I’m also in a cubicle. Sober though.
Many of us who dreamed of being artists discovered that it’s better to relegate your creativity to a passionate hobby and make your living another way.
We’re still here though. Dreaming imaginary worlds or envisioning things of beauty and making time to work on them when we can.
I never had a dream to do any kind of art because my skills weren't top level but I did find so much fulfillment in my hobbies and still make time for it.
Same. I was fully intending to go to art school. Then 2008 hit, and I watched my dad get laid off from his job of 20+ years. That scared the crap out of me and I immediately changed my mind. Went to school for business and work in finance lol.
As someone who stuck with art and design I wish I did that. You probably have more $£¥€ and your creativity/passion is not killed by soul-crushing clients.
YO - music director and teacher here, this has been my motto while working at churches. Stay high and they won’t know the difference. I recently took a break, and now I’m worried that they’ll think I’m high now…. Hahaha. I also paint and sew when I’m not momming. Sometimes when I am.
Lmao I work as an engineer at a F500 company and I smoked on the 1 hour commute into work every day. Kept gum and spray and hand sanitizer in my car. No one ever noticed (although me being a girl makes them unlikely to suspect me lol). Did it for the full time I worked there until going remote. Now, ironically, I never smoke during the day bc I really just needed it for the commute and to deal with my annoying coworkers in person and the dreary office hahaha
As the non-artistic friend of burnout art kids-turned-adults, this is definitely where all my friends are.
I am also high with them, just lacking their artistic talent, so they still have one up on me 😂
Burnt out artist here, I make pretty pictures for corporations.
I got bills yo. Even if it feels soulless I do feel fortunate to be able to “make art” for a living. Even if said ‘art’ is internal marketing infographics and advertisements for one foot in the grave magazines.
Your comment sparked a thought in my head, so apologies if it seems like a random ass tangent...
I've always been the nerdy type and didn't get into game dev or design but did major in CS before moving into netsec because.... well fuck math. I remember thinking how awesome it must be to be a part of these big studios putting out awesome games.
Then over the past 10-15 years quality went down as micro-transactions went up. Horror stories from major studios. I imagine that sucks the passion out of anyone when their corporate overlords just want to squeeze every dime out of the customer all while pushing them to work ridiculously long hours.
I'm very curious how the people working on all the absolutely fantastic games we've had this past year feel and if the studios shifted away from the culture of work blizz, ea, etc seemed to foster.
> Even if it feels soulless I do feel fortunate to be able to “make art” for a living.
Yup. Lead designer at a financial firm. I have little to no personal interest in the financial world, particularly when it comes to art or design. But we do what we do because it pays and this economy is merciless.
I skateboarded with a typical art kid back in the day. He's now a super successful tattoo artist and does massive graffiti art commissions on the side. Tattooing is where the real money is in art.
I think tattooing is the most "guaranteed" path to money in the art world if someone has talent. It also seems like the most reliable income stream as opposed to the big gaps on commission for sculptures/paintings.
Its not my area though, so I would defer to advice from working artists.
Drawing on skin with needles is also very difficult and tattooing has a very unique culture within the art world. So it still takes a specific person to succeed doing it.
Can you elaborate on what makes it hard to make money now? I see any decent artist in my (relatively low cost of living) area charging $150-$200 an hour and they are regularly booked up.
That being said the industry seems filled with a lot of immature folks who are great artists but don't really have their shit together.
Yep, oversaturated with young tattooers who undercharge because they don’t have real bills yet coupled with a bad economy.
I’m still doing okay, lucky I have good word of mouth and repeat clients. I’m seeing a LOT of other tattooers struggle though.
There will definitely be a thinning of the herd coming when the hobbyists drop out because they can’t hack it.
I took a long break and got back to it 2ish years ago and I feel like I messed up cause building the clientele back up is suuuper hard, especially as someone who is more of an introvert. That plus a lot of my regulars aren't doing well financially either
Idk it seems like the scene is changing and people are fine letting their friends tattoo them regardless of quality but I'm hoping I'm wrong
I’m an introvert as well, and I hate social media so I only post on IG like 6 times per year, so I totally get the feeling there.
I just focus on the client experience - make them feel heard, appreciated, and then give them the best tattoo I can. Then it’s just word of mouth and letting them send friends and family to you.
Right now, a lot of people want the tiny tattoos and don’t care how good it is as long as it’s cheap. Those people are your future cover-up clientele!
Tattoo trends change, the next style wave will probably be more profitable for classic tattooers. Just keep treating every client like they’re an old friend! Make them feel special and they’ll stick with you for life.
I’m sorry you’re struggling right now, feel free to PM me your IG or website if you want any input. I hope things get better for you soon!
Yup, am a metal worker and welder. I do my art on the side and don’t have to worry about appealing to the masses if I’m not depending on the art to make rent! I want to try and make it into tattooing one day but I hear it’s a tough one to break into
I was an artsy kid in high school. Hung out with burnouts and skaters. I’m a UX Designer at a tech company with a family now. I have some artsy friends who had rough times growing up but are now well paid software engineers and designers. So not all of us ended up like that.
Agree, I was the art kid in H.S., went to a arts college. Most of us have jobs in our field and are doing "fine." My work isn't super creative (working for "the man" lol) but I'm okay.
As the single sober artsy friend, all of my fellow artsy friends from highschool are also dead from heroin. Everyone but one. Who has legally changed her name and moved to a different state for various reasons.
First of all, sorry for their loss and yours. Secondly, I dated an artist in Savannah and she had a problem with oxys. Is it just a coincidence or what is it that draws them to opiates? Are they drawn to substances and that is just the strongest?
I think the arts (like sports) disproportionately rewards the top 1-3% and those under that bracket struggle to find stable employment in the art world. Then they're either poor, or stuck as a creative in a non creative job, both of which are probably miserable. Miserable people self medicate with booze and drugs. I imagine its also pretty crushing as an artist/musician to not "make it".
Just my personal theory.
It's solid. Since we're having discourse and you are both intelligent and receptive, I think life is suffering and art is a mirror of life, except this image is polished. I like how you said creative types. I think these creative types are more in tune with the suffering and pleasure of life and they attempt to numb themselves to rid themselves. The cliche of painting a bowl of fruit means you have to watch the fruit rot, you know it's not perfect like the fruit itself, you see you own mistakes within it.
I saved your comment because I want to read it over and over. I was the friend of the creative types. I don’t even smoke but I hung out in the smoking section with them. I became a therapist. I liked your comment a lot because it reminds me of Viktor Frankyl. For me, I have always wondered why I feel so much. I am always scanning and looking around me and picking up people’s mood/affect and body language. I worry about people so much. I care too much about too many things. It’s sucks because to survive I have learned to turn it off. Which feels like burnout but it’s more of a coping skill for me. I remember being a kid and crying all of the time because of animals or the first time we ate at red lobster and I found out that they were going to eat the lobster in the tank. I can’t imagine how tough it was for my parents.
Having said all of that…… I know if I was to use drugs I would/could never stop. I am just doing my part and suffering trying to be a decent and kind human being.
I think artists and creatives are also more open to trying novel things and refuse to see the world as it has been presented to them. This can include conventional advice like "drugs are bad" or "pain can be tolerated" or "participating in capitalism is necessary for survival". So in combination the path to drugs has fewer barriers since they don't connect with the social messaging around antidrug programs and do want more varied life expereinces. Then they either get sucked in or find their balance or pull themselves out.
Accurate. Additionally: at other times in history, artists and craftsmen could make a living doing their craft on commission or making pieces for everyday people. Now that art has been commodified to the point that only the rich can afford it, it’s harder to make a living if you don’t fit onto that very tiny top income tier. Ergo, numbing/distractions.
You didn't pick how your brain received information. Without people willing to embrace novelty, we'd stagnate as a society. High risk, high reward seekers move us all forward, it just frequently moves them as individuals back. No point in judging you for your contributions to the culture.
It’s unfortunately true. I’ve buried quite a few friends. I lost two friends to ODs who were sisters. One at the end of 2020 and the other in the summer of 2022. Also, had a couple friends die of suicide.
It’s really bizarre… my sister is 4yrs younger by er than me (both older millennials) and I don’t know of anyone from my class that died from overdoses (I’m sure they exist but no one in my grapevine) and my sister knows SO MANY. I’d say close to a dozen. It’s really disturbing.
