In February, a 44-page study on the arts was prepared for various government agencies, including the Canada Council, by Hill Strategies Research (www.HillStrategies.com) using figures from the 2006 census. It identified 140,000 Canadians as artists - those who spend most of their working time on their art - and these include authors, musicians and artisans. The study confirmed the truth of the old cliché - that artists are starving. They work for poverty-level wages - an average of $22,700 annually. It is a finding that does not astound Coast artists.
Katie Janyk, ceramic artist, would agree with the dismal statistics. "Of all the artists I know, I only know about a dozen who don't have to supplement their income with other jobs," she said. "Even the artists who appear to do no other work supplement their art sales by teaching or they trade their art for services by dentists, computer wizards, etc. There are probably some web designers out there with pretty good art collections!"
Though the Hill study indicated that female artists are the lowest earners, it also found that Aboriginal artists of both genders have particularly low earnings. They make $15,900 on the average, a gap of 39 per cent as compared to the income of other Aboriginal workers in Canada. The figures show that artists' earnings between 1990 and 2005 actually decreased - even before the current recession.
"It seems like most people are reporting that their sales have decreased considerably since 2005 (at craft fairs anyway), although that hasn't been my experience," said Pender Harbour artisan Peggy Collins. "Most of the artists/musicians I know work damn hard for the money. I'd consider them to be workaholics, or at the very least, quite driven. Maybe you have to be like that just to keep your head above water."
Children's musician Graham Walker agrees. "I haven't become rich in money, but very rich in experiences," he said. Walker has learned to make ends meet by doing his own renovations and car repairs and by living simply.
"But like all small businesses," he said. "I've had lots of challenges trying to finance new CDs, pay for show and travel costs, carry inventory, etc. I have supplemented my income by teaching, starting a small music shop and taking the occasional part-time job."
A discussion with Coast artists about their modest incomes inevitably sparks the topic of marketing. Thanks go to the Coast Cultural Alliance's Purple Banner program, a marketing initiative in which artists pay to be listed in a widely circulated brochure and to fly a purple flag in front of their working studio.
Elaine Futterman, Roberts Creek potter, relies on the purple banner and the posted highway signs to help people find their way to Creek Clayworks. "Once a visitor sees six or seven of these signs on the highway, the area gets a reputation for art," she said.
The Hill study reports that 42 per cent of artists are self employed. That's six times the rate of other self-employed Canadians, yet artists earn about half as much, possibly because they are employed fewer weeks of the year. Futterman reminds us of the seasonal nature of crafts; artisans must earn most of their dollars for the entire year in the weeks before Christmas. Budgeting and cash flow become difficult. Collins, who has organized and promoted craft fairs on the Coast, talks of the craftspeople who will go almost anywhere at any time to earn a dollar and for the experience of having that one really good sales day.
"I think jewellery is one of the easier things to earn a living at," she said. (She also sells her photography.) "But I had an epiphany last year when I realized just how much money I spent in order to earn my living. When I really look at it, I make a pretty dismal living. Part of the problem is being relatively inactive from mid-December to May."
How could the picture improve? Walker had a good idea in suggesting that the government could give a complete income tax exemption up to $35,000 for anyone making income with their art. "This would be one simple way to support art and culture and the community as a whole," he said.
Until that day - and no one's holding their breath - artists will continue to do what they love and hope the money will follow. "There's one little thing that seems to make most of us tick, and that's passion for what we do," Collins offered.
