FA+
Shop
Fwa was....awful. (Vent)
6 years ago
Hey guys, i hope you’re having a better time than i am right now. Vent journal because i am Very Stressed™️
So Vani, Pho and i just got back from our roadtrip to sell at FWA this morning. I only had a good time because of them, and seeing friends I normally dont get to hang out with.
FWA was so drastically different from last year. i was in the dealer’s den with Pho n Vani for a day, then the artist alley most of the days with Neaa and one day with Geeki. I literally did not reach $40 in sales the entire weekend. I know it was a hard con for sales for a lot of people, but...jfc....$38 in 3 full days of selling really...stung.
It definitely hurt a lot because i invested in making merch, and getting to the con itself...but the real blow was to my self worth in art. Im super discouraged and want to take a break because of how bummed out i am over this....but its my main source of income until someone hires me..
Being a struggling artist is the worst. Just continuously stressing out every day because of zero security. I never know if ill be able to make money or not every month since im just ok at what i do, and don’t have a lot of followers to make more sales. I cant afford health insurance, basic needs like my dog needing his shots this month, i need to pay bills, i need to eat...Vani was kind and paid for me to eat this weekend, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to afford to...
Oh and on top of being in the red because of this con, someone thought it’d be super nice to steal my card info and take what little money i had left out my bank account :’) I called and filed fraudulent claims so it’ll be returned in a week, but i had a bill due yesterday that i couldn't pay for because of it.
Im just.
So tired.
Of this never ending cycle.
Ive been putting in job apps but its been 6 months of this now...
I just hope things change for the better soon..
So Vani, Pho and i just got back from our roadtrip to sell at FWA this morning. I only had a good time because of them, and seeing friends I normally dont get to hang out with.
FWA was so drastically different from last year. i was in the dealer’s den with Pho n Vani for a day, then the artist alley most of the days with Neaa and one day with Geeki. I literally did not reach $40 in sales the entire weekend. I know it was a hard con for sales for a lot of people, but...jfc....$38 in 3 full days of selling really...stung.
It definitely hurt a lot because i invested in making merch, and getting to the con itself...but the real blow was to my self worth in art. Im super discouraged and want to take a break because of how bummed out i am over this....but its my main source of income until someone hires me..
Being a struggling artist is the worst. Just continuously stressing out every day because of zero security. I never know if ill be able to make money or not every month since im just ok at what i do, and don’t have a lot of followers to make more sales. I cant afford health insurance, basic needs like my dog needing his shots this month, i need to pay bills, i need to eat...Vani was kind and paid for me to eat this weekend, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to afford to...
Oh and on top of being in the red because of this con, someone thought it’d be super nice to steal my card info and take what little money i had left out my bank account :’) I called and filed fraudulent claims so it’ll be returned in a week, but i had a bill due yesterday that i couldn't pay for because of it.
Im just.
So tired.
Of this never ending cycle.
Ive been putting in job apps but its been 6 months of this now...
I just hope things change for the better soon..
Keep making art when you can, do things you want to do to prevent burn out and just continue to grow <3
This stuff will pass <3
It might pass like a kidney stone. But it'll pass <3
I wish you all the luck <3
Chances are i won't see it if its a journal or something -
uwu Ill most likely miss it
Thank you! I'm selling them for $10 each.
In the process of setting up a Square store online, they'll be available on there.
It's how I got my part-time as a laundry aide at a nursing home. I can understand the struggling artist ordeal, I know the feeling so well that it's stressful.
I wish you the best and hope that once you recover you can try and tackle it again.
Thank you so much, i appreciate it ;-;
I'm working on opening an online Square store right now, so i can sell them
It really sucks that life is kicking you like this, dude. :c if you need a new ear to vent to, my PM box is always open.
Thank you very much, i super appreciate your support ;;
You don't suddenly cease to be an artist because you have a second source of income beyond your art. This lie is one of the worst things society has done to us, as artists, and one of the worst things we continue to do to ourselves.
There is nothing wrong with doing non-art things to pay your bills and keep a roof over your head while you continue to do your artwork along-side it. You're not less of an artist.
I get it, the romantic idealization is living entirely off your artwork. I've been there. But it's bullshit. It took me 2-3 years but even as I've only started a career in copywriting this month( $50/hr to start as a freelancer, $30k/yr as entry-level salary traditional job), I feel SO MUCH less stress regarding my art. I still want to live primarily off of it, but while I figure that out? I can handle my financial obligations with copywriting.
And if you want proof that you can do non-art things and still be an artist?
Leonardo Da Vinci
Artist, engineer, inventor, architect, and so many other things. And he's still most known for being an artist. He is who I force myself to remember when I worry that *gasp* doing something other than art will mean I'm less of an artist.
