Vaughn
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I am sorry for my jest. We are in similar circumstances, although I make about twice as much as you, but I am a single dad of three teenage boys (all about the graduate from high school and head off to college)...and my income is about to be cut in half (but with the equivilent reduction in housing costs, so I break even.)
And I am far better off now financially than I was during my first ten years of photography back when I was 23 to 33 years old! I remember applying for a Friends of Photography scholarship and after I was accepted I got my application back with the notation, "Can anyone really live on this amount?" (about $11,000/yr -- though I probably had up to $1000 in under-the-table work). Made me chuckle!
At college I could only afford to take a photo class one per year (quarter system) and would buy all my paper and film up-front, so I would have enough for the 9-week class. For 10 years after graduation I volunteered as a darkroom assistant (paying for one unit thru extended education) to get darkroom access. I packed mules, etc for the US Forest Service in the summers and lived on my savings and unemployment until the next season.
But in the end, if making art is important enough, money becomes a sort of non-issue. It becomes something that one just deals with to make the art.
I worked for a university art department until recently -- I managed the darkroom, checked out equipment and gave one-on-one help to photo students for 23 years. I assisted many years for the Friends of Photography Workshops and now occasionally give workshops of my own. I never stopped learning -- teaching helps with that. A great piece of art communicates. I'll leave it up to the art historians to take it any further than that.
Again, sorry for my jest and good luck with your photography and your personal economy. And if your economic situation improves , I hope you will consider subscribing to APUG -- some wonderful work, really.
And I am far better off now financially than I was during my first ten years of photography back when I was 23 to 33 years old! I remember applying for a Friends of Photography scholarship and after I was accepted I got my application back with the notation, "Can anyone really live on this amount?" (about $11,000/yr -- though I probably had up to $1000 in under-the-table work). Made me chuckle!
At college I could only afford to take a photo class one per year (quarter system) and would buy all my paper and film up-front, so I would have enough for the 9-week class. For 10 years after graduation I volunteered as a darkroom assistant (paying for one unit thru extended education) to get darkroom access. I packed mules, etc for the US Forest Service in the summers and lived on my savings and unemployment until the next season.
But in the end, if making art is important enough, money becomes a sort of non-issue. It becomes something that one just deals with to make the art.
I worked for a university art department until recently -- I managed the darkroom, checked out equipment and gave one-on-one help to photo students for 23 years. I assisted many years for the Friends of Photography Workshops and now occasionally give workshops of my own. I never stopped learning -- teaching helps with that. A great piece of art communicates. I'll leave it up to the art historians to take it any further than that.
Again, sorry for my jest and good luck with your photography and your personal economy. And if your economic situation improves , I hope you will consider subscribing to APUG -- some wonderful work, really.
