Some jars that were a departure for me to make, made purely for the fun of it. I post them here because this blog entry needs a spot of color...
I was not surprised to read in the survey* that came out in November 2013 that CERF+ (the Craft Emergency Relief Fund) found that "only about 1/4 of full-time (U.S.) craft artists provide over 80% of their family income." In fact, the study confirmed my general conviction that it's the rare American craftsman who brings in enough bucks to really live on. "Craft artists do not rely solely on their craft businesses to support their families" rang true through everything I know from nearly 29 years working with clay, and now I know it to be true of craftspeople working in wood, glass, metal and more. "72% of full-time craft artists net less than $25,000 per year from their art-related income," the study finds. In short, most of us have another job as well, and/or a spouse with an income.
I respect and admire the great effort and ability to make a "go" by the other 28%. I've met some of them. They're amazing. They create their work for years and market it with tons of effort. They also teach in schools and art centers, travel around giving seminars, submit entries to museum shows and national and international competitions regularly, and really, truly give their all to their craft to make enough. They make how-to videos and write articles and books about their craft. They tend to be extraordinary people who are savvy and well-traveled, and I have really enjoyed spending time with those I have met.
Another figure arrived at is that 60% of craftspeople are uninsured should they suffer illness, fire or flood. Whoo! I imagine those do not tend to be the 28%'ers.
So I have to ask myself, being one of the 72%, why do we do it? Most of us work with a medium that requires equipment we must maintain, often using heavy or unwieldy materials that are hard on the body to shape and complete.
A box of clay weighs 50 lbs. At my studio, we carry in a dozen each time I replenish my materials.
Potters like me have to be super conscious of maintaining body fitness and general health in order to keep going. On a non-physical level, we have a job of constantly educating people about what we do, which is another sort of endurance run. Yet we keep going with dogged determination.
If you know us, you probably already know why we do it just as well as I do!
Dang, we love it. We love creative work so much we move mountains to make it happen. We really do usually have spouses and friends and partners who help us pay the mortgage and bring home the bread and care for the kids, and who also help carry things and set up things and, if we're lucky, talk about our work to people they know so the word gets around. We know we would be hard-pressed to do our work without them. So we look for small successes and good friends on a regular basis, and find enjoyment in them. The average craftsperson, like me perhaps, can't afford to crash and burn out. We need to chug along on a basic, enduring head of steam.
(I wasn't sure about that exclamation point). Welcome to my website and gallery. For The Gallery Downstairs, call before visiting to be sure it's a good time.
*(The CERF+ study can be found at http://crafthaus.ning.com/profiles/blogs/cerf-what-3-500-american-craft-artists-are-telling-us)