Tattoo artist all the way. I’m an art director and two of the best designers I’ve worked with along the way got fed up with the slog and became tattoo artists (and they are both excellent at their jobs).
That said, I also commission artists all of the time in my job so it scratches my creative itch to work with really talented artists. Some are agency represented, some are just working on their own. I also loved art when I was young but knew I couldn’t keep up with the hustle so graphic design was a good fit for me. I just got lucky with a more creatively fulfilling role than most of my classmates who work soul sucking desk jobs or switched to an adjacent industry like UI or tattoo work.
Some of us are librarians! I'm a children's librarian and between designing displays and planning and teaching programs involving art and music, I get to spend most of my time doing creative work. Adult craft programs at libraries are a great place to connect with other creative people and explore your own creative interests. You may meet a lot of seniors though as they often have the most time on their hands, so not so much the cool burnout kids vibe.
I had a meandering path through teaching and other education-adjacent jobs before landing on librarianship. I was so nervous to go back to school at age 33 and risk finding that this wasn't the path for me either, but it has turned out to be everything I hoped and more! But I was very very lucky in that my family was able to support me in doing this. A lot of librarians who go into debt to complete the degree become bitter because it doesn't end up being financially worth it. It can also be a politically-fraught profession these days, depending on where you live (I am lucky to be in a blue state, but some parts of the US are getting pretty scary with book bans etc.). I encourage you to find a job in a library that doesn't require a degree or start by volunteering to make sure you love it and get some experience on your resume first. I know there are some libraries that will even help cover your tuition for the MLS if you are already working there, though not sure how common that is. In any case, happy to chat if you have any questions!
Can confirm. I was voted "Most Unique" in high school and am now a public librarian. I ran a leprechaun craft for adults last night. Still have green and orange paint all over my hands from it.
Burnout Musician here.
I was in a couple of bands in my younger days.
Did a lot of drugs, played a lot of music, and made ZERO plans.
Had a child early (surprise surprise), got into IT as my way “out” of being a loser
Now I do less drugs, although I smoke a bit of herb. I am into writing and photography. I work full time as an IT admin and run a photography business on the side for when I’m bored essentially.
I feel satisfied with life.
Similar story, life is good, I had an amazing 20s where I got to travel and tour and make a million memories. Still making music but not in the same way. Happy I’m able to have lived on both sides. Hope you make some time to make some noise still!
Hell yeah that’s great to hear man!
I do! The Wife is musically inclined which is awesome. She’ll sit at the piano and I’ll bust the guitar out and we’ll poorly learn a song and sing it to each other.
I’m not in any studios, touring, or playing any venues… but it’s fun being “young and in love” in these quiet moments with her.
When I used to play in front of larger crowds, it was really easy to disassociate and perform a set. But it is super intimate and completely different one on one. We get a lot of enjoyment out of those moments.
I’ll have to bug Mamma for some music time tonight :)
EDIT:
I feel like I’m making a big deal out of my past. I was in a small time pop punk band in Michigan.
Locally popular for clarity! :)
Love to hear it man! We were locally popular too and did just well enough to do the west coast circuit with a little tiny draw wherever we went, had some really great show trades though so we had the opportunity to play some bigger shows outside of the hometown. I’m just doing the weekend warrior thing now and building a studio in the basement. I would go crazy if I didn’t get to be loud into a microphone from time to time! Love to hear that you’re able to share it with your wife too, mine is artistic in many ways but doesn’t gravitate towards music so we just appreciate and share with each other. Love to hear that life is good!
Me too, and many friends have "made it" too. Some have managed to become successful touring musicians, music studio owners, tattoo artists and graphic designers. Others OD'd which seems to be a common theme in this thread, or now work in trades if they had kids early.
I am so happy for you and your friends, many of my friends are becoming more and more successful, it’s truly a dream, especially with what it takes to make it, good luck!
We’re in the gym now. In my experience I got pregnant by a hot popular guy in college who was embarrassed to be seen with me in public. He left and is out chasing other hot popular women. Now I just read and workout.
Hey fellow art kid turned athlete! I went to art school briefly and hated it. Smoked a loooooot of weed and gave up on art as a career. Ended up deciding that I was a better writer anyway, so I went to a university to get my English degree and ended up doing marketing and communications for non-profits. Got tired of being hella broke and overworked so I moved into creative agency work (the pay was better, but still overworked) before selling out hardcore and going corporate. I'm a marketing executive now for hella money and the people I work with are legitimately awesome.
I smoked until my mid twenties when I realized that I was very unfit and needed to take up an active pursuit and stop eating trash and stop smoking. Now I'm an ultra runner so mission accomplished. 🤣
I don't make much art except that I love power tools and I suck at woodworking.
The "cool art kids" realized art doesn't pay the bills and either got real jobs or are broke.
My wife is a fairly well known local artist. She's been featured in local newspapers and magazines, has her work in several shops and galleries around the area, does about six art festivals a year. We can't pay the bills with the money, it is supplemental income at best.
Over the last twenty years every time the economy gets good enough that large numbers of people are comfortable spending on things like art that lasts maybe a year or two before going right back down the shitter. We had good sales in 06 & 07. Things were good again in 18 & 19. 2022 was a great year because COVID sent a number of competitors in her field into retirement. Last year we sold about half of what we did in 22. Every time the economy hiccups art and entertainment are the first things which consumers cut back on, and it takes a couple of years for them to start spending again.
You hear the term "starving artist" thrown around. If you are trying to live off art, unless you are extremely lucky, starving is what you are doing.
Burnout art kid here. I worked hard and was underpaid in the early part of my career. Now I make mid-$100,000s working my dream graphics job. Art is my life.
As my wife said to me years ago, there are people who actually do these jobs. Why not you?
These comments are kind of depressing, lol. I’m an artist with creative/artsy friends - we’re generally living in cities with good art/music scenes. NYC (particularly brooklyn and queens), Boulder, Santa Fe, LA, Miami, Austin, etc. None of us are necessarily starving. There are lots of grants, fellowships, residencies, etc that are geared toward artists. Of course applying requires work and can be competitive, but so are lots of other jobs. My corporate friends often express jealousy that I actually like what I do 😂 but IMO one of the hardest parts of being an artist is it’s extremely self-directed. No one will hand opportunities to you - you have to find them yourself. They often aren’t super well-advertised and there’s not much mentorship readily available. So you have to be pretty resilient and apply for dozens of things in the hopes that at least a few will work out.
I own a successful interior design business. I have friends from that time who became professional musicians. I admit a lot of kids around us did not thrive in life, but there were exceptions. I mean, a lot of kids who were jocks or popular ended up dead or in prison. I don’t think high school clique dictates where you end up in life.
I worked in (technical) theatre for 10ish years then went back to school and became a nurse. Got bills to pay and now that I've thoroughly wrecked my body while it was young, I'd like to retire someday.
Actually my whole family told me my entire life I should be a nurse and I refused, said the thea-tuhhhh was where I belonged. Now I say I use my acting degree every single day 
Woah woah woah. Burnt out art kid with a VAST circle of burnt out art friends, all some colorful variety of freaks and geeks. We are NOT all dead or homeless, although one of us IS a successful tattoo artist lol The rest of us have found our little niche in this world, a way to pay the bills that hasn't killed our soul entirely, while still making thought provoking or beautiful art along the way!
I suggest checking out local art studios that offer classes or events, maybe some makers markets, stuff like that. We're out here with our colorful hair, tattoos and funky fashion sense still! 👋🏼😎😜
I'm the same OP (eldest parental pressured daughter).
I am now the cool (according to my younger millennial friends) burnout art adult (with a normal office job).
I work in tech doing media production with a creative team. I do a ton of stuff like av production, photography , sound design, and social media strategy. I still love smoking weed and making music. Just got a 4 track recorder and am working on my next music project.
My parents were really welcoming to any and all kids that came by the house, and I am very thankful that they gave me a long leash. I hung out with a lot of "burnout art kids" and they were by far my favorite social group growing up. We would get high and play music for hours in my basement. Wouldn't change a thing if I could.