You deserve the best life you can give yourself, and that means making use of all your talents, even if some of them aren't entirely art-related. It's better than living a life of anxiety wondering how the fuck you're going to pay your rent/bills this month.
And you'll find a way to bring your art into your other work. Art doesn't stop being a part of who you are just because you're not doing "art" at any one moment in time.
Things will change for the better once you take steps to ensure that they change. And I believe that you can do it.
I dont have a problem with having a non-art related job at all. Ive been having a problem with getting hired at any job for the past 6 months.
While i job hunt, i have no choice but to rely on art to get by in the meantime. If someone would hire me, id happily do art on the side and not get so stressed over it, because my livelihood isnt at risk.
Ahh, now that is a perfectly good reason for being stressed across the board, heh. Have you ever thought about a more traditional office art job? Like graphic design or even texture artist at a video game developer? Both pay pretty well at entry-level, though they can require long hours.
I honestly dont care if its an office job, or retail, i just need something that isnt bare minimum wage. Long hours are fine by me, i just want to work xD
It's definitely something you'd wanna look into then. People don't really talk about all the artist jobs in the games industry but they're absolutely there.
Something else you might want to check out, assuming you have any interest in marketing/advertising, is copywriting. It's talked about even less, but it can pay very well even at entry level. All those ads you see and hear online and on tv (and the e-mails you read from companies) need to be written by someone.
Getting jobs in the industry has been next to impossible. I'm going to look into copywriting, I dont think ive ever done so before. Thank you for the tip!!
That said, I just finished up moving from NYC to Chicago over the weekend, and I don't have any money atm. So that regular paycheck working for someone else sounds really nice right about now lmao
If you'd like some resources on copywriting, please let me know and I will gladly forward along all the quality websites I've found the past year.
Congrats on your move, i hope it went smoothly! I feel you hahaha
Thank you! Ive been surfing listings on job websites and not quite sure if its for me.
Thanks! It's gone well so far. I have a bed after two days of sleeping on the floor lol.
*nodnod* I hope you find what fits you well. There's definitely people out there making a very good living as freelancers, so you can do it. It's just a matter of finding that interaction between what you don't hate and what people will pay you good money for! XD;; Best of luck~
In the end you will be successful. I just know it. It is the person that you are. :) Just right now life is taking a wiffle bat to your ribs. :/
Would you be interested in letting me look over one of the versions of your resume? I can try to find something to tweak if you believe it helps. Redact whatever you wish and I would look at the rest.
Besides this, I will keep hope. You have more than enough talent for any industry, it is only a matter of getting the right person to discover it. <3
That's super kind of you and i appreciate the offer! I've had it looked over a few times and it seems to be fine- i think its the fact that ive moved so much + across the country (resulting in not staying at my jobs long). Also i dont have a degree, so people overlook my resume in favor of someone else.
Ah, cool! Yeah honestly our HR looks at jobs and how long people were in them. They have an irrational fear of people leaving after they are trained. Sometimes people with degrees don't have the right skillset and I wish companies saw this. In a land with growing student debt some people just won't have degrees.
Do online degrees mean anything to employers? I think some companies are starting to take notice of them.
My circumstances have been messy over the years, but now that im older and ready to settle down at a job its....so hard. I've been a decent worker, and only left previous jobs because of moving. But companies look at that as not being committed, or that i wasnt reliable/a good worker even though i was when i worked at these places ;-; i wish they'd call the managers i put as reference to prove this but..time is money, so i understand.
I also tried taking online classes at one point, but did terribly since i work best in a physical classroom setting. I've got adhd so its hard to pay attention on my own with just online lessons @-@ could take classes at the community college sort of near here but transportation/classes cost money, and i cant pay for them without a job..its a never ending cycle.
Oh, I understand! That would be really hard to work online with ADHD. If it weren't transportation it would be dorm rent yes? Do you have a bus nearby that goes to the college?
I could take transportation but i need a job to pay for it and classes :c
Ahhh. Yes this is true. Somebody I know spent like $300 on a bus pass (Illinois) but it was good for a whole year. I don't know if it was limited in any means (like how much you can ride per day).
Yeah transportation is so pricey, i dont know how much it is in Philadelphia but i'll have to find out.
o3o Hmmm. You are somewhat close to a friend of mine (I Pittsburgh). Yes! We shall see. Prolly a buck oh five a few times over. :3
Pittsburgh is suuuper nice, ive been trying to attend anthrocon to sell! Its like 6 hours away surprisingly.
I crossed my fingers too for good measure.
You're the best, thank you
No u