Artist seeking info on seattle jobs, art scene, housing etc. (Bellevue: real estate, lofts)

[Vinylly]

Originally Posted by artriotnow

I am an art teacher, or at least I was. I think it might be nice to WORK with after school programs and community centers teaching art to kids and adults and painting murals if possible. Does Seattle have lots of community arts programs? Lots of at risk kids? What is the job scene like? Some one suggested to me in the forums some months back that i should try learning web design or computer software. I may look into that as well as 3d animation. I am also considering learning foreign languages so that i could teach English as a second language or be an interpreter if those jobs are available. Whatever field I choose I know it needs to be something that will enjoy and won't be too stressful. I am also a visual artist. Would I be able to sell work if i moved to Seattle? How is support for artists? Also are there any low cost housing programs for artists or less expensive housing options? I' d like to rent a single family 2 bedroom home with garage that I could use for a studio. I could also take a 1 bed with basement ( that i could convert into a bedroom) and a garage. A 1bed room house with a large garage could work too if the landlord was find with me turning part of the garage space into a bedroom, provided there was heat and air ducts. Or i'd like to rent a loft ( with studio and living space). So with this in mind I am open to any and all suggestions.


//www.city-data.com/forum/attac...1&d=1342192563

Here's a word from a local artist: Like everywhere else, art is in the pits, thanks to Comrade O'bummer and his economy.
I graduated from college in Art Education, but my minor was mathematics. After graduating I got a job at Boeing as a graphic artist (you might try appling at Boeing). However, my provisional teaching certificate would expire if I continued at Boeing so I found a teaching position outside of Seattle. My teaching schedule was a few classes of art and a few classes of mathematics. When school levies failed, luxury classes like music and art was dropped. If I didn't have a math background I would be out of a teaching position. So, I became a full time math teacher.
However, I had established quite a few galleries from Vancouver BC all down the coast to San Francisco and was doing summer art festivals all over the Northwest clear down to San Francisco and the Bay area and even to New York, where a dealer had took me on. Financially I was doing better at art then teaching school.
Now, most of the galleries are out of business, and the art festivals are not making sales like they did before. Now I am retired. If it wasn't for my social security check, teachers retirement, and a little rental income, I would be in dire straights. I still sell prints and paintings but not like before so what I make from art is just icing on the cake. I sure would hate trying to make a living just on art now days. There are now too many artists and too few commercial galleries to show new artist's work. Summer art festivals are about the only way to do it. There were art dealers who prospect the art festivals looking for new talent. That's the way I got into so many galleries. But, that was yesterday. Today certainly is not like it was yesterday.
If you want to look at it from an art dealer's prospective, here is a book that you can read about one of my early dealers and her trials and tribulations, -she had difficulty paying her artists, but she did boast to me that she was paying her artists while other dealers were not, and that was in better times, it's even worse today. Be happy a dealer can even pay you for the work they have sold. (Joann Ridley: 'ZOE Dussanne, An Art Dealer Who Made a Difference'):th ink:

[corvidae]

I am in the middle of a master's program right now for art. I am considering moving to Seattle after I graduate, so this thread is helpful. Some of my professors are saying, "don't expect to be able to find a job as a professor after graduating, in this economy," which has me worried. I would love to teach at a community college or something like that, I think, or work at a print shop. Anyway I was looking into an associate's degree in graphic design that Central Seattlle CC offers, so I guess that will be my backup plan if I can't find a teaching job. I've heard that for its size Seattle isn't as supportive of the arts as one would expect, but I love the cascade mountains and the olympics, so those are what draw me to the NW.

[SeattleWA]

You probably have the two worst career options imaginable in mind. First of all, there's simply no way you'll learn a foreign language fluently enough to translate competently while living here in Seattle (America's whitest city). Can you speak Somali? They always need Somali translators for all the refugees and unfortunately there isn't a Rosetta stone for that. And your art....it's very hard to come by art jobs. Jobs in general are tight and businesses are cutting back, and there's too many 'starvin' arts" here already, and you don't seem to be anymore talented than they are.

[NewtoSD?]

I think the economy was already in the "pits" before O'Bummer came to office. See also housing market crash of 2008.

[corvidae]

To answer your question about subsidized artist housing, I did a google search, and there are a couple of places. However the wait list is over a year for both.

Here are links:

Tashiro-Kaplan Artist Lofts in Seattle, WA 98104 | Low Income Housing at AptFinder.org

Cooper Artist Housing in Seattle, WA 98106 | Low Income Housing at AptFinder.org

Gray (Affordable Housing for Artists) | hugeasscity

[Seacove]

I remember the OP posting about coming here months ago. The type of lifestyle you are pursuing is one anyone might want, stress-free, artistically focused in a beautiful area where the cost of living is low and plentiful jobs - everyone wants that but Seattle costs more and tends to have a corporate focus. Local artists can be successful here but they have to be really talented and know how to market their work.