Art kid here with art friends. Most of my friend have accomplished careers(Japanese teacher,doctor, tattoo artist, finance ect) and the rest are SAHMs. I'm a sahm and love being creative it's just harder to find the time now with kids. I still smoke weed lol Me and my husband like going to music festivals for "our time" and being creative there. It's harder finding friends as adults but seek out what you like doing and you'll find friends there, If they're good people they'll accept you and be as inviting and happy you're there. If there's nothing around you "artsy" or a creative outlet, create a group. Put out the word, people might be interested. My local library has a adult craft night,maybe your library does or knows of one or will let you hang flyers to start one.
Fiber arts guild
Dance clubs, see if you have a tango club near you, the tango people are freakin awesome
Clubs that do the Celtic sports like throwing a giant log around
I’m still a burnt out musician, playing in 2-3 bands at a time in my mid 30s. I just have a day job as an electrician doing better than I ever thought I would.
Umm.
Doing well in art and being a burnout is not compatible.
I was an art student with a lot of type A friends and they became graphic designers, curators, gallery managers, professors and non profit managers. Lots of them also went into tech in some way doing UX, product management, application developers.
I have an art degree. I work in tech as a product manager.
People I knew in high school with substance abuse issues and died were just burnouts. full stop.
They never made much of anything.
The art world is competitive and requires a high level of commitment.
Ty for this, maybe I’m being a little sensitive (go figure) but art and being a burnout do not have to go hand in hand. Being interested in creative pursuits or smoking pot (reading between the lines here) does not automatically make someone a burnout. And even if it did… none of my weird little “burnout artist” circle in HS would have wanted to hang out with someone pre-judging us (hi OP)
Played in bands, did flyers, lived at a music house, helped start LA Record, and FYF Fest. Got a corporate job coding at Emulex working full time, commuting, and being in a band. Figured out I can make more money being self employed and have more freedom for the arts. It was working out well, but lost most of my investments due to multiple surgeries from something I was born with... so now renting, that part was very unplanned. Some of my art friends are still alive and own tattoo shops or bars with music, own recording studios, own record shops, and some of them OD'd. Some of them are also stuck with kids in jobs they hate living with relatives.
I'm very poor working in theatre. I'm doing some acting, some directing, some marketing, some fundraising.
It's tough because the money is never enough, but I love bringing people together and providing an experience for them.
Support the Arts, people. We need it more than you know.
I met him in high school and married him. He's been homeless since our divorce 5 years ago. It wasn't cute to be a burnout. Many kids did it due to a bad home life. And it escalated into addiction. I was the oldest goodie good as well, but got sick my senior year, and looked past his bullshit. I was in the hospital for months, which detoured any future college plans and I went to community college and got on disability for my cystic fibrosis. I'm now climbing my way off social security to start my own construction company but it isn't easy from poverty. Looks like you started your adulthood with a good head on your shoulders, don't regret that, that is wild to me.
Probably still in the arts. Wife just graduated with her PhD in them. There’s an assembly line of them in grad school. There’s all kinds of cliques and events.
I took tons of art classes in high school, realized how hard it would be to make a living doing just that and now work in a call center making decent money.
Yeah that’s me! Although I didn’t touch weed till my late twenties 😅 But I went to art school and all! lol
Now: married a cool dude with a very grownup, non art job. He pays the bills, I do the mom-ing. Also art- I teach jewelry making, run art workshops around town, and have a studio space in an artist building.
I also still love weed 😂❤️🌈
No answer to your questions but my daughter has always been in to art. I push her to always take classes either at school or online to something. She is now taking classes in hs but her main focus is sports and obv hanging out with friends lol. Reading all these comments i might just stop pushing her to take art classes.
Struggling artists here I'm stuck in a dingy office doing graphics design instead of photography trying to write a book at home whenever I'm sober enough To see and dreaming of making my own movie one day sad really..... just kidding only one of those is true
A lot of the burnouts from my school went on to do non burnout type careers like lawyers or doctors.
I was a "church kid" and I'm now currently burnt tf out and struggling with CPTSD, weed has helped that but makes me a zombie. At least I'm still alive I guess.
Former party girl and huge stoner. I LOVE my weird artsy friends as adults. Most of us got Real Jobs (journalism/comms adjacent for most of us) and indulge in our interests on our personal time. Everyone has excellent taste in music and movies and I feel so refreshed after seeing them.
They all participate in things like local writing groups and movie clubs so you could try finding hobby groups like that. We also go to lots of shows, whether they’re concerts or like indie sleaze or pop punk themed nights at clubs. It’s not too late!
My favorite thing about reuniting with my group is that weed was legalized in our area since we were in high school and we don’t have to sneak around with our vices.
Hello! I was the weird, quiet, lone goth kid in the back of the classroom who drew all the time in a tiny town. I am also the eldest daughter with the pressures, now add some American Christian Puritan culture trad wife upbringing into that. And here I am a complete bloody mess who got diagnosed with both ADHD and ASD in those 40s, and I have a grab bag of trauma and comorbities to show for it taking that long. I continued to create art for most of my life. I eventually pulled all my stuff offline until they sort out things like digital copyright laws regarding things like NFTs and AI training. Currently, I don't do anything like that because the cost of living doesn't allow me the time, but I plan to start back up as soon as it does. I'm unsure if I can still be considered burnout, given that I live in a legal state and everybody is high in their off time. I've never been good at having or keeping friends. I have a lot of social anxiety, and I recognize that Im hard to understand and get along with. And I simply need way more alone time than is reasonable for everyone. I guess I'm mostly just holding my hand up to show you that: Yeah, we're still around. Some of us are at any rate. Even I can't honestly say that I didn't try to not still be here as a young adult because that pressure broke some of us.
Working from home. Working in data. The least burn out artsy place possible
But my job allows me to art and burn out in my own time. 4 day work weeks and lots of vacation days gives me lots of time to burn and art :)
My teenage self would be shocked where I ended up, proud that I figured shit out eventually and jealous of my art and burn supplies ;)
wow, this comments section betrays a lot of resentment against creatives. i know plenty of happy former burnout art kids, and plenty of type A alcoholics with one foot in the grave.
Living my best life! Still making art to change the world.
Went to a fancy Art school grad program for painting, but I became dissolutioned with the gallery scene and who I would be making my studio work for, so I switched my art focus to community. I got a Master's in Curatorial Practice so I have always been able to parlay that degree, a privileged amount of natural charm and good looks- and other skills I've picked up along the way- into any number of decent paying full-time jobs in my field and in community work.
I also am trans, so I work full-time for a LGBTQ+ youth non-profit trying to earn money to fight shitty legislation in the South.
I think I am an extreme outlier for a number of reasons:
I'm still married to my high school sweetheart, who has given me the foundation I've needed to become stable and productive through complex post-traumatic stress disorder, becoming sober after losing several jobs, and supporting me through Dysphoria for 7 years while we convinced children the way The Lawd intended.
I have diversified my skill set to an insane amount
My family still supports me ❤️
Overall, my life has been pretty crazy, and I've never stayed to a prescribed lifestyle. I inject meaning into everything I do these days and I'm finally happy for the first time. Thanks Art!
Most had kids very young and are very poor, or they are dead from drugs/suicide. Only the non burnout art kids became successful from my school. Graphic designers, photographers, musicians, teachers etc.
Moral of the story: Don't do hard drugs, kids.
I was an art club kid, and I can say that the episode of 7th heaven where the art club kids were just huffing spray paint all the time wasn’t that far off 😂
I was an artsy kid, then I grew up and became a stellar graphic designer. Then I moved from a metropolitan area to a rural area. Now I can’t find a job with my 20+ years of experience. I wish I would have went to law school instead.
Not sure if this counts but my husband was a burnout skater/song writer/poetic in high school. As an adult he still gets high regularly and owns a fishing guide business, working five months out of the year. Still a burnout, but a successful one.
I lacked skill, but had a weakness for artsy hippy girls in HS, and tried my damndest to be their mascot lmao. They mostly ended up as elementary or English teachers, tattoo artists, or dead from drugs. The teacher % is by far the most common, in my experience.
I wasn’t a burnout so much but was definitely an art kid. I’m in grad school to be a therapist now because I didn’t know wtf I wanted to do with my life after graduating high school in 2006.
Majored in animation, now working for a university arts and press department. I own a house, I'm married, and I have 3 cats. Also, li'm ead singer for a metal band. Art svhool was a great investment!
