Thread: Cheap Aikido
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Old 09-13-2002, 12:42 PM   #4
Deb Fisher
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 145
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As an artist, who is currently spending about $30,000 on a masters degree that by no means will guarantee ever making money as a "professional", I find that I have at least one thing in common with my sensei - who spent probably just as much (more?) in dojo dues over the years, along with the sacrifices of being uchideshi, etc etc... only to now own a dojo that pays for itself but does not earn him a living.

Yes, this myth keeps creative people stressed out and poor - it is not romantic to suffer for ones' art or to transcend the need for filthy lucre. No one is spiritually superior enough to transcend money in a capitalist economy, and just as I must buy materials (I spend at least $3 or 400.00 a month on art supplies/materials), each dojo has overhead.

At least "fine art" has a market that puts a huge markup on a few objects/paintings/whatever, and the artist gets usually 40% of the original sale of each work of art, which is something if say a painting sells for $3000.00...

It seems like a real minefield to me - how to make enough money to keep doing your art without 'selling out' (mcdojo has definite equivalent in fine art world...)

Oh, don't get me started. I could talk all day about this.

Deb

Deb Fisher
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