MICHAEL
Artist, male, Vienna, active since birth, concept creation, main theme - the ground
PRIVATE LIFE
I spend about 1500 €/m. The private and artist sack of money is completely separated, we are a group and an association and we all have jobs in other fields (architects, graphic designers). We do projects, when we apply for financial support or when we are invited somewhere and we get money there. From the financial support we don’t take anything for our private life. Since we are an [non-profit] association. Examples of public support we already got from BKA [Bundeskanzleramt], Ars Electronica.
WORKING TIMES
50-60 h/w as graphic designer in a publishing house
Working in art varies a lot – when a project is in its beginnings, then there’s a lot of organisational work, e-mailing, communicating.. In the endphase there’s a lot of creativity; maybe around 20 h/w.
Vacation: I do art partly because we then travel for the realisation of our projects, we get to go around the world. I wouldn’t go to New York just like that to look at the city or to run through museums, but like this I like it, we exhibit a project there. To go somewhere we sometimes pay for the flight ouselves, but just the flights.
INCOME
Working as a graphic designer since 2000.
On the side I also work for a film agency, that’s more for fun.
Earning money is not the primary goal of art production.
I have social security insurance through my job - I am technically an independent graphic designer, in reality I only work for one publishing house. My financial situation is secure through the designer job.
I believe art is basically very much dependant on connections and there it doesn’t matter which gender you are.
CONTENT WITH YOUR LIFE?
I am an independent designer, the art projects are running parallel. I am quite content the way it is.
Vienna, March 17, 2006