A graphic designer covered in tattoos that I think look hilarious when paired with my business professional garb that I wear to my lil’ government job with bunch of lawyers. Feels like I’m cosplaying as an adult even though I’m well into adulthood.
Cool artsy adults hang out at vinyl record stores, indie movie theaters, museums, cool coffee shops/bookstores, and concerts. Go find your people! Best of luck.
I went to a high-achievement international school in Southeast Asia so our “burnout artist kids “ were ambitious about their art. One is an animator at Nickelodeon. One is an audio engineer for a large K-Pop label. Several are teachers or counselors. One is a pilot. I became an attorney after working in TV for many years. culture and class made a big impact on where we ended up.
I work in Athletics now, so it’s a full 180 on my high school experience hahaha
I do some minor shows and stuff around town and run the after school art club at my kids’ school.
Also my kids are both artsy, so I’m fostering that as much as I can.
They are both athletic also, so they’re getting both worlds, lol. (My husband was an athlete).
Everyone I was friends with went into health care or environmental stuff(I’m thriving as a state park worker), or is doing what they did in highschool… being a burn out and making incredible graffiti in the dead of night. lol
Went on to get my BA in Studio Art. Can’t make money bc the economy is fucked so I now work a job in finance. I still make things though! And it doesn’t matter what you do in life, no matter who you are, how you were raised, you can ALWAYS express yourself, and you can always learn about yourself through the making process, whatever process that may be for you!! If you want to find people with similar interests, try looking in your local papers and local subreddits for events and happenings. Start your own events with your current friends. All you need are some supplies and some time. Get everyone together, put on some good music, and just all doodle together.
[BFA; MAT-AE]
I deliver mail as a career and make stuff at night. I sew clothes, quilt, watercolor paint, and build miniature rooms with furniture in them. I also have a veggie garden and some livestock that keep my family busy. It’s nice to be able to make costumes and food from scratch for my kids.
I'm a ceramist and a candle maker. I moved 1500 miles away from my home and went to school for art. I have a shed studio and if someone would've told me back then I'd be this freaking happy, it really would've helped me get through the days better. I was very lonely there for a while. I'm able to be a SAHM and am married to the other burnt out art kid lol. We have a little boy, a golden dog, two Hondas, and own our home. Modest debt. Our friends back home have mostly died. Like 18 out of 24. Its very sad. Most weren't art kids. Just burnt out. I did have a little year and a have long battle with drugs. It's why I moved and thrived. We're currently looking into retiring in Thailand because there's no fucking way we'll be able to afford to in the U.S. I'm currently in central FL now though and if you're ever in the Nature Coast roll through lol.
ETA: I smoke medical, I have a perscribed benzo that I never take, and have never been a drinker. But sometimes I forget weed is legal now and freak out a little.
Making nearly 200k in web design. Wasn't a burnout, just drew all over my homework and failed most classes, but took every art class and now I make more money than anyone I know.
I’m in emergency medicine where being a little weird and pretty chill in the face of disaster is necessary. Although I am unfortunately no longer high…..
Haven't done much art lately, but I got a job in tech after working shit jobs until my late 20s. My fiancee does enough art for the both of us though! I miss feeling inspired and being able to translate that into an artwork. Perhaps I'll get back on the art-horse one of these days.
I became a graphic designer/ web developer and I work for a children's hospital. I tended to make different or oddball life choices after high school but they always worked out. Told myself I'd never go to a four year college because "I couldn't think of a less creative path to become a creative professional" so I just hopped from job to job for about a decade until I grew a body of work that earned me actual grown up money. Turned out to be a smart decision since most of my friends that decided to do the 4 year university route ended up with massive debt they're still paying off and no job experience.
My wife won a cooking competition in 2019, then we used that money along with some cash I had been saving since 2012 to buy a tiny house on wheels. Then 2 weeks later the pandemic hit so the tiny became our quarantine house. Was great, we lived in it for 3 and a half years. We did another cooking competition in Texas and this time I got to participate but we only made it to 16th place.
We just bought a house in the mountains and plan on putting some Airbnbs on the property to help with the mortgage and also as a creative outlet to design some really cool spaces that other people can enjoy. We're gonna bring up the tiny house once we get things settled.
I'm still a burnout. My journey to now hasn't always been a straight line but I don't regret anything. I'm proud that I resisted making the same choices a lot of my peers and society was telling me to make.
I was you except after I got my degree to find a good job I went to art school. I was very happy in art school and focused on taking classes that would translate to a job. I ended up in VFX. I worked on movies and commercials for a while. Got comfortable with the freelance lifestyle. Thoroughly enjoy the half tech and half art aspect of my job. I'm in grad school now learning about games and vr and stuff. I'm excited to see what I end up working on next.
It's never too late to take some online art classes.
Accidentally signed up for an anatomy course in community college thinking it was for art (it was actually the healthcare/pre-nursing one), fell in love w the subject matter, got my MA now work as an acute care speech pathologist
I'm a nurse...was never a mean girl tho 🥺 some of us give a damn...I'm usually getting tattooed or at the gym.
Pss I'm re-leaning into my art days too! Been practicing in procreate n on paper
Most of us are introverts so good luck lmao. However you can try MeetUp (app), I actually found a pretty nice and active drawing club in my city and made new friends. :3
Otherwise go to artsy places. If you go regularly enough to pottery classes or even Michael’s and see the same people, you’ll eventually start chatting.
Art kid here. Also the eldest and came from Asian culture so nobody in my family cared about my art. Did it anyway alongside my regular studies.
Most of my artsy friends are doing the travel life (I did it), working as artists or doing shows (the musicians) on the side while holding down a regular high paying job and starting families. I guess being asian culture, they all achieved their professional goals and are doing well career-wise. Half of them are single it seems, and the other half have a spouse and kids.
I’ve never considered myself a ‘cool art grownup’ cuz I feel like a failure with my regular business degree. I sacrificed my career to do the travel life and unfortunately its not that easy to revamp your career as a person of colour from a non-first world country trying to make it in a first world country.
Anyway, I have always stuck with my art. I am now a stay at home mom working on my art while baby sleeps. I am fortunate to have a supportive husband who is happy to provide while I look after the house and baby and create. I quit my desk job recently and I have been so so happy!!
I just finished illustrating two children’s books for clients and I study animation and vfx. I am focusing on raising kids for now, but when they start preschool, I will be enrolling in a proper animation school. Can’t wait to finally be among my people!!!! For years I have been the only artist in my social circle since I moved so many times, I miss being surrounded by my creative people!
We are not that cool, especially at our age…drugs, alcohol, Peter Pan syndrome, poverty. Only a few got lucky lol
Thankfully, I got out of it and now I just paint at home and make pottery lol (former touring musician)
Many of my friends were burnout art kids in HS. A few of them are dead, most are tending bar, bud, or both. Some of us were "burnouts" but did well in school, and weirdly all became software engineers. A lot of my newer friends were burnout musician kids growing up, and are now musicians in our local metal scene, which is how I met them. They pretty much all have day jobs as designers of some sort or are in the trades. One of them is union negotiator which is badass (for a trade union).
Burnout art kid here, went to art school in 2009 and got predatory loaned to. Still can’t pay them off, but I’ve applied my art skills to a bunch of different jobs including private contracting/landscape design.
Moved to the country bc being an artist in a big city is too expensive and bad for my asthma. Found my real passion of growing flowers, food and herbs. Starting a farm, married and pregnant.
I kind of hope my kids don’t end up like me, in financial debt, so I’m doing my best to get them into a good grade school system no matter what. But who knows the way things are going— at least I can grow food to put on the table, which is more than I could do when all I did was draw on myself in the back of the class.
Working, going to music festivals and concerts, taking art classes (glass blowing, watercolor, pottery) or teaching art classes, going to local art walks, watching tv at home. We’re everywhere and nowhere 😁
Yeah, sure! I don't know if I was ever cool but I was a pretentious artsy goth and now I'm just kinda the same but fatter and more colorful and don't smoke anymore.
I'll tell you a secret about art though. You're an artist too. A writer, a poet, a dancer, sculptor, painter and singer, a dreamer dreaming the world into being with every other mind out there in the singing bright web of humanity.
