A number of people have asked me about this, and so I thought I’d try to put my thoughts together.
3 Comments
Pete
So because America doesn’t value art, and your art earns you a poverty level income by American standards, means you deserve to live the lifestyle of a poor person in America? Bullshit.
The thing about privilege is there are many ways to have or not have it, and whether it matters or not is incredibly situational. Almost everyone has one or two ways in which they lack privilege, and one or two ways in which they have it. It isn’t a contest, there are no rankings… You just have to be mindful of situations where privilege comes into play, and you have an unexpected amount of power. Acting responsibly in that moment is often as simple as shutting up for a minute and letting somebody else speak. No need to feel guilty about something as silly as the political boundaries you were born inside.
Being an artist does not mean you deserve to starve or wallow in white liberal guilt. Nobody does. You certainly earn your pay by any reasonable standard. You put in a lot of talent and hard work, and a few dollars come out. There is nothing wrong in wanting to maximize the lifestyle you can buy for those few dollars.
Remember that it goes both ways. It isn’t just about the benefits you get from living in a specific place, but you can, and inevitably will, contribute something back to that community, simply by taking part in it. Have you thought that maybe the best place for you to live, is the place where your little contributions to culture, society, and daily life are most appreciated?
Allan
Cousin, you, me and so many others. You are not alone on your journey! Share your values, people see that more than many things about you.
Sometimes I wish I was younger.
You can’t scare someone who’s made peace with dying for what they believe. Their are many of us who swore to uphold the constitution, it’s not over yet. It will never be over, of course.
What will the world be like in 60,000 years? What was it like for our ancestors 60,000 years ago? So many stories lost… How did our Neanderthal ancestor hunt mammoth? Did they use poison darts? How many stories as we sailed off in flimsy wooden and hide canoes to new shores, all the way to Australia and North America?
Tell your story, we will listen and remember.
So because America doesn’t value art, and your art earns you a poverty level income by American standards, means you deserve to live the lifestyle of a poor person in America? Bullshit.
The thing about privilege is there are many ways to have or not have it, and whether it matters or not is incredibly situational. Almost everyone has one or two ways in which they lack privilege, and one or two ways in which they have it. It isn’t a contest, there are no rankings… You just have to be mindful of situations where privilege comes into play, and you have an unexpected amount of power. Acting responsibly in that moment is often as simple as shutting up for a minute and letting somebody else speak. No need to feel guilty about something as silly as the political boundaries you were born inside.
Being an artist does not mean you deserve to starve or wallow in white liberal guilt. Nobody does. You certainly earn your pay by any reasonable standard. You put in a lot of talent and hard work, and a few dollars come out. There is nothing wrong in wanting to maximize the lifestyle you can buy for those few dollars.
Remember that it goes both ways. It isn’t just about the benefits you get from living in a specific place, but you can, and inevitably will, contribute something back to that community, simply by taking part in it. Have you thought that maybe the best place for you to live, is the place where your little contributions to culture, society, and daily life are most appreciated?
Cousin, you, me and so many others. You are not alone on your journey! Share your values, people see that more than many things about you.
Sometimes I wish I was younger.
You can’t scare someone who’s made peace with dying for what they believe. Their are many of us who swore to uphold the constitution, it’s not over yet. It will never be over, of course.
What will the world be like in 60,000 years? What was it like for our ancestors 60,000 years ago? So many stories lost… How did our Neanderthal ancestor hunt mammoth? Did they use poison darts? How many stories as we sailed off in flimsy wooden and hide canoes to new shores, all the way to Australia and North America?
Tell your story, we will listen and remember.
You only live once so live the best way you can.