Support
Pat, who I met last fall in Idaho and had the honor of sitting next to during one week of the Nancy Crow workshop and who is now officially in Quilt National 2007 (congratulations Pat!), posted the following comment on my hobby? post a few days back:
We have a family friend who is a self-supporting artist over many years. All he does is work in his studio. His marketing efforts to galleries and his solo shows have all been arranged by his wife. She’s in charge of that complete aspect of his art life and early in his career she was the one schlepping canvases throughout the West and Southwest. So, with the right partner, Lisa, maybe you wouldn’t need to change one job for another? You could add finding a marketing partner to your goal spreadsheet. (Now, don’t dismiss this out of hand ….)
My dad responded to this comment to me in email noting that the Montana artist, Charles M Russell, also had a spouse to do this work for him. He thought this might be a good plan for me.
I’m currently reading The Unknown Matisse by Hilary Spurling and last night read the following:
a friend…
was shocked to hear him [Matisse] say in front of his wife that he would have liked to live like a monk, alone in his cell, dedicated solely to his work.
It was the sort of heroic self-denial to which Amelie [Matisse’s wife] instinctively responded. Henri’s driving sense of purpose, which drove hers, had been one of his great attractions from the day they met. Their marriage worked as a partnership, in which it was his business to paint while hers was to ensure that the smooth running of their daily lives freed him to concentrate on production.
At this point in their lives Amelie was running a hat shop so Matisse didn’t have to earn an income, and she was raising their 2 children (both under the age of 3) and also his daugher (age 6).
Hm - let’s combine that all together. It really does sound pretty good. Someone to run my art business, clean my house, and keep things going so all I had to concentrate on was creating.
Do these people really exist? Heroic self-denial - that’s an interesting phrase.
How does your partner support your art career?
Posted by Lisa in: Musings
Omega said,
November 13, 2006 @ 4:08 am
Emotionally, intellectually, and financially. Wonderful stuff, but the positions still open are housekeeper and cook, surrogate daughter for my mother, and agent.
Cynthia said,
November 13, 2006 @ 7:50 am
I had to laugh out loud at this post! It sounds like Pat’s friend’s wife and Matisse are wonderfully supportive and helpful to their spouses career. My husband is supportive emotionally and definitely financially.
But after reading this, I’ve decided that what I need is a wife too, so that I would be freed up to create with no worries about household chores, child rearing duties, marketing, and the other business end details that I am left to learn and apply when I have the energy!
Melody Johnson said,
November 13, 2006 @ 8:15 am
My husband not only cleans up after me, he has to listen to my miseries when I am stuck or just plain unhappy over my art, friends or career. I would not want to be in his position, living with me.
shan said,
November 13, 2006 @ 8:16 am
Great post, Lisa.
There is so much written about artist’s wives. Nowadays, however, many husbands are just as supportive. My husband is our primary breadwinner and his job provides us with fantastic healthcare benefits, which seems to be a huge issue for many self-supporting artists.
Just before we got married I returned from a month is San Francisco to find a section of our large apartment attic transformed into a lovely studio. In the past he has helped me build stretchers, frames, and install exhibitions but now that we have two kids and very full schedules I find ways to do that stuff myself or pay for it to be done. He also built my current studio.
He takes on more kid duty when I have a deadline. If I were single, I would probably take on a full-time teaching position and work on my art in the evenings. This is more or less what I do now, as I don’t have any childcare. I’m always amazed at how much one can get done in the odd off hours of the day.
I think the best thing about my spouse’s support is not what he does so much as the fact that I know he understands and likes that painting is an important part of who I am.
Deanna said,
November 13, 2006 @ 8:42 am
Like Cynthia said, a wife would be great. Reminds me of this classic essay: http://www.cwluherstory.com/CWLUArchive/wantawife.html
As a single mom, barely making enough to get by and struggling to do art whenever I can, having a partner to help with *anything* would be great. I’m jealous of people like the commenters here who have partners who support them financially, emotionally, and artistically.
So I continue my ongoing quest for that millionaire husband. :-)
Patti said,
November 13, 2006 @ 8:57 am
My husband is very supportive…in his own way! He supports me emotionally, and he encourages me to spend time creating. He makes all my hanging slats for me, and moved his stuff out of one corner of our computer room so I could move my sewing machine out of our bedroom (ok, he had a vested interest in that one.) He also cooks a lot!