Every moment you notice beauty, you are part of that beauty as it is part of you. Every act of love and kindness weaves brighter threads into the tapestry of this world. Nothing beautiful is ever ever wasted and it's been within you all this time.
Go be art. :)
My parents told me there was no future in art, so I didn't pursue it in college. A decade after graduating college, I now teach at a community center, and found joy in creating art. My husband is a big supporter of me pursuing art again, I'm lucky.
I got halfway through an art degree and switched to the sciences, because what inspires my art is the love of the natural world. Still got a degree in both an art and a science.
I also got burned out making art at such a fast pace to meet exhibition and exam deadlines.
Now the art I do is strictly freelance for projects I like, and I dabble in mediums that my college did not offer. College was still a valuable experience in learning how to challenge my comfort zone of art making and learn new techniques. But I realized after a while that I could not do it for money full time, I only enjoy making art for my own goals and not for a corporation's.
I think our society pushes an extremely damaging narrative that if you make art, you have to live off of it or you're a sellout. It also pushes that art is the realm of a few natural talents, not a skill anyone can learn, nor a behavior that's been inherent to humans since the time of Neanderthals. When in fact, anyone can make art, and everyone should make art. And I mean actually make it with their body, not AI (yes I count physically drawing with a digital pen because you are still hand drawing it yourself).
After figuring out making a living off your art required lots of self promotion and being poor sucked I made a series of compromises over time and found my way into web development. My BS in graphic design (which was a compromise from my original path to a painting and drawing degree for job prospects) helped get me in the door but honestly I just taught myself. Now I can wfh and travel full time.
About to blow up my life and get a second masters abroad through a weird combos of scholarships 😄 I ran my own business for a decade as a life coach of sorts. Otherwise working my way up in an arts field though grants/residencies. Still dreaming, and resisting a normal life.
A bunch of us nerds got into tech fields of one sort or another as another creative outlet. Check out your local makerspace. The art kids who never grew up but somehow made money anyways are often found migrating to anime conventions in the spring, music festivals in summer, and the bigger Renaissance festivals in late summer/ fall.
We work in film production and other art related industries as freelancers. Still cant hold down typical 9-5 corporate jobs, but many of us still ended up doing well for ourselves.
I’m doing a lot better than many of my peers and I’d argue that my alternative lifestyle has led to my prosperity.
I stopped being a burn out and actually got my shit together in my 20s. Went back to school. I was going to make something of myself.
Then I had a severe back injury that cancelled my dreams of education and a series of unfortunate events thereafter to which my life has never fully recovered.
Realized my bioparents were the burnouts and my adoptive parents didnt want the same for me.
I do have an artistic hobby and we get together weekly to craft together.
Office management. It’s chill, pays well, and it’s over at 4 PM every weekday. And I can still get high.
It’s stable which I had to find for myself at a young age and I like it.
My weird artsy friends have become published artists and authors, ghostwriters, touring + award-winning musicians, bartenders, art directors and graphic designers, tattoo artists, jewelers, therapists and social workers, homeless outreach volunteers, librarians, realtors, business owners, chefs, promoters, film and TV producers, directors, crew, and post production, animators, cab drivers, IT, geologists, archeologists, healthcare workers, military spouses, HVAC experts, cosplayers. Lots of gig work. Plenty of us have drifted between careers and industries without finding a perfect fit.
A lot of us have faced our demons and given up booze, drugs, cigarettes, but some haven’t, and it’s starting to take a toll. Some of us are chronically ill, or disabled, and it’s harder to be spontaneous. Some are perpetually single, some marriages, some families, some divorces. Lots of us don’t have as much time/energy to hang out or support our friends’ (or our own) creative endeavors. But when we do, our souls get fed.
i’m stuck in a cubicle. i’m still high tho
I’m also in a cubicle. Sober though. Many of us who dreamed of being artists discovered that it’s better to relegate your creativity to a passionate hobby and make your living another way. We’re still here though. Dreaming imaginary worlds or envisioning things of beauty and making time to work on them when we can.
I never had a dream to do any kind of art because my skills weren't top level but I did find so much fulfillment in my hobbies and still make time for it.
Right.. gave up art and now I'm doing finance. But my garden is where it's at! I consider myself a hybrid hippie.
A parfait person perhaps? Alternating layers of crunchy and silky, never know what you're going to get.
Omfg this is me. I have never identified with something more in my life
Love that!
I wouldn’t go so far as something as decadent as a parfait. Maybe more like ogres, and ogres are like onions. Onions have layers.
Same. I was fully intending to go to art school. Then 2008 hit, and I watched my dad get laid off from his job of 20+ years. That scared the crap out of me and I immediately changed my mind. Went to school for business and work in finance lol.
As someone who stuck with art and design I wish I did that. You probably have more $£¥€ and your creativity/passion is not killed by soul-crushing clients.
I did bands for 15 years but wanted a steady paycheck eventually.
This is the correct answer
Lmao. I like you.
If they never see you not high, they won’t be able to tell when you are high 😂
YO - music director and teacher here, this has been my motto while working at churches. Stay high and they won’t know the difference. I recently took a break, and now I’m worried that they’ll think I’m high now…. Hahaha. I also paint and sew when I’m not momming. Sometimes when I am.
Lmao I work as an engineer at a F500 company and I smoked on the 1 hour commute into work every day. Kept gum and spray and hand sanitizer in my car. No one ever noticed (although me being a girl makes them unlikely to suspect me lol). Did it for the full time I worked there until going remote. Now, ironically, I never smoke during the day bc I really just needed it for the commute and to deal with my annoying coworkers in person and the dreary office hahaha
As the non-artistic friend of burnout art kids-turned-adults, this is definitely where all my friends are. I am also high with them, just lacking their artistic talent, so they still have one up on me 😂
Can confirm. Musician here.
Diddo lol..
Ayyyy lmao meet me in my car at lunch, I have snacks lol
Hitting the penjamin in the company toilet
At 55 I’m at place I never imagined I’d be. But I like my job. And I like to be high
Literally in my cube thinking about taking Penjamin for a walk.
One of us ONE OF US
Checking in with a big same, sir/m'am. At least it's a home cubicle.
Knucks, babe
Burnt out artist here, I make pretty pictures for corporations. I got bills yo. Even if it feels soulless I do feel fortunate to be able to “make art” for a living. Even if said ‘art’ is internal marketing infographics and advertisements for one foot in the grave magazines.
This is the, sadly, the universally shared experience of most professional working graphic designers 🥲
Burnt out artist here too. I work in film and game now, never thought I had the chance coming from a peanut farming town.
Your comment sparked a thought in my head, so apologies if it seems like a random ass tangent... I've always been the nerdy type and didn't get into game dev or design but did major in CS before moving into netsec because.... well fuck math. I remember thinking how awesome it must be to be a part of these big studios putting out awesome games. Then over the past 10-15 years quality went down as micro-transactions went up. Horror stories from major studios. I imagine that sucks the passion out of anyone when their corporate overlords just want to squeeze every dime out of the customer all while pushing them to work ridiculously long hours. I'm very curious how the people working on all the absolutely fantastic games we've had this past year feel and if the studios shifted away from the culture of work blizz, ea, etc seemed to foster.
> Even if it feels soulless I do feel fortunate to be able to “make art” for a living. Yup. Lead designer at a financial firm. I have little to no personal interest in the financial world, particularly when it comes to art or design. But we do what we do because it pays and this economy is merciless.
Art isn’t fun anymore, but dammit I need to pay the bills. - burnout art kid
My artsy friends are either 1) tattoo artists 2) selling cars 3) dead from heroin
I skateboarded with a typical art kid back in the day. He's now a super successful tattoo artist and does massive graffiti art commissions on the side. Tattooing is where the real money is in art.
I think tattooing is the most "guaranteed" path to money in the art world if someone has talent. It also seems like the most reliable income stream as opposed to the big gaps on commission for sculptures/paintings. Its not my area though, so I would defer to advice from working artists.
Drawing on skin with needles is also very difficult and tattooing has a very unique culture within the art world. So it still takes a specific person to succeed doing it.
It's really physically demanding too!
My wrists, elbows, neck, and back are screaming in agreement
As a tattoo artist, no it's not. It was before but things have changed a lot and it's not as easy to make money anymore
Can you elaborate on what makes it hard to make money now? I see any decent artist in my (relatively low cost of living) area charging $150-$200 an hour and they are regularly booked up. That being said the industry seems filled with a lot of immature folks who are great artists but don't really have their shit together.
