"The world needs artists. We live in troubling times.
Uplifting artwork puts people's attention on positive things
and makes them feel good about being alive."
---Scott Menaul
Being an artist has some distinct advantages during a recession.
First of all, in this time of higher unemployment, I can't lose my job. My job, as a creative, is to make art. Recently, it occurred to me that I have now painted for almost 50 years. I certainly can't stop now!
Also, any person who lives a creative life 24/7 is used to insecurity. We are risk takers, often jumping without a net as we passionately pursue our art without any promise of exposure or sales. We create for the sheer joy of creating, although finding a new, appreciative home for an artwork is also a great joy.
My life hasn't changed because of the recession. I still spend each day looking for beauty in everything, searching for just that right subject to put down in paint on canvas. Lately, I have been looking at all the flowers blooming in my garden as well as in friends' yards. I see them bursting out of gloriously large canvases.
The recession? I recognize that has made life difficult for many people, and I feel deeply for them. Even more now than ever, an artist must keep creating. The world needs more beauty.