pretty awesome and you should follow your passions if you’ve got a clear path forward. Be your best self! But for many of us, it either isn’t an option, or it might feel a bit too late to fully change careers. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

Think about your creativity for a moment. When do you get your drawing ideas? Do you plan them out? Do they just pop into your head at random moments? For many of us, trying to think about what to create often ends with the opposite outcome: no thoughts, ~head empty~! I talk about how to combat that in another video, but it’s super difficult to always be able to come up with ideas and to be creative. One big thing that helps, though? Time. Specifically, time spent not thinking about art ideas at all! And what’s a place where you’re not thinking about art? That’s right, your non-art job.

Whether you work an office job, or retail, or food service, or a factory, or almost anything else, you’re going to be spending a lot of time not thinking about art. That time, whether you’re trying to or not, will be charging your creative energy back up. And when the work’s done and you’re back home? You’ll often find that you have some creative thoughts ready to go. You might even find yourself getting excited to draw while at work, and it’s possible you’ll have some ideas randomly pop into your head then.

I know that, listening to what I’m saying, it can feel kind of aggravating that I’m basically telling you to “do nothing” and not think about art. And while I’m kind of saying that, I’m trying to get you more comfortable with a job that isn’t art. You’ll find that your brain can do a pretty good job of separating work and play if you let it, so if you can let work be work, you’ll get more comfortable about your creative side not being work.

Let’s talk about the finance side of things, too. Unfortunately, at the time of publishing this video, most of us need to work a job to support ourselves and families and friends. We need jobs because we need money. And as much as I hate to say it, there’s just not a lot of money in most areas of art. Unless you’re a well known artist with a huge following, even bigger than you may be thinking, you’re not going to support yourself on commissions alone in most parts of the world. And before you get to that point, you’re going to spend a ton of time not just building up your skills, but having to build up a following too. The whole time, you’re going to be stressing about how much paid work you need to do, versus spending time improving your skills or drawing for yourself. The financial pressure can be a massive cause of stress, which can cause burnout, which can cause even more stress, and… well, it doesn’t sound fun, does it? But if you already have a separate job? And you can make a little fun money on the side with your art? Hey, that doesn’t sound too bad.

I’m not just speculating here. I’m in this position right now: my day job isn’t what most people would consider is exciting. But it pays the bills and lets me have time after work to be creative and do things that I find fulfilling. Like this video series! At least right now, I… actually don’t make any money doing this, I do it because it’s fun. And even when things reach a point where I would really make money, it’ll be a long time until I even break even, technically. Same with my art. I make sure that I don’t depend on this for income by keeping my regular job going. And that keeps me happy.

So don’t feel ashamed if you don’t have a paid career as an artist. Let your job be your source of income, and your art be your source of fun. I know it can sound kind of disappointing to hear, but if you’re able to separate your job from your creative side, you might find yourself feeling better about both. You’re valuable no matter what kind of job you have. Be proud of that creative side! Go get drawing, and I’ll see you here again next time.