Art is the “Right Livelihood”

As a full-time web developer, with a long eye on becoming a full-time artist, a post on the CreativeLedge blog by an acquaintance, Bob Barancik, made me stop and think a moment.

In the post, “The Right Livelihood, Right Now!“, Bob and his co-authors say that the creative professions are better suited to withstand recession than most people who earn a salary at an office or manufacturer.

“Presently, millions of American white collar and blue collar workers have lost their jobs or have been forced to accept shortened work weeks.

“Millions of gainfully employed citizens count themselves among ‘The Working Worried.’ They live with the very real possibility of being sacked at a moment’s notice.”

So “where does this leave the creative person?”, the blog asks.

“Actually, it leaves us surprisingly well off compared to most wage earners.

“Money was never the key motivator in our lives. We set up small businesses and took day jobs so we could paint, make films, strut on stage, write, perform, and compose music, create on the computer, write plays and screenplays, design all and sundry sorts of things and experiences…

“We need practical visionaries to create new and resilient American Dreams — the old ones are falling of their own accord into the dustbin of history.”

A tip of the hat to my wife, Judi Jetson, for sending me a link to Bob’s post.