SUR*VIVER

Artist, female, likes to say: I make things. Clay, fabric, found material, Brooklyn, New York, active since: 2000

I spend around 200$ for workspace/studio. It is an open space, I share it with another artist who does drawing. Just got the studio this year, so I am for the first time paying for a separate space.
Otherwise production costs are low. Aside from clay, in which I just starting working regularly again. I use a lot of found material – like handkerchiefs – takes a long time. I would buy a lot of 20 for maybe 5$. Last time I ordered clay for ca. 50$ – will last a year… I spend about 40$/m on subway, otherwise I bike. I borrow equipment from my friends if I need any. I also spend 150$/m for health plan. It is a very bad plan. Just changed it to a lesser one, to a very basic one.
Rent is 900$, since I moved I don’t go out much. Around 120$ on groceries. Bills are around 150$ plus weird things in studio. Unless there is a show where I need special material – usually the gallery would pay for that.

I work around 20 h/w, not enough. I take the back seat to paying bills. Maybe 5h/w on average for organizational work, it varies and is sporadical. 5h/w I work in a hospital. 32-40 h/w for other job-projects. I would like to do volunteering but I have no time.

I try to take a day off just for me but that becomes the day to clean the house, do groceries.. But due to odd schedule I find time, “off” days in between even if going to the movies really late after work. It is hard to find a full day from start to end. Plus I get anxious if I take a whole day off. Unless friends are visiting..

Art is a small part of my income. If I could make a living of something else and still have enough time for art, I wouldn’t mind. But I guess the only way to have time to do it is to make money out of it. I have been selling for four years.

I make maybe 500 – 2000$ a year on selling. Sometimes through galleries, sometimes in the studio. “Supplementary money” – I would like to make it more but if I don’t have time to produce it’s hard to change that. I am waiting to hear from a 6-month residency in Portland – if I get it.

An “old” graffiti artist who started a clothing company, still makes his own projects, he needs some help in the office, I might do that. But I haven’t decided yet.
Sometimes I assist artists, I pick up different projects, sometimes full-time, sometimes part-time, sometimes I work on several projects at the same time. I saw for a painter, sometimes I do sculpting for people. Sometimes I source materials, estimate the price and costs for realizing a project. I get these jobs mainly through references. I used to work in an art-gallery full-time, met a lot of artists there. So one artist recommends to another… The work is usually paid on an hour rate –20 $/h minimum. Sometimes also flat rate for a certain amount of time. Maybe 20–30% of that would be cash and not reported to tax.
I also do computer-based research for children’s books publisher (can do that from home), also 20$/h. What I do for this guy will change – he creates books on poems he writes or colleagues write – he goes to schools – kids make art inspired by it – and he makes books out of it. He will make exhibitions – I will help him set it up.

I make art with cancer patients – once a week – is good money. 200$ a day (for 5 hours). Watercolor, collage, working with text. I usually see them once and that’s it. Most of them have never had a contact with art and have the feeling they don’t know how to make things.

35.000$ – 50.000$ a year:
bad year – good year

Now especially in NY it is very trendy to show gay men although nobody would admit it. Especially the young artists, the non-profit spaces, small galleries favor “alternative” identities. The art world in general is favoring men. The world is. The support, fundings for art that are there for young homosexual – I have the feeling that just supporting the specific subcultures it hurts the overall – if you are trying to “show” the spirit of time. Yes, that it is a part that has not been shown but it is being hyped by the “hot” galleries. Now it is not just what you make, also who you are and the marketing ability of your work.

I have a tight group  –  we share similar ideas and support each other through rough times. (friends). Plus I am really close with artists I worked with before. A lot are older and have families so we don’t meet that often but I can call or if I have questions they help. I feel really lucky in that sense.

No, my financial situation is not secure. I have a little bit of savings but if I would stop working I would be fucked. Is not not secure in the sense that I would be fired but if I don’t work I don’t get any. Being here for a residency actually is “losing money”. But somebody is staying in the apartment for this time, so I don’t have to pay rent, so it’s not that bad. For tax purposes I say I job and freelance as an artist.

I wouldn’t say it was depression, more like being anxious. The only time of “panic” was quitting a full-time job – working at an art-gallery – archiving images, working with press, curated some shows. 3 years. (45.000 a year)

Selling my work is weird. I always need help setting prices. I need so much time to produce so I always feel I am discounting it, on the other hand I want to make work accessible. The downside is if I sell through a gallery they take 50%, If it’s a non-profit space 30:70% in favor of the artist. The problem with collectors coming into the studio is, they say so I can get 50%, because they know the gallery takes 50%, but you are already giving them a lower price. And these are rich people.

Usually in NY people don’t get paid for shows – that you should be happy to show. The writers (critics) and the hot artists are getting more and more together in NY and everybody is afraid to make work that doesn’t sell. There are so many people 20 smthg. that are willing to dress up every night to go to openings – “show” themselves. If you want to succeed, you have to compete with that. If you don’t do that you will suffer. You will have trouble selling. There are quite some young artists that become small stars. The big thing now in NY is the graduate open studios at Columbia. It’s like starving dogs – watching, waiting to score the next hot artists. But the hot artists don’t really sell a lot of work. Mainly painters sell like crazy.
One artist I worked for was hot at the beginning of 90’s, was in all group shows. She decided to have a child, the dealer told her that is a really bad idea, now you’re in all these shows, if you stop, you will not be able to get back. And she didn’t. She is the same artist. But being “older”, around 40, is harder. People want see young faces.

Vermont, April 23, 2006