It's a matter of personal taste but I really like the work of a local artist named John Ebner who does beautiful watercolors of Washington, coastal Oregon and other areas. If you live here you will have likely seen his work as some of his prints are pretty well known locally John Ebner - Prints and can be found in many office buildings and homes.

A very well-known Seattle artist is Dale Chihuly who does glass Dale Chihuly - Artist - Dale Chihuly's paradise regained. He's on a whole other level since his work is in over 200 museums and he has his own " Garden and Glass" exhibit at the Pacific Science Center here in Seattle Chihuly Garden and Glass | View the artwork of Dale Chihuly in Seattle.

There are many artists and writers in the Seattle area, it's just a matter of being really talented and being able to market your art. For a smaller artist, you would likely need to work another job or reliable income while you show at exhibits and fairs. I've also seen a lot of artist's work at shops on the islands. I don't know if their art is supporting them (maybe their spouse pays the bills) but their art tends to depict the area and they seem to sell to tourists - which makes sense. The first time we went to Victoria, we bought a painting of the harbor.

[Vinylly]

The problem with Chihuly: Chihuly doesn't blow glass anymore. Have you ever been to his glass studio on Lake Union? He's got a large crew of helpers that do all the glass blowing. He just waves his finger at them and tells them what to do. If they don't to it right, they can expect loud curses from their master. (Incidently, we were on vacation and visited Venice, Italy. On our tour we visited a glass blowing studio. I mentioned Chihuly in Seattle and did I ever get a lot of curses from them! It seems the city of Venice gave a large commission for a public art project in glass. None of the Venitian glass blowers got the commission, -it went to Chihuly and the glass blowers there are furious. Never cross paths with a furious angry Italian!!!!!!)

[artriotnow]

Originally Posted by NewtoSD?

I think it's great to follow your passion. Everyone should. But it looks like you need to <a class="inlineAdmedialink" href="#">work</a> A LOT harder at it. If you're not working a 9-5, shouldn't you be creating, pushing, and selling your pieces 9-10 hours a day right now? SC may be a tough place to sell art, but I know they have internet in SC and airports that could fly you to other cities to show your <a class="inlineAdmedialink" href="#">art</a>. C'mon man. The excuse meter is running a little high right now.

Things are not always that clear cut. When I was working I all but stopped making art regularly which I shouldn't have. It can be hard to do a 9-5 and then come home and start working again on art, especially if your a high school teacher. I spent a lot of weekends and evenings doing overtime for classes. However, a lot of artists do learn to juggle a regular job along with art, it takes time to learn how to balance things sometimes.
Also I think when I stopped making art regularly for so long I kind of forgot how which made things even worst. However, these days I'm gradually getting back into it more and I do promote my work a lot and I plan to do it even more as the months go on as i build upon my skills.

[artriotnow]

Originally Posted by mikester007

Honestly, if you could live anywhere as an artist, I would recommend SF or NYC. More competition, but also a lot more support. Affordable housing is available in either place if you're not afraid of drug deals, drive bys, etc.

I actually wouldn't mind San Francisco so much, but I have always had an interest in living in the NW. I just have to figure out the best job to support me where ever I end up and train for that before hand.

[NewtoSD?]

Originally Posted by artriotnow

Things are not always that clear cut. When I was working I all but stopped making art regularly which I shouldn't have. It can be hard to do a 9-5 and then come home and start working again on art, especially if your a high school teacher. I spent a lot of weekends and evenings doing overtime for classes. However, a lot of artists do learn to juggle a regular job along with art, it takes time to learn how to balance things sometimes.
Also I think when I stopped making art regularly for so long I kind of forgot how which made things even worst. However, these days I'm gradually getting back into it more and I do promote my work a lot and I plan to do it even more as the months go on as i build upon my skills.

OK your excuse meter just went off the chart. I'm a musician. I work 10 hour days, come home and work on music. I work on it in the weekend as well. I use to go drive out by the airport at night to practice my vocals. I'd go out even in the rain. You have to be driven to make your art happen. Driven. That means drinking coffee if you're tired. That means doing it after work, or before work if you have to.

There's no such thing as the life you want. Even millionaire artists/musicians don't live the life you're posting about. They're working on their craft day and night. If you don't realize this, you should step back a bit and analyze how much you really want it.

For the record, I like your work. I think you could sell it, maybe even make a living at it. But you need to be change your attitude bigtime.