The Artist’s Lament
Denver, Colorado
2012
(Taking a little break from the anonymity series here, it will be back tomorrow.) I got into doing art shows at a pretty bad time, shortly before the so-called Great Recession of 2008. Although the recession has ended, the art market continues to struggle. I don’t know how many times I’ve talked to veterans of the art show circuit who, during a particularly slow show somewhere, will tell me “you should have been five years ago” or “it’s not like it was ten (or twenty or even thirty) years ago when you could make a good living at this business.” Once in a while a budding photographer considering getting into the business will approach me at a show and ask me if it’s a good way to make a living. I always tell them that if they need to do it to pay the bills, they’d be better off working at McDonald’s where they will get a steady paycheck and bigger income and even have the possibility of benefits, however meager they might be.]]>