We both work full time, and we have two kids, so I make the time to be in my corner studio (like a lot of us). And sometimes I have to drop what I want to be doing to help him out with something. After reading your post, I think my husband and I could both use a wife!
Sharon said,
November 13, 2006 @ 9:51 am
I just want to comment that the supporting spouse isn’t always the artist’s panacea to creating. In 1999 my husband who is a thoroughbred horse trainer was suffering from severe burnout. He made the decision to apply his time and talents to my painting business full time. With no steady income the pressures were enormous. I made many compromises on an artistic level as aesthetic idealisms were replaced by immediate ecomomic need. He took charge of the marketing, bookkeeping, etc. but the burden for me to “produce” in the studio everyday was a tremendous strain.
This year we’ve come full circle and he is back working in the racing industry and my career is flourishing. I’ve taken over most of the marketing for my business which I actually enjoy now. Presently I’m painting the “real art” and have the clients to buy it. I’m sure many of you feel that you would never make this kind of concession with your artwork and I respect that. For me, I consider the last five grueling years part of the artistic process in itself.
Tracy said,
November 13, 2006 @ 12:23 pm
Lisa, I think you need to get a live in manny! Preferably a cute one:-)
My husband is extremely supportive and I wouldn’t be able to do any of this without him. His salary has allowed me to take a few years to develop a career and he also gives me incredible feedback on my work-he does a great critique, even though I do feel like smacking him when I am crabby and when his comments are correct.
He also helps me with deliveries, building things etc. I have drawn the line at the business aspect though and I take care of all of that myself.
And now since I am working nearly full time, we essentially split the household chores, whereas when I was a stay at home mom I took care of everything house-related. He doesn’t leap up to clean the bathrooms or anything but doesn’t mind when I tell him that it’s his turn. Can’t ask for much more that that!
Lisa Call said,
November 13, 2006 @ 2:27 pm
Shan, Melody, Cynthia, Omega, Tracy & Patti - you sound like you have very helpful spouses. That’s wonderful.
Sharon - thank you for sharing your story. It good to know you’ve reached a comfortable position again. It is also best to be careful what we wish for.
Tracy - is there an aisle in the grocery store for those? I keep missing them. And while I say I’d want someone to do the marketing I suspect I’m way too much of a control freak to let it happen.
And Shan - this comment: I think the best thing about my spouse’s support is not what he does so much as the fact that I know he understands and likes that painting is an important part of who I am. is really the key and I think I would be happy with just that. Someone that accepted that being an artist can be fairly consuming at times.
Although someone else doing the cleaning sounds really good.
And Deanna - not if I find him first!
Karl Zipser said,
November 13, 2006 @ 3:01 pm
My partner supports my art career by being an artist herself. For me this makes up for a lack of feeling part of a local art community that I sometimes have. We are our own little community. Sometimes we paint pictures together. One of us, at least, always keeps the spirit of painting and drawing alive.
Plus, I make her clean the house and cook, etc.
Just kidding.
Karoda said,
November 14, 2006 @ 11:44 am
My partner doesn’t understand artist at all but he is kind. And listens quietly to me talk and occassionally will risk commenting when he really likes a piece. He says he is happy when I’m happy. He doesn’t get in my way nor is he jealous of what I do. And he contributes financially which my own ego has had to get use to.
Lisa Call said,
November 14, 2006 @ 10:22 pm
My partner doesn’t understand artist at all but he is kind That is really a nice thought Karoda.
And Karl - let us know how that works out :)
louise perrin said,
November 18, 2006 @ 2:39 pm
I had to laugh when I read the part about having a live-in nanny……… I AM the live-in nanny for the folks I work for. I took the job, in part, so I would have more time to work on MY art (great gales of laughter here). Now I spend 10 hrs a day/5 days per week with the kids…….. and can they suck the creativity out of you. But, I must say………I’m getting to do the stuff that I, as a single working parent, had to forgo, which is kind of interesting.
My employers are also supportive of my art and make good in-house consultants when I’m working on piece. I have separate living accomodations within the house………most of which is studio. The added benefit for them is that I spend time with their children doing creative things they might not otherwise get to do if they had a different form of caregiving. We’ve made fabric postcards and hands for the the Hands exhibit. We also sent some of my quilts off to the IQA Quilts for Katrina, complete with notes and pics from the kids.
I know that my job as their nanny makes it possible for them to work better at their own jobs as the only Dr in a small rural town and his job as a beef rancher…….both demanding jobs in themselves.