Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
So, I used to live in NYC for 5 years and worked as an artist/animator/graphics artist. During my time as an freelance artist back before all this economic collapse happened, I was living paycheck to paycheck. I hated being a freelancer and having to keep apply for new jobs every other week or other month. I hated not knowing where my new paycheck was coming from or if I would be able to pay my next months rent. I applied for so many jobs and sent out countless portfolios to different studios with my fair share of rejections or no call backs. Eventually, it got to a point where I could not find a job for a long time and with no income coming in, i could not afford my apt anymore so I ended up leaving nyc. Now this was all before this economic meltdown happened. I cant imagine how tough it must be for artists looking for work nowadays especially with all the more stiff competition and lack of work. Can anyone share their experiences as an nyc artist living in todays economy? Do you find it much much more harder to find work and income now than before?
my step son is just about giving up on the graphic arts business.... he worked for the nba for many years and was recently art director for the international fight league which went belly up a few months ago,,......jobs are sooooooooo few
The problem with graphic design these days is that with some of the plug and play computer programs with their boring templates available everybody thinks he can be his own graphic designer! Not to mention places like elance where you can get some schmoe from Uzbeckistan or Sri Lanka to literally do things for pennies. It used to be that logo design and corporate branding was a serious endeavor and respected (and paid for) as such. Now some people think they can get a custom-designed logo (original artwork, not a melding of clipart) for $50 that an artist struggled for hours and days working on. Sometimes they can (offshore) but usually what they end up is getting lied to, ripped off and sold utter ugly crap but they are too clueless to realize it (until after they spread the logo feces everywhere and someone with taste points out how amateurish it is). So many people have absolutely no taste (yet think they do), so they find it easy to squeeze the professional, trained artist out of the equation and make the world a little uglier, one logo and one "corporate identity package" at a time.
Doin' ok but on my way out. I am a poet, writer, and singer who, thank God, teaches for a living. In NYC I have learned that it pays to be multi-talented and to somehow find work that you love. I've made some money here as a literary and performing artist but have never been able to do it full-time. I wish... I would have never thought so when I first moved here, but my background in education and the language arts has saved my neck. It's a challenge, but I am making ends meet. Hopefully this will be the case in Madison as well.
I wish everyone all the best in these interesting times.
my step son is just about giving up on the graphic arts business.... he worked for the nba for many years and was recently art director for the international fight league which went belly up a few months ago,,......jobs are sooooooooo few
Oh boy I left the graphic design business years ago in NYC as well. Thank goodness I did because I don't know where I'd be today if I was still there. I think your step son really needs to have a career change.
My calligraphy business has all but dried up this wedding season. Thank goodness my family doesn't count on me for being the bread winner. What I-Love-LI-but said is so true. I have never met so many people who think they are graphic artist! We were not paid so great in the past and now with the flood of people we are a dime a dozen and people think they can just throw us a bone and we will be happy. Got so sick of being disrespected as a woman and an artist...Wish I had taken art education in college and had that as a back up plan. It has been a struggle and these lean times must be terrible for artist in general. We seem to be the first to let go when times get tight. Best wishes to you all
This is a great topic...I am glad someone brought this up. I am sure work has dried up,..and since many artists of all types don't have steady gigs, it must be very tough right now. Even in lower cost/affordable places like the Bronx, if you don't have any work,you don't have money for rent whether your rent is $2,000/month or $500 a month. Tough situation, and I don't like to hear people leaving NYC for those reasons....we need you! I guess its not enough to say to move to cheapy places within the city...but if you are paying alot for rent, that might be a good start BEFORE leaving the city.
So, I used to live in NYC for 5 years and worked as an artist/animator/graphics artist. During my time as an freelance artist back before all this economic collapse happened, I was living paycheck to paycheck. I hated being a freelancer and having to keep apply for new jobs every other week or other month. I hated not knowing where my new paycheck was coming from or if I would be able to pay my next months rent. I applied for so many jobs and sent out countless portfolios to different studios with my fair share of rejections or no call backs. Eventually, it got to a point where I could not find a job for a long time and with no income coming in, i could not afford my apt anymore so I ended up leaving nyc. Now this was all before this economic meltdown happened. I cant imagine how tough it must be for artists looking for work nowadays especially with all the more stiff competition and lack of work. Can anyone share their experiences as an nyc artist living in todays economy? Do you find it much much more harder to find work and income now than before?
I was in education out of state that carried me a long time as an artist. Returned to NYC last year and tried freelancing but the companies I worked for were hit hard by the economic meltdown. One closed shop completely surprising all the employees and two others had to scale back so drastically that work was very sparse. Some weeks I'd have 35 hours other weeks 13 hours. I couldn't live like that as an adult with real responsibilities. After I saw that it was not getting better but worse I began sending out resumes to many other jobs and various industries. I rarely heard back from most. I definitely did NOT want to move out of NYC but it began to seem as if I would have to move to another state in a different region of the country because my savings were quickly drying up.
Last month, my job search was fruitful and I was hired for a fulltime job with benefits (something I didn't have while freelancing). My salary is low for NYC (considered very decent elsewhere) but I definitely won't starve. In time, I'll get a raise and/or promotion and make the kind of money that I originally had hoped. I encourage all artists who are looking for jobs to reconsider all your skills because there are other industries in which your skills may be applied. Your job may be waiting for you like mine's was for me. Although my current job has no creative outlets, I will always be an artist. Hence I have weekends free to pursue creative endeavors. With the current state of things, it's more important to have employment which provides for you (and your family if you have one). When things get better in the future you can always return to artistic work fulltime or as a freelancer but for now, use your creative mind to land a job that will keep you from being homeless or hungry. There is a job out there for you, believe me. I sent 100's of resumes out before this job opportunity came out of the blue and I was hired almost immediately. God bless you in your job search.
I have a friend in Western Mass who is a fine artist and she says that the artistic community there is really suffering from the slow economy. Sounds like that is one sector that really goes with the flow, sorry to say.
I am a Reggaeton artist. I haven't been able to perform at clubs due to my college. I'm getting my master's degree in computer security. However, when I finish my degree I will go back to be an artist. Lastly, the economy hasn't affected me, because I havent perform.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Had to switch industries
