Benefits of Being An Artist With Any Corporate 9-5 Job
I’m a project manager in IT Consulting during the day. By night I’m an artist either drawing or painting.
Perhaps there are a lot of people just like me, juggling through a 9-5 job, life obligation while trying to make time to create art. I hope sharing my experience here can help you stay inspired! I’d love to hear your thoughts and experience as well. 
For creatives, it’s always ideal to have all the time to create without much worries. But let’s be real, it’s not quite an option for a lot of us.
- We all got a bill to pay at the end of day.
- Some of us didn’t go to art school.
- Many of us discovered our artistic talent later in life.
So let’s break down some of the Benefits of having a stable job while being an artist.
- Stable Income to Fund Your Passion: You can use this hard earned money to buy art supplies, attend art classes, spend on marketing, and even open up your own dream studio!
- Create Anything YOU Want: Many freelance creatives actually have to create for their clients and spend substantial amount of time to meet their clients’ expectations. This is no doubt great for building clients while honing their creative skills. But isn’t it equally amazing if you can literally create whatever you want without worrying about making art for another paycheck? You can actually create something that matters to you, and make your vision come to life!
- Paid Time Off to Go On An Artistic Adventure Most companies give paid time off. You can take advantage of this benefit to go on an Art Retreat! It’s a great way to meet other like minded artists while learning something new to add to your creative process. You can also go explore somewhere and add that experience in your creative works. While you are enjoying the journey, you are also getting paid!
- Building Assets for Your Future (Retirement Account /401k): Hopefully you get 401k match through your employer. Otherwise your older self will definitely appreciate if you invest into your retirement account. Maybe you can even retire earlier and live that artist dream life!
I know this path is not for everyone. But if you are like me who loves to create but has some constraints that I mentioned above, having a 9-5 job to fund your passion is an extremely rewarding endeavor.
Keep Creating!
Karen Jee
