Job or Hobby?

[Thomasin Dewhurst]

I think people don't expect someone to be a professional painter. I think a lot of non-artist people think painting plus exhibiting and earning is some thing rather fantastical - something you read about but don't encounter personally.

I have a new friend who I told about my being an exhibiting painter, and even told her about my degrees in art, which I thought were the obvious indication of my level of professionalism. Then a week or two later I showed her my paintings and she was really quite taken aback - she told me she when I mentioned what I did, she though I dabbled in art.

__________________

I also don't refer to my painting as job, though. I do refer to it as working, but never really a job. I don't call it a hobby either. I love working (at my art, teaching etc.) but I really dislike doing a job (which reminds me of my time as an insurance clerk).

[Alexandra Tyng]

Technically, whether art is a business or hobby is defined by whether you show a profit on your income tax returns a certain percentage of the time. (I'm not sure exactly what that percentage is, but so far art seems to be a business for me.)

When people ask me what I do, and I say "I'm an artist," I can see the wheels turning. They're curious whether I'm a real artist or just a hobbyist, but they never come out and ask.

When I was young, my friends asked me when I was going to get a real job. Once, when my husband was laid off, several friends immediately jumped on me, saying I owed it to my family to work "full time." "Just get any job," they said. "Even at 7-11 or Border's." I protested that I was earning more than I could possibly earn at one of these jobs, but they flat-out didn't believe me. No one is saying anything now, but I have a feeling I'll get the same lecture at other times in my life. It never ends.

I do think part of the attitude towards artists stems from the knowledge that they love what they do. Most people don't love what they do, and quite a few people hate going to work. So they are envious of the artist and assume that artists couldn't possibly be having fun and making money at the same time! It must therefore be a hobby because it's fun.

[Michele Rushworth]

Well said!

[Julie Deane]

Echoing what others have said here, when I say I am an artist, people I meet think hobbyist. I know that because if they see my work, they express shock, and say "I thought you dabbled in art".

[Debra Norton]

I had the same experience as Julie, just yesterday. I was waiting for some stuff to get taken care of at a small business and in the course of conversation mentioned that I'm an artist, and the salesman started telling me about being an art history major in college, and a painting he bought. I could tell he was wondering whether I was a "real' artist so I pulled out the little photo album I carry in my purse and invited him to take a look. He was very impressed and asked about my website and I ended up leaving a business card with him. Before I left he sheepishly admitted he had imagined a hobbyist when I said I was an artist.

[Julie Deane]

In my case, I always wonder, "Sexism and ageism? Or just a conjecture based on experience in talking to hobbyists?"

[Michele Rushworth]

I suppose it's "artist-ism"!

[Michael Fournier]

I guess it is all related to the fact that most people in this monetary based world we live in associate having a JOB as having a purpose. And many Try and define who you are by your means of supporting yourself.

We live in a society that has conditioned most to be wage slaves working their lives away making others rich. (financially that is) They then start to need money not just for food and shelter anymore but to buy things to fill their other wise empty lives because they gave up their love in life to do what ever they do each day to survive.

Now I do not want to offend the women artist . Fist off I have respect for talent no matter who it is man or women.
But I must say this sublet has a different repercussions depending if you are a Man or a Woman.
If a man is a successful artist and has no other job except his art and he is married he is not thought of as a stay at home house husband with a hobby.
At the same time though if a Male artist is not financially successful enough to support his family as well as himself society puts pressure on him to "Get a Real Job" and forget this hobby. Even if his wife makes plenty of money to support them both. So for Men it is a hobby unless you are financially successful at it.

Now for women it is different even a very successful women artist who has a financially successful husband can still run into people that consider her art as a hobby.
Of course the women will not be pressured to forget her art in favor of a more traditional source of income if they have a financially successful husband. Or even if her husband is not that financially successful many will still not blame their financially short comings on her art but on her husbands inability to earn enough to support them.
It is all based on out dated sexual roles that even today are still considered the norm.

So unfortunately women will always face some (even if they are idiots) that will consider their art a hobby and for men you will never be considered a Artist and not a hobby painter until you earn your living exclusively from your Art. (and good income at it)

It really is not exclusive to artist but anyone who chooses to do what they love first no matter how much money they can make at it and define their lives by their love not their monetary needs.
Often if they can stick to it they do make money but they will have to fight off all those who will try to steer them down the path more taken to just get a "real Job"

In the words of Jackson Browne.
"Gotta do what you can just to keep your love alive
Trying not to confuse it with what you do to survive"

So just do what you Love and forget what others think in the end your life will not be measured buy how much money you made at it. After all Vincent Van Gogh did not sell any paintings and he is more commonly known today then most of the finically successful artist of his time.

[Tom Edgerton]

It's similar to the question of "When is one an artist?"

I define an artist simply as someone who finds themselves doing the work even when they don't want to.

The fire in the belly, so to speak.