Creating a Day Job That Supports Your Art Practice

I’m in the process of working with some clients to help them design their perfect or at least adequate, and pays decently, day job. If you’re interested in participating in this one-on-one beta program, I have two slots left. Click here for more information.

As I’m doing this work, interesting day jobs are appearing everywhere. I thought a list of ones I’ve run across recently, might spark your imagination.

Some of these are day jobs people designed for themselves, some are jobs working for other people.

I ran across this professional photographer couple, Jess and Austin Drawhorn, in the Vows section of the New York Times. They are Adventure Elopement photographers. Maybe this is their artistic practice too, or maybe it’s a creative way to combine the love of outdoors with wedding photography. What a great idea.

Then, in Poets and Writers magazine, one of the featured poets, Keith S Wilson, designs games when he isn’t writing. Poets and Writers also lists lots of day jobs for writers here.

While we’re on the subject of day jobs for writers, the website Medium has a whole section about people and their day jobs.

If people are constantly asking you for gear or materials recommendations, you can assemble them on Kit.co and somewhat painlessly (there is no such thing as true Passive Income) earn money from your expertise.

There are job boards for artists. Americans for the Arts has two of them.

There are so many potential day jobs. The tricky part is figuring out which will support you and your creative practice.

Will any of these ideas work for you? Maybe. What I do know is that your work matters and there are a hundred ways to support yourself while you do your art.

Schedule a chat with me if you want to brainstorm for 15 minutes about it. Or leave a comment below with some of your ideas about what the best day job would be for you. Let's hash it out together.