Why Is "Artist" Synonymous With "Waiter"?

The joke goes:
"What do you do for a living?"
"I'm an actor."
"Oh!  What restaurant do you work at?"

Before one becomes the world famous artist that one is destined to be, a steady paycheck must be earned so that the pursuit of the dream can continue.  Many choose to work at a restaurant or bar because of the somewhat flexible schedule and the evening hours, but is this really the best choice?  Are there more "non-traditional" jobs that also have the desired flexibility with less stress, higher pay and tasks of actual interest?  I believe there are.

I Love Stop-Motion Animation

I've always loved stop-motion animation.  I'm not sure why.  Maybe it's the attention to detail, knowing that someone moved everything just a little bit with every frame, or maybe because I secretly wanted to be an animator when I was little.

Here's a really well-made short film called "Address Is Approximate".



Address Is Approximate from The Theory on Vimeo.

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Every Which Way But Straight

The arts and entertainment industry is one that no one really understands.  We just have really good guesses on how it works.  I think this lack of true understanding is what causes most people to give up and pursue something else.  I've known people who try everything, or what they think is everything, to become successful; constantly getting new headshots, continuously taking classes, jumping from representation to representation, all with the same lack of results.  It leaves them drained, without money and full of self-doubt.

I've stopped trying to "understand" the industry and just let myself go with the flow.  Let me share with you some personal examples of why trying to understand the industry is futile.