A Life in the Arts

I haven't posted in a while...I admit it, I've been busy. And that's what I wanted to talk to you all about.

Living a life in the arts means that you're going to be busy. It means going without sleep (and sometimes food). It means working a dreaded "day job" while you figure out how to make a life in art work for you.

All too often, we see the glamor and prestige of a career in entertainment, and we forget the hard facts:
1). You're probably never going to get rich. Fewer than half of 1% of people with theatre degrees actually make a living in their chosen profession.
2). You're probably never going to be "famous". Fame happens to an even smaller amount of people...and the divorce rates, health problems, and resultant bankruptcies are disproportionally larger.
3). You know those "9-to-5" jobs you've been railing against for years? You're going to be worker even longer hours (for comparatively less pay).

We do all of these things because we love our art. So when I see my students posting messages complaining about how overworked they are, I start to worry that they don't know the true extent of a life in the arts. More to the point, I don't think they are (with the exception of a few) mentally or emotionally prepared for it.

Why have I been busy? Because I work a full-time job and I'm in the middle of starting my own dramaturgical consulting business. I lead a life in the arts because I have no choice. I can't not do this work. And, lest my students forget it, I'm a dramaturg first...and an advisor second.