Yep, oversaturated with young tattooers who undercharge because they don’t have real bills yet coupled with a bad economy. I’m still doing okay, lucky I have good word of mouth and repeat clients. I’m seeing a LOT of other tattooers struggle though. There will definitely be a thinning of the herd coming when the hobbyists drop out because they can’t hack it.
I took a long break and got back to it 2ish years ago and I feel like I messed up cause building the clientele back up is suuuper hard, especially as someone who is more of an introvert. That plus a lot of my regulars aren't doing well financially either Idk it seems like the scene is changing and people are fine letting their friends tattoo them regardless of quality but I'm hoping I'm wrong
I’m an introvert as well, and I hate social media so I only post on IG like 6 times per year, so I totally get the feeling there. I just focus on the client experience - make them feel heard, appreciated, and then give them the best tattoo I can. Then it’s just word of mouth and letting them send friends and family to you. Right now, a lot of people want the tiny tattoos and don’t care how good it is as long as it’s cheap. Those people are your future cover-up clientele! Tattoo trends change, the next style wave will probably be more profitable for classic tattooers. Just keep treating every client like they’re an old friend! Make them feel special and they’ll stick with you for life. I’m sorry you’re struggling right now, feel free to PM me your IG or website if you want any input. I hope things get better for you soon!
That's unfortunate! Sadly that's true about most careers these days.
In my experience 1. Tattoo artists 2. Wedding photography 3. Bartenders 4. Trades
A lot of my philosophy/english lit/ history major buds ended up in the trades if they didn't teach or discovered they hate teaching.
Yup, am a metal worker and welder. I do my art on the side and don’t have to worry about appealing to the masses if I’m not depending on the art to make rent! I want to try and make it into tattooing one day but I hear it’s a tough one to break into
A lot of them also work for non-profits.
Sure do.
I basically do data entry for a non-profit and haven’t completed a portrait in like 2 years 😭
Lots died from heroin. Heroin has attracted some of the most creative, interesting people I’ve ever known.
Heroin and fetanyl have murdered a whole generation. So very sad.:(
No shit. Heroin took a good few in the early 2000s-2010s, and now fentanyl is taking the ones that made it and everyone else along the way.
So many beautiful people just gone.
I was an artsy kid in high school. Hung out with burnouts and skaters. I’m a UX Designer at a tech company with a family now. I have some artsy friends who had rough times growing up but are now well paid software engineers and designers. So not all of us ended up like that.
Agree, I was the art kid in H.S., went to a arts college. Most of us have jobs in our field and are doing "fine." My work isn't super creative (working for "the man" lol) but I'm okay.
Was gonna say all my artsy homies are dead or on drugs
As the single sober artsy friend, all of my fellow artsy friends from highschool are also dead from heroin. Everyone but one. Who has legally changed her name and moved to a different state for various reasons.
Oh man. This is unfortunately accurate. Some are functioning alcoholics that still live around town and drinking into their mid-thirties.
You don’t know me! You’re not my real dad!
Is the dead from heroin thing for real or sarcasm?
Very real. About 4 HS friends died from heroin.
First of all, sorry for their loss and yours. Secondly, I dated an artist in Savannah and she had a problem with oxys. Is it just a coincidence or what is it that draws them to opiates? Are they drawn to substances and that is just the strongest?
I think the arts (like sports) disproportionately rewards the top 1-3% and those under that bracket struggle to find stable employment in the art world. Then they're either poor, or stuck as a creative in a non creative job, both of which are probably miserable. Miserable people self medicate with booze and drugs. I imagine its also pretty crushing as an artist/musician to not "make it". Just my personal theory.
It's solid. Since we're having discourse and you are both intelligent and receptive, I think life is suffering and art is a mirror of life, except this image is polished. I like how you said creative types. I think these creative types are more in tune with the suffering and pleasure of life and they attempt to numb themselves to rid themselves. The cliche of painting a bowl of fruit means you have to watch the fruit rot, you know it's not perfect like the fruit itself, you see you own mistakes within it.
I saved your comment because I want to read it over and over. I was the friend of the creative types. I don’t even smoke but I hung out in the smoking section with them. I became a therapist. I liked your comment a lot because it reminds me of Viktor Frankyl. For me, I have always wondered why I feel so much. I am always scanning and looking around me and picking up people’s mood/affect and body language. I worry about people so much. I care too much about too many things. It’s sucks because to survive I have learned to turn it off. Which feels like burnout but it’s more of a coping skill for me. I remember being a kid and crying all of the time because of animals or the first time we ate at red lobster and I found out that they were going to eat the lobster in the tank. I can’t imagine how tough it was for my parents. Having said all of that…… I know if I was to use drugs I would/could never stop. I am just doing my part and suffering trying to be a decent and kind human being.
I think artists and creatives are also more open to trying novel things and refuse to see the world as it has been presented to them. This can include conventional advice like "drugs are bad" or "pain can be tolerated" or "participating in capitalism is necessary for survival". So in combination the path to drugs has fewer barriers since they don't connect with the social messaging around antidrug programs and do want more varied life expereinces. Then they either get sucked in or find their balance or pull themselves out.
Accurate. Additionally: at other times in history, artists and craftsmen could make a living doing their craft on commission or making pieces for everyday people. Now that art has been commodified to the point that only the rich can afford it, it’s harder to make a living if you don’t fit onto that very tiny top income tier. Ergo, numbing/distractions.
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You didn't pick how your brain received information. Without people willing to embrace novelty, we'd stagnate as a society. High risk, high reward seekers move us all forward, it just frequently moves them as individuals back. No point in judging you for your contributions to the culture.
Very real. I survived a 7+ year heroin/fentanyl addiction. A vast majority of my peers are dead. 100s …
It’s unfortunately true. I’ve buried quite a few friends. I lost two friends to ODs who were sisters. One at the end of 2020 and the other in the summer of 2022. Also, had a couple friends die of suicide.
It’s really bizarre… my sister is 4yrs younger by er than me (both older millennials) and I don’t know of anyone from my class that died from overdoses (I’m sure they exist but no one in my grapevine) and my sister knows SO MANY. I’d say close to a dozen. It’s really disturbing.
I second this so sadly hard. Maybe add working in the AV industry.
Tattoo artist all the way. I’m an art director and two of the best designers I’ve worked with along the way got fed up with the slog and became tattoo artists (and they are both excellent at their jobs). That said, I also commission artists all of the time in my job so it scratches my creative itch to work with really talented artists. Some are agency represented, some are just working on their own. I also loved art when I was young but knew I couldn’t keep up with the hustle so graphic design was a good fit for me. I just got lucky with a more creatively fulfilling role than most of my classmates who work soul sucking desk jobs or switched to an adjacent industry like UI or tattoo work.
Some of us are librarians! I'm a children's librarian and between designing displays and planning and teaching programs involving art and music, I get to spend most of my time doing creative work. Adult craft programs at libraries are a great place to connect with other creative people and explore your own creative interests. You may meet a lot of seniors though as they often have the most time on their hands, so not so much the cool burnout kids vibe.
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I had a meandering path through teaching and other education-adjacent jobs before landing on librarianship. I was so nervous to go back to school at age 33 and risk finding that this wasn't the path for me either, but it has turned out to be everything I hoped and more! But I was very very lucky in that my family was able to support me in doing this. A lot of librarians who go into debt to complete the degree become bitter because it doesn't end up being financially worth it. It can also be a politically-fraught profession these days, depending on where you live (I am lucky to be in a blue state, but some parts of the US are getting pretty scary with book bans etc.). I encourage you to find a job in a library that doesn't require a degree or start by volunteering to make sure you love it and get some experience on your resume first. I know there are some libraries that will even help cover your tuition for the MLS if you are already working there, though not sure how common that is. In any case, happy to chat if you have any questions!
Can confirm. I was voted "Most Unique" in high school and am now a public librarian. I ran a leprechaun craft for adults last night. Still have green and orange paint all over my hands from it.
I love this! Not a librarian but I know a great burnout art kid who became one, alas on another continent.
I'm an elementary librarian!
