Exquisite Arts Magazine Vol 3 - Nov/ Dec 2016 | Page 54

“Standing up for your right and desire to create, live and
work exclusively in a creative environment can be
difficult to say the least – especially if you are either not
supported by others around you or if you are struggling
to be seen and heard in the artistic community in which
you want to break into. I can tell you two stories here –
one of a friend of mine, and one of my own actual
experience.” Written by Erin

Saville

Both my friend and I never wanted to resign
ourselves to working the standard Monday
Friday. I almost fell into the trap, but luckily
due to a series of what some would refer to as
unfortunate events, I quickly found myself on
the outside looking in and being repulsed by
what I saw myself formerly as. I was headed
down the corporate road, the person who
finds solace in dropping a thousand dollars on
a Louis Vuitton bag on her lunch hour, whilst
my friend, a visual artist, worked small
sideline bit jobs like being a barista at
Starbucks simply to pay his bills - all the while
devoting his off time to developing his skills.
I have always been drawn to the world of
visual art and dabble in it myself mainly for
my own enjoyment and the enjoyment of a
select few around me, but my real desire was,
and still is, to be a published writer.
Somehow. Some way. Some when.
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One day my friend announced that he was moving
to Vancouver to continue trying to “make it” in the
world of visual art. He was still going to be
working at Starbucks to pay the bills, but he was
taking what was seen as a colossal step in “making
it.” Now, you don't need to move to a big c ity like
Vancouver, Los Angeles, Toronto or New York in
order to make it. The opportunities that he had in
Vancouver in order to show off his art at open
galleries and the like were just far more in number
than they were in Edmonton back in the day (these
days in Edmonton it's way, way better!). So where
is he now? Well, he's definitely making it. He's
shown his art throughout the United States,
Canada and even abroad in Europe and makes a
healthy wage through his art prints online to the
point where he only has to work very, very part
time. So maybe, sometimes, the huge step you take
that is scary and a bit rocky IS the step you need to
make for the sake of your art.