The Well-Fed Artist

Money is on my mind lately. So I was intrigued by this post at Type Faster, where Anne Merril muses on the downsides of the "starving artist" myth:

I'm sitting here, trying to imagine what [being broke] must be like. We're not rich, my partner and I, nor even what I would consider "well-off" in terms of money. But we manage to pay our bills, pay off a mortgage and save money. Not a lot, but enough for emergencies. This is with my partner out of work at the moment. We're survivng entirely on my wage, which is at the low end of the middle-class wage.

I could never, ever stand living hand to mouth. That sort of existance doesn't interest me in the slightest. How on earth can artists afford materials if they can't pay the rent? Writers are a little better off, because all you need to write is paper and imagination. But eventually you'll need a computer, and a printer, and money for postage, and...

Merril concludes that she's not cut out for starving:

What was the moral of this post? Oh yes! I'd rather work hard and live comfortably and sacrifice art time than starve but have hours and hours to create.

So, I probably won't be a successful artist or writer. On the other hand, I have a great credit rating and I'm not desperately scrabbling for every cent.

This, for me, is contentment.

Her balance of job and art reminds me of the Sex and Cash Theory posited by Hugh MacLeod at gapingvoid:

"The creative person basically has two kinds of jobs: One is the sexy, creative kind. Second is the kind that pays the bills. Sometimes the task in hand covers both bases, but not often. This tense duality will always play center stage. It will never be transcended."

I'm six months into my freelance writing and editing career, meant to replace the income from the software job I left last fall. Up to this point, I've been more entranced by writing fiction and blogging, and haven't put much effort into finding paid work. Not surprising, then, that the contracts haven't come pouring in. So now I have to redress the balance of sex and cash, because being totally broke is not good for my art or my family.

Anyone need a good technical editor?