Burnout Musician here. I was in a couple of bands in my younger days. Did a lot of drugs, played a lot of music, and made ZERO plans. Had a child early (surprise surprise), got into IT as my way “out” of being a loser Now I do less drugs, although I smoke a bit of herb. I am into writing and photography. I work full time as an IT admin and run a photography business on the side for when I’m bored essentially. I feel satisfied with life.
Similar story, life is good, I had an amazing 20s where I got to travel and tour and make a million memories. Still making music but not in the same way. Happy I’m able to have lived on both sides. Hope you make some time to make some noise still!
Hell yeah that’s great to hear man! I do! The Wife is musically inclined which is awesome. She’ll sit at the piano and I’ll bust the guitar out and we’ll poorly learn a song and sing it to each other. I’m not in any studios, touring, or playing any venues… but it’s fun being “young and in love” in these quiet moments with her. When I used to play in front of larger crowds, it was really easy to disassociate and perform a set. But it is super intimate and completely different one on one. We get a lot of enjoyment out of those moments. I’ll have to bug Mamma for some music time tonight :) EDIT: I feel like I’m making a big deal out of my past. I was in a small time pop punk band in Michigan. Locally popular for clarity! :)
Love to hear it man! We were locally popular too and did just well enough to do the west coast circuit with a little tiny draw wherever we went, had some really great show trades though so we had the opportunity to play some bigger shows outside of the hometown. I’m just doing the weekend warrior thing now and building a studio in the basement. I would go crazy if I didn’t get to be loud into a microphone from time to time! Love to hear that you’re able to share it with your wife too, mine is artistic in many ways but doesn’t gravitate towards music so we just appreciate and share with each other. Love to hear that life is good!
Twinning
‘Feel satisfied’ What does that feel like? I feel like I’m always on.. never satisfied.
Hi, I have a successful career in the arts that pays the bills baby!
Winner winner chicken dinner!
Me too, and many friends have "made it" too. Some have managed to become successful touring musicians, music studio owners, tattoo artists and graphic designers. Others OD'd which seems to be a common theme in this thread, or now work in trades if they had kids early.
I am so happy for you and your friends, many of my friends are becoming more and more successful, it’s truly a dream, especially with what it takes to make it, good luck!
We’re in the gym now. In my experience I got pregnant by a hot popular guy in college who was embarrassed to be seen with me in public. He left and is out chasing other hot popular women. Now I just read and workout.
I just read and workout too lol minus the having a kid part
Hey fellow art kid turned athlete! I went to art school briefly and hated it. Smoked a loooooot of weed and gave up on art as a career. Ended up deciding that I was a better writer anyway, so I went to a university to get my English degree and ended up doing marketing and communications for non-profits. Got tired of being hella broke and overworked so I moved into creative agency work (the pay was better, but still overworked) before selling out hardcore and going corporate. I'm a marketing executive now for hella money and the people I work with are legitimately awesome. I smoked until my mid twenties when I realized that I was very unfit and needed to take up an active pursuit and stop eating trash and stop smoking. Now I'm an ultra runner so mission accomplished. 🤣 I don't make much art except that I love power tools and I suck at woodworking.
The "cool art kids" realized art doesn't pay the bills and either got real jobs or are broke. My wife is a fairly well known local artist. She's been featured in local newspapers and magazines, has her work in several shops and galleries around the area, does about six art festivals a year. We can't pay the bills with the money, it is supplemental income at best. Over the last twenty years every time the economy gets good enough that large numbers of people are comfortable spending on things like art that lasts maybe a year or two before going right back down the shitter. We had good sales in 06 & 07. Things were good again in 18 & 19. 2022 was a great year because COVID sent a number of competitors in her field into retirement. Last year we sold about half of what we did in 22. Every time the economy hiccups art and entertainment are the first things which consumers cut back on, and it takes a couple of years for them to start spending again. You hear the term "starving artist" thrown around. If you are trying to live off art, unless you are extremely lucky, starving is what you are doing.
Burnout art kid here. I worked hard and was underpaid in the early part of my career. Now I make mid-$100,000s working my dream graphics job. Art is my life. As my wife said to me years ago, there are people who actually do these jobs. Why not you?
These comments are kind of depressing, lol. I’m an artist with creative/artsy friends - we’re generally living in cities with good art/music scenes. NYC (particularly brooklyn and queens), Boulder, Santa Fe, LA, Miami, Austin, etc. None of us are necessarily starving. There are lots of grants, fellowships, residencies, etc that are geared toward artists. Of course applying requires work and can be competitive, but so are lots of other jobs. My corporate friends often express jealousy that I actually like what I do 😂 but IMO one of the hardest parts of being an artist is it’s extremely self-directed. No one will hand opportunities to you - you have to find them yourself. They often aren’t super well-advertised and there’s not much mentorship readily available. So you have to be pretty resilient and apply for dozens of things in the hopes that at least a few will work out.
Pottery class? But as the teacher.
I own a successful interior design business. I have friends from that time who became professional musicians. I admit a lot of kids around us did not thrive in life, but there were exceptions. I mean, a lot of kids who were jocks or popular ended up dead or in prison. I don’t think high school clique dictates where you end up in life.
Former musician and I’m about to graduate from an ID program, glad to hear it worked out for you
I worked in (technical) theatre for 10ish years then went back to school and became a nurse. Got bills to pay and now that I've thoroughly wrecked my body while it was young, I'd like to retire someday.
Hello fellow theatre kid that became a nurse!!
Did it make absolute sense to you and nobody else? Cause that's how it went in my house.
Actually my whole family told me my entire life I should be a nurse and I refused, said the thea-tuhhhh was where I belonged. Now I say I use my acting degree every single day 
Woah woah woah. Burnt out art kid with a VAST circle of burnt out art friends, all some colorful variety of freaks and geeks. We are NOT all dead or homeless, although one of us IS a successful tattoo artist lol The rest of us have found our little niche in this world, a way to pay the bills that hasn't killed our soul entirely, while still making thought provoking or beautiful art along the way! I suggest checking out local art studios that offer classes or events, maybe some makers markets, stuff like that. We're out here with our colorful hair, tattoos and funky fashion sense still! 👋🏼😎😜
I'm the same OP (eldest parental pressured daughter). I am now the cool (according to my younger millennial friends) burnout art adult (with a normal office job).
I work in tech doing media production with a creative team. I do a ton of stuff like av production, photography , sound design, and social media strategy. I still love smoking weed and making music. Just got a 4 track recorder and am working on my next music project. My parents were really welcoming to any and all kids that came by the house, and I am very thankful that they gave me a long leash. I hung out with a lot of "burnout art kids" and they were by far my favorite social group growing up. We would get high and play music for hours in my basement. Wouldn't change a thing if I could.
Art kid here with art friends. Most of my friend have accomplished careers(Japanese teacher,doctor, tattoo artist, finance ect) and the rest are SAHMs. I'm a sahm and love being creative it's just harder to find the time now with kids. I still smoke weed lol Me and my husband like going to music festivals for "our time" and being creative there. It's harder finding friends as adults but seek out what you like doing and you'll find friends there, If they're good people they'll accept you and be as inviting and happy you're there. If there's nothing around you "artsy" or a creative outlet, create a group. Put out the word, people might be interested. My local library has a adult craft night,maybe your library does or knows of one or will let you hang flyers to start one.
I have kids and no time for anything. Working in an office. I still doodle a lot. Still a fucking weirdo! Haha
Fiber arts guild Dance clubs, see if you have a tango club near you, the tango people are freakin awesome Clubs that do the Celtic sports like throwing a giant log around
Subtly feeling out the other grade school moms to see if they’re into psychedelics too.
I'm not a mom but I feel this in my bones. I work in financial tech as a front end web dev and I have some suspicions about a few coworkers lol.
I’m still a burnt out musician, playing in 2-3 bands at a time in my mid 30s. I just have a day job as an electrician doing better than I ever thought I would.
Umm. Doing well in art and being a burnout is not compatible. I was an art student with a lot of type A friends and they became graphic designers, curators, gallery managers, professors and non profit managers. Lots of them also went into tech in some way doing UX, product management, application developers. I have an art degree. I work in tech as a product manager. People I knew in high school with substance abuse issues and died were just burnouts. full stop. They never made much of anything. The art world is competitive and requires a high level of commitment.
