How to Handle Career Pressure from Family as an Artist

When you woke up this morning, all you could think of was writing that next song, finishing that last chapter or painting that next stroke. Then your mother called. She reminded you that she wasn't going to live forever and wanted to see you "comfortable" sometime before she died. Then your father emailed to let you know that his friend is willing to hire you on as a secretary since you can't seem to get your feet on solid ground. Familial support is a wonderful thing for an artist, isn't it? Well, opportunities for artists of all kinds are much more varied and promising than in previous decades (in great part due to technological advances), but family members of promising new talent can't always see past antiquated career projections. As such, learning how to handle the jokes, snide remarks, crude comments, and well-meaning but offensive suggestions are essential in the art world. Learn how to handle career pressure from family as an artist with just a bit more ease by considering the following suggestions.

Tip #1: Always have your latest achievement on the tip of your tongue. You've started to pick up on the fact that the quick glances that dark across the room when you present your family with information about your industry are all about their doubts as to your success. As such, announce your latest achievement or recognition proudly at family gatherings, where the career pressure is at its peak. While it may sound a bit like boasting, letting others know about recent publications and positive reviews legitimizes your career to outsiders and defends your stance.

Tip #2: Have a business plan. It's easy to get caught up in the romance of an artist's lifestyle. However, promotion and marketing are a large part of surviving an artistic career. When family members come calling with questions about your goals and intentions, having a well thought out business plan to go along with your projects is essential. Otherwise, you may run the risk of feeling a bit embarrassed at your lack of preparation, which can kill an artist's faith in him/herself.

Tip #3: Stay busy. One of the most effective ways that families cause their artistic members to abandon their passions is by insinuating laziness and inability to conform. In other words, one of the most powerful tools in their arsenal is inflicting guilt. After all, much of what an artist does is to contemplate new ideas and complete tasks that may or may not guarantee an income. There is no time clock or supervisor, and therefore artists are easy targets for 9-5 workers. A great way to counteract these accusations from less-than-supportive family members is to keep yourself busy at all times with your work. Show them that you take it seriously by putting in the time, even if that means working more hours a week than the average wage worker (which most artists do regardless). In other words, show them you mean business.

Tip #4: Provide yourself with a passive income related to your art. Artists require quiet time. They require a great deal of time to meditate on their work and search their souls, or their projects will feel (and appear) incomplete and lackluster. As such, holding down a job with a regular income is more than a little difficult. On the other hand, you've got to eat, and paying for your own expenses (rather than having to call mom and dad every month) will further legitimize your career choice in your family's eyes (meaning less pressure for you). As such, consider selling your photography online, selling bulk lots of your smaller crafts on Ebay, creating how-to articles on sites that offer performance based pay, etc. The internet is a great way to begin setting up a passive monthly income to help with the monthly expenses, meaning you can spend less time working on generic tasks and more time on your art. The bonus payoff is giving yourself a more independent identity with the family.

Tip #5: If you take on a full time job, take on work in your field. There are three ways for artists to handle the distinct pressure from family members to obtain full time employment. They can give in and put their art on the backburner for any generic job, they can refuse altogether and continue the cycle of resentment between both parties, or they can take on work in a field that directly applies to their passions. In other words, singers can offer music lessons, authors can teach creative writing, painters can work in museums, etc. If you feel that taking on full time work is in your best interest, whether due to family pressure or not, consider applying for jobs that will add to the depth of your artwork, rather than detracting from it with mundane daily duties that require little of your creative abilities.

Tip #6: Learn how to work every angle of your artistic field for an income. Let's face it. Family pressure placed upon artists is almost always about the lack of income. After all, when you must call your parents for help with the rent money month after month knowing that they disapprove of your career choice, arguments over your ability to make your own money in your field will inevitably ensue. Rather than taking these comments to heart, learn how to use your talent in every aspect possible for extra cash. That means taking on a bit of grunt work, of course, but it's all a part of paying your dues. Taking on the smaller and less glamorous work until you make it may not be as fulfilling as your normal routine, but doing so may help you make ends meet until you're stable. The bonus? Doing smaller jobs means further exposure for your artistic abilities.

Tip #7: Place your passions above the pressure, and wait it out with a smile. Deciding to choose fulfillment over total familial peace is a choice that many artists are faced with. As such, a great deal of them cave in to the pressure from family members every day and fall away from their true callings. However, if you can determine within yourself that your art will be your outlet as well as your income source one day, no matter what the sacrifices may entail, you can handle those snide comments at family gatherings with a little more patience. After all, you know where you're going. They can catch up when you get there.