Am I doing art or is art doing me?

I think art – whatever that is – uses me as a tool to create and make itself real. It is more than a love, or a hobby, more than a therapy or an occupation, more than a talent or a skill. Twice in the last week I have met young talented people who on discovering what I do tell me they do art, and want to make a career of it. I remember the desire, I also remember being told to go get a real job. And it was sensible advice because making art is no career for anyone with any real intelligence. The chances of supporting yourself are few, and depend on good fortune more than hard work, though that of course is the bigger part of success in any career. But for some of us, artmaking becomes so much a part of our lives that we start to immerse ourselves in it, and we even become unhealthy if we don’t feed the need on an ongoing basis. It is a healing thing, a sustaining, a joy bringer, a challenge and a drive. It’s such a shame there’s no money in it…

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