Most of the artists that I know (over all forms of art) are currently struggling due to the economic climate brought about by the greed of those in the finance industry who have "steady jobs".
One only has to look at our greatest Australian artists and the poverty that they live(d) in. Famous Aussie muscician Billy Thorpe almost went bankrupot several times. Famous Aussie actress Naomi Hazelhurst had to survive on the dole. Famous Aussie poet Henry Lawson lived in poverty and the handouts of friends. Famous Aboriginal Aussie painter Albert Namatjira lived in poverty.
We would have had no art whatsoever from artists if they had to hold down a "steady job" while creating their art. Australia would have been impoversihed had that happened. In ancient Greece work / " a steady job" was for the lower uneducated classes. Art and philospohy was what people of intellect and culture engaged in. Ancient Greece changed the world. All a "steady job" does is produce mindless products to be consumed. No thought, no culture, no change.
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From http://www.wsws.org/
Thousands of Australian artists living in poverty
... the overwhelming majority of artists are living in dire poverty.
Financial problems and time constraints are identified as the major factors inhibiting the development of an artist’s career. Limited work opportunities, poor financial return and lack of access to funding or financial support forces artists to take on other paid work, thus making it difficult for them to sustain their creative work.
The survey found that most artists were unable to work full-time in their chosen profession. ...
Most artists’ incomes were too low to support their basic needs. The survey showed that while a tiny minority of artists were high earners, the majority lived far below the poverty line. Based on figures from the 2000-2001 financial year, half the artists surveyed earned less that $7,300 before tax from their creative endeavours and half earned less than $30,000 from all other income sources.
...
there has been no long-term increase in artists’ earnings over the past 15 years—a period when all other occupations have shown an increase in real terms.
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From http://www.smh.com.au/
The poverty trap ensnaring creative Australians
A decade after a report revealed the poor financial outlook for artists and performers, little has changed ...
The latest census data suggests things might have become worse for the nation’s artists. ...
There are financial lifelines for lucky artists: public funds are available through community and government grants. The Australia Council is in the first year of awarding start-up grants of up to $10,000 for about 40 student artists under the annual scheme ArtStart.
But Australia makes no specific social provision for artists; Denmark, by contrast, grants select artists a stipend for the rest of their lives.
The lives of many artists are a juggle of casual jobs, commissions, auditions, grants, studio time, unpaid work, short-term contracts and teaching positions. Performers complain of being asked to work without pay or for less than minimum wages.
In ‘‘times of empty bank accounts’’ the Sydney actor, who won acclaim as the lead in Bad Boy Bubby, has been a spot welder, a mail sorter, an online journalist, a university tutor and an unsuccessful french polisher. ...
‘‘If Australians could value artists, these people helping to build and describe stories of us, in the way they value footballers and their careers, then surely they deserve more than an income of $14,000 a year.