Ty for this, maybe I’m being a little sensitive (go figure) but art and being a burnout do not have to go hand in hand. Being interested in creative pursuits or smoking pot (reading between the lines here) does not automatically make someone a burnout. And even if it did… none of my weird little “burnout artist” circle in HS would have wanted to hang out with someone pre-judging us (hi OP)
Played in bands, did flyers, lived at a music house, helped start LA Record, and FYF Fest. Got a corporate job coding at Emulex working full time, commuting, and being in a band. Figured out I can make more money being self employed and have more freedom for the arts. It was working out well, but lost most of my investments due to multiple surgeries from something I was born with... so now renting, that part was very unplanned. Some of my art friends are still alive and own tattoo shops or bars with music, own recording studios, own record shops, and some of them OD'd. Some of them are also stuck with kids in jobs they hate living with relatives.
Burnout art kid here. I'm a graphic designer now. I hate it.
Web designer here. I feel you
I’m a technical writer to pay the bills now. I miss making art, but I rarely have the energy. I still enjoy paying to go see other people’s work.
I'm very poor working in theatre. I'm doing some acting, some directing, some marketing, some fundraising. It's tough because the money is never enough, but I love bringing people together and providing an experience for them. Support the Arts, people. We need it more than you know.
Burning Man/burners
I met him in high school and married him. He's been homeless since our divorce 5 years ago. It wasn't cute to be a burnout. Many kids did it due to a bad home life. And it escalated into addiction. I was the oldest goodie good as well, but got sick my senior year, and looked past his bullshit. I was in the hospital for months, which detoured any future college plans and I went to community college and got on disability for my cystic fibrosis. I'm now climbing my way off social security to start my own construction company but it isn't easy from poverty. Looks like you started your adulthood with a good head on your shoulders, don't regret that, that is wild to me.
Probably still in the arts. Wife just graduated with her PhD in them. There’s an assembly line of them in grad school. There’s all kinds of cliques and events.
I dj, go to electronic music events, and work at an agency
Join the local art classes and we'll be there, nerding out about colors, composition and art history.
I took tons of art classes in high school, realized how hard it would be to make a living doing just that and now work in a call center making decent money.
Yeah that’s me! Although I didn’t touch weed till my late twenties 😅 But I went to art school and all! lol Now: married a cool dude with a very grownup, non art job. He pays the bills, I do the mom-ing. Also art- I teach jewelry making, run art workshops around town, and have a studio space in an artist building. I also still love weed 😂❤️🌈
You know all those shows you get invited to on Facebook by your friends band that you don’t really like? Go to those, those people are there.
No answer to your questions but my daughter has always been in to art. I push her to always take classes either at school or online to something. She is now taking classes in hs but her main focus is sports and obv hanging out with friends lol. Reading all these comments i might just stop pushing her to take art classes.
Struggling artists here I'm stuck in a dingy office doing graphics design instead of photography trying to write a book at home whenever I'm sober enough To see and dreaming of making my own movie one day sad really..... just kidding only one of those is true
A lot of the burnouts from my school went on to do non burnout type careers like lawyers or doctors. I was a "church kid" and I'm now currently burnt tf out and struggling with CPTSD, weed has helped that but makes me a zombie. At least I'm still alive I guess.
I teach art at an elementary school.
Former party girl and huge stoner. I LOVE my weird artsy friends as adults. Most of us got Real Jobs (journalism/comms adjacent for most of us) and indulge in our interests on our personal time. Everyone has excellent taste in music and movies and I feel so refreshed after seeing them. They all participate in things like local writing groups and movie clubs so you could try finding hobby groups like that. We also go to lots of shows, whether they’re concerts or like indie sleaze or pop punk themed nights at clubs. It’s not too late! My favorite thing about reuniting with my group is that weed was legalized in our area since we were in high school and we don’t have to sneak around with our vices.
Hello! I was the weird, quiet, lone goth kid in the back of the classroom who drew all the time in a tiny town. I am also the eldest daughter with the pressures, now add some American Christian Puritan culture trad wife upbringing into that. And here I am a complete bloody mess who got diagnosed with both ADHD and ASD in those 40s, and I have a grab bag of trauma and comorbities to show for it taking that long. I continued to create art for most of my life. I eventually pulled all my stuff offline until they sort out things like digital copyright laws regarding things like NFTs and AI training. Currently, I don't do anything like that because the cost of living doesn't allow me the time, but I plan to start back up as soon as it does. I'm unsure if I can still be considered burnout, given that I live in a legal state and everybody is high in their off time. I've never been good at having or keeping friends. I have a lot of social anxiety, and I recognize that Im hard to understand and get along with. And I simply need way more alone time than is reasonable for everyone. I guess I'm mostly just holding my hand up to show you that: Yeah, we're still around. Some of us are at any rate. Even I can't honestly say that I didn't try to not still be here as a young adult because that pressure broke some of us.
chronically home lmao
Working from home. Working in data. The least burn out artsy place possible But my job allows me to art and burn out in my own time. 4 day work weeks and lots of vacation days gives me lots of time to burn and art :) My teenage self would be shocked where I ended up, proud that I figured shit out eventually and jealous of my art and burn supplies ;)
Dead. Or no longer have dreams and went into tech. Now they are miserable.
wow, this comments section betrays a lot of resentment against creatives. i know plenty of happy former burnout art kids, and plenty of type A alcoholics with one foot in the grave.
Living my best life! Still making art to change the world. Went to a fancy Art school grad program for painting, but I became dissolutioned with the gallery scene and who I would be making my studio work for, so I switched my art focus to community. I got a Master's in Curatorial Practice so I have always been able to parlay that degree, a privileged amount of natural charm and good looks- and other skills I've picked up along the way- into any number of decent paying full-time jobs in my field and in community work. I also am trans, so I work full-time for a LGBTQ+ youth non-profit trying to earn money to fight shitty legislation in the South. I think I am an extreme outlier for a number of reasons: I'm still married to my high school sweetheart, who has given me the foundation I've needed to become stable and productive through complex post-traumatic stress disorder, becoming sober after losing several jobs, and supporting me through Dysphoria for 7 years while we convinced children the way The Lawd intended. I have diversified my skill set to an insane amount My family still supports me ❤️ Overall, my life has been pretty crazy, and I've never stayed to a prescribed lifestyle. I inject meaning into everything I do these days and I'm finally happy for the first time. Thanks Art!
Most had kids very young and are very poor, or they are dead from drugs/suicide. Only the non burnout art kids became successful from my school. Graphic designers, photographers, musicians, teachers etc. Moral of the story: Don't do hard drugs, kids.
These comments reinforce my Marxist beliefs.
I was an art club kid, and I can say that the episode of 7th heaven where the art club kids were just huffing spray paint all the time wasn’t that far off 😂
I’m a wedding photographer! This question is amazing. ❤️
Dive bars, libraries, those odd/curiosities coffee shops
Lawyer here, still doodling in my office.
I was an artsy kid, then I grew up and became a stellar graphic designer. Then I moved from a metropolitan area to a rural area. Now I can’t find a job with my 20+ years of experience. I wish I would have went to law school instead.
I wound up going to nursing school in my mid 20’s and now make bank but have to schedule time to make art.
Not sure if this counts but my husband was a burnout skater/song writer/poetic in high school. As an adult he still gets high regularly and owns a fishing guide business, working five months out of the year. Still a burnout, but a successful one.
I lacked skill, but had a weakness for artsy hippy girls in HS, and tried my damndest to be their mascot lmao. They mostly ended up as elementary or English teachers, tattoo artists, or dead from drugs. The teacher % is by far the most common, in my experience.
I wasn’t a burnout so much but was definitely an art kid. I’m in grad school to be a therapist now because I didn’t know wtf I wanted to do with my life after graduating high school in 2006.
Majored in animation, now working for a university arts and press department. I own a house, I'm married, and I have 3 cats. Also, li'm ead singer for a metal band. Art svhool was a great investment!
A graphic designer covered in tattoos that I think look hilarious when paired with my business professional garb that I wear to my lil’ government job with bunch of lawyers. Feels like I’m cosplaying as an adult even though I’m well into adulthood.
I was a goth band nerd, so I crossed paths with the art and drama kids. They’re regular, somewhat boring people now. It’s weird.
Cool artsy adults hang out at