Baker 1 Dylan Baker Mr.

Newman English 101: Rhetoric 14 November 2013 Room for Debate: The Cost of Being an Artist The modern-day artist is part of a dying breed. Creativity is a rare gift given to people, and those who dont nourish their creativity risk depriving the rest of the world of all the wonderful things they could have created. Society today places much more importance on jobs in Engineering, Math, and Science, yet ignores the important place held by those who pursue the arts. Artists today struggle to make ends meet, living off the meager wages they receive from their work. Artists are essential to our country due to their ability to create, think outside of the box, and their ability to cause sweeping change in our day to day lives. Due to the decrease of those involved in the arts and the poor living of most artists, America today will suffer without the music, art, and quality journalism it once had, and actions must be taken by the government in order to preserve the financial stability of those who pursue art. The quality of life for artists in America has been steadily declining for quite some time. More and more importance is placed on jobs in Math and Science fields, and less on jobs in the art field. A look at the average salary of an engineer versus the average salary of an artist is all that is really needed. The average engineer accumulates an annual salary of $87,000 a year, while the average artist brings in an annual salary of about $48,000. Now this average salary for an artist may seem pretty high, but the data is also heavily skewed. The fact of the matter is, most

Baker 2 artists are either unemployed, or work side jobs along with their career in art. This average salary does not take into account the unemployment rate of artists, yet still accounts for the side income of artists. Another thing that is stopping most artists from living a successful life is the vast amount of student loan debt college students graduate with. According to CNN, the average 2013 graduate of college will graduate with about $35,200 in total debt. This large amount of student loan debt will cause artists to be financially ruined due to the low wages they already earn, and their low wages will lead to the inability of paying off their debt. It is clear that artists are not represented accordingly in our government, even if they have such an important impact on the diverse culture of our country. If the United States wants to preserve the creativity of this country, legislation must be passed in order to financially aid artists in need. It is quite clear that the United States government needs to pass legislation that will help curb the financial debt and poverty of modern-day artists. Simply working a side-job is not the answer; artists need all the free-time they can spare to their creative works. Paddy Johnson, the executive director of the blog Art F City, claims that it is not necessary for artists to work a side job in order to support themselves. She argues, Asking whether it's too expensive to pursue the arts is a little like asking whether it's too expensive to read or write. Even if we wanted to, we couldnt stop. Basically, Johnson believes that it is natural for artists to pursue a career in art. Johnson ends with the idea that companies and individuals need to start paying artists handsome wages, or preventive actions need to be taken by the government. Some say that artists must now rely upon the support of smaller contributors and not bigger corporations and companies. Nisha Asnani, a singer and songwriter, does all she can to support her local artists. Asnani starts off by admitting that artists have a hard time gathering enough money to survive. She insists that in order for art to survive, artists must form tight-knit communities that coexist amongst each in

Baker 3 order to create more financial stability. Asnani ends by claiming that she is doing all she can to implore a business sense in artists, and that others should follow her path. Johnson and Asnani both offer compelling arguments on how to insure the survival of art in America. Their solutions are both practical, and would not be hard to start implementing in society since it only requires each individual to contribute just a little bit. Others, however, argue that the modern artist in America will now need some sort of personal financial backing in order to survive. Some argue that it is preposterous for someone to support themselves on art alone, and instead some sort of career is needed in order to survive. Juri Koll, an artist and filmmaker in Los Angeles, explains that art as a career in America is merely a dream. He shows the treatment of artists by the United States, Compared to other countries, such as Ireland and Denmark, where there are tax-free grants or direct subsidies with special tax benefits, the United States lags far behind in its treatment of artists. Koll concludes that it is necessary for an artist to maintain a full-time job along with a career in art in order to sustain themselves. But, it seems that the answer to supporting artists should not be by working more, but by getting the government to help out more. If the government introduced grants and more financial aid to college students enrolling in art, then art students would graduate with less debt and could instead worry on paying their rent or other bills. Most of the people who argue against artists focusing on art are more family-oriented people. Miki Navasio himself is a lawyer, but used to be a jazz guitarist, and admits that the life as an artist is a great one. The financial pressures, he admits, were tolerable when he was single, but with a family comes greater responsibility. Navasio ultimately concludes that being an artist is fine, until others rely upon you financially, and then it is your duty to pursue a more lucrative career in order to be more responsible and financially stable. Although this may be true, artists should not even be in this predicament in the first place. If

Baker 4 corporations, companies, and people paid artists a higher wage, then the artists themselves would be able to hold a steady career in art. To end, the modern-day artist is indeed part of a dying breed. Our society places much more importance on careers located in the Science, Technology, and Math fields, while placing little importance on those involved with the arts. Some say that our government does little to help those in need, and others instead argue that artists should have some other form of work in order to support themselves. Due to the decrease of those involved in the arts and the poor living of most artists, America today will suffer without the music, art, and quality journalism it once had, and actions must be taken by the government in order to preserve the financial stability of those who pursue art.

Baker 5 Works Cited Asnani, Nisha. "You Need a Support System." Room for Debate. New York Times Company, 11 Nov. 2013. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. Bradshaw, Thomas. "Cheap Rent and Side Gigs Minimize Risk." Room for Debate. New York Times Company, 11 Nov. 2013. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. CNN. CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2012. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. Johnson, Paddy. "Instead of Exploiting Artists, Pay Them." Room for Debate. New York Times Company, 11 Nov. 2013. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. Koll, Juri. "Don't Quit Your Day Job." Room for Debate. New York Times Company, 11 Nov. 2013. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. Navasio, Miki. "Being a Lawyer Is Easier." Room for Debate. New York Times Company, 11 Nov. 2013. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. Sheppard, Elena. "For Millenials, It's Not Practical." Room for Debate. New York Times Company, 11 Nov. 2013. Web. 12 Nov. 2013.