On Being an Artist

Sometimes when someone who isn't an artist finds out that I am an opera singer they react as though I live such a glamourous life. I think that because the performing arts tend to have a sense of fantasy associated with it that it's easy to assume that the artists on stage live glamourous lives off stage too. I have to say that my pursuit of a career in the performing arts has been far from glamourous and I'm beginning to realize that if I'm going to do this for the rest of my life I'm in for a tough battle. There is nothing glamourous about it!! It feels like a constant struggle. Even as I begin to find more constant work, there's no sense of stability or security; there's no money; and there's no promise for the future. And as I continue to meet more and more aritsts who have been working in the field for years and years I'm realizing that the sense of instability never really goes away. Lately I've found myself wishing that I didn't choose this life. If only I could just settle for something else, some other career path that at least provides the illusion of security and stability. I know though from experience that for me that kind of life would be miserable and boring. In essence if I chose something else I'd be going against the grain and fighting the Creator who created me to be an artist. It's tempting to want to just settle for another life though.