"What's your real job?" – Artist Cheralyn Darcey says it's a question that still makes her cringe despite the many times she's heard it.
Given the many people who dabble in the arts as a hobby, it's perhaps not an entirely unreasonable question. However, according to the most recent census data, more than 240,000 Australians list a career in the arts as their main occupation.
Annabelle Drumm, who specialises in career coaching for creative professionals, says there is a common misconception that you either have to make it big in the arts or pursue it as a hobby. "In reality, there are many levels of paid work and ways to make a living using your creative talents."
Darcey says she always wanted to focus on her art – painting, sculpting and writing about flowers and nature. And while these things may sound more like recreation than work, many of the 50 to 70 hours she works each week are spent on less colourful tasks. "A typical week involves lots of reading, research, looking through stores, libraries and gardens, computer work and sourcing materials."
Darcey's career is flourishing; she recently signed a publishing deal and is busy creating artwork for books and oracle decks on wildflowers. Along with passion and talent, she identifies the moral support of family and friends and a willingness to diversify as crucial in forging a successful career in the arts. "Titanium strength" self-belief and persistence also help, says Drumm.
"Many a creative has put effort into promoting themselves only to give up and go back to a day job which feels like death for the rest of their lives when they were on the verge of a breakthrough." She also recommends learning business basics, even for those planning to have a professional manage that side of things.
"Being able to market yourself is another advantage… people need to be able to immediately understand what you can do for them."
Belly dancer Jrisi Jusakos says she has picked up business skills during her career by engaging with a diverse network of professionals. A Bachelor of Arts in dance also taught her about the business of dance. "The degree showed me how to go on tour… it taught me how to produce shows… I became familiar with theatre lingo and learned how to talk with technicians."
Jusakos never intended on a career in belly dance. After enrolling in a three month course as part of her Higher School Certificate dance studies, she says there was something that kept drawing her back to this particular dance form. She now manages a belly dance school and dance troupe. She's performed everywhere from local restaurants to stadium events and international theatre shows and regularly organises dance festivals with international guest artists.
Belly dance is an evolving art in Australia and Jusakos says an innovative approach has helped her succeed. "I'm involved in dance organisations that are more mainstream and surround myself with contemporary dancers… they do things differently and I apply the things I learn to my own industry… it gives me a different view."
Jusakos is also a firm believer in always being open to learning. To illustrate the point to her students, she recalls an intermediate ballet class she attended in New York: "Mikhail Baryshnikov [a dance great] walked in. Everyone's jaw dropped… but he just took his place at the barre and did the class like everyone else."
