Everybody knows artists have it much harder financially than most. After all, they aren't called "starving artists" for no reason. Therefore, it comes as no surprise to learn that a lot of American artists are now holding down day jobs to bring money and then pursuing their creative interests in their off hours. The National Endowment for the Arts recently released a report, which found that many Americans today practice art as secondary employment.
While millions of Americans are working, full-time "artists," a category that includes musicians, writers, and designers, 271,000 say they practice art as a second job, with most of them being singers or musicians of some sort. As for their primary job, most have a career in the "professional" category.
“Most people with a second job in the arts have a primary job in the professional category," the report reads. “These are occupations that usually require college training, such as doctors, lawyers, teachers, artists, social workers, clergy, and librarians," the most popular primary career being teaching. It makes sense that a lot of American artists are turning to a professional career for security, however, since the unemployment rate for those in the "artists" category is 7.1 percent, compared to the 3.6 percent of "professionals."
Though it doesn't look like the future is getting any easier for artists, it's safe to say they probably have a lot more fun at work than, say, accountants.
[via PSMag]
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