"That Girl" is Extra-Value, not Budget-Economy!

As my Master's programme draws terrifyingly to its end, I've begun the arduous task of looking for a job back in the States, so I can be gainfully employed after my return. As I do so, I'm becoming increasingly disheartened with the position that the arts (in general) holds in my home country, and angry at the way artists are forced to regard themselves. I feel a rant coming on....

I've been looking for positions at primarily museums/arts institutions with an educational focus, in some kind of exhibit development/outreach/performance context. That would be my first choice of profession (considering I can't yet be self-sustaining as a practising artist, that is). A lot of these positions exist, both in the UK and the US. In both locales, institutions prefer candidates with graduate degrees, some facility or fluency in a foreign language, three to five years of experience in a related field, a competency in numerous computer systems. There is however one massive difference. In the UK, these are generally PAID positions whereas in the US, these types of jobs are reserved for "VOLUNTEER" interns (still with post-graduate degrees -- and loans, presumably).

I've been an intern - in my case, I interned with a regional theatre right after my college graduation, and it was a terrific experience. It even turned into contracting work afterwards, and the ability to join IATSE, the theatre technicians union. So, all in all, the slave labor and occasional tedium were worth it. So why am I grumbling now about the internship model the US is so fond of? Because I am no longer 22. I am nearly 30, and now am the proud owner of more student debt, (nearly) a Master's Degree, and eight years of professional experience in my field. Because I value myself as a person and an artist, I do actually now believe that my work has a value ascribed to it that can (should?) be recognized with a paycheck. Call me crazy, but still.

If I worked in another field, it would be crazy to suggest that I work a full-time unpaid job to garner experience, contacts etc. at the age I am (in most cases). In the UK and Europe, the state of the intern is a largely unknown one for adults, reserved for immediate university grads or people changing professional gears. Back home, however, it's very common, and we, as artists are forced to perpetuate the cycle. I could easily go back to waiting tables in the Big Apple, to supplement any income I could make from a contracting job (like the AWESOME one I used to have the Museum of Natural History). I could then use the money I make from these two or three jobs to pursue my "art hobby" of making performance and theatre. I could. Lord knows I've done it for years. But, the idea of this and the concept of the "art hobby" are starting to aggravate me.

I know that I, like most of you readers, work in a field that is generally regarded as light entertainment or non-essential. I'm just an artist after all -- I don't broker deals, save lives, or study distant universes. But, like all of you, I'm damn good at what I do. I'm a published writer, I've performed internationally, I run my own production company, and I'm the proud owner of an advanced research degree. My work has been seen in New York City, London, Salzburg, and, soon, in Istanbul, Stockholm and Helsinki. And yet, art for me is still a very expensive hobby. My travel expenses to conferences aren't paid for. I can't get access to any grant funding in the US right now because, frankly, it just doesn't exist. Because I'm still "emerging," I pay my own way, to present and perform my work, and also to do the research etc. to make the work. And this presumed culture of gratefulness continues into the job market. We artists are told repeatedly through job postings and audition listings that we should be happy for the chance to give away our talents for free. Being artistic (even within the institutional frame) is not valued the way that being a whiz with Excel or a master of data entry is. This rankles me.

I'm not quite sure what to do about all of this... get a mainstream job I hate to earn a paycheck to fund my "hobby," even though from experience, I know that working a shit job will drain me of all desire I have to make art? Work an unpaid internship I love just to be vital and active artistically, and hope and pray that the internship will turn into a paying job down the road? Say a loud "fuck you" to the job market completely a go back to waiting tables and making art, and be desperately poor but crazy-happy? I don't know. If I worked in a normal field, I'd be incredibly marketable... I'm creative, organized, detail-orientated, self-motivated and smart. All those things make me a decent artist, but I can only make money using them if I forget about the art part.

All this comes to nothing I suppose. It is the way it is, and I suppose that the arts are not as "crucial" as medicine, law, science etc. But, having written that, I know I don't believe it. The arts are integral, to society at large and to humans on an individual basis. Us artists provide essential services, and we have the right to see ourselves and our contributions be valued, not shoved under the carpet. At some point, I'd like to not have to volunteer my time and talent, but instead to be treated like a professional, like a normal person... just like every other artist you know. We'll continue to make work whether or not we're paid for our labour, because it is a part of us. Most artists NEED to be making art to not self-destruct, to feel fulfilled, to use our gifts. Someday however there will be some value ascribed to the creative work we make. And I can't wait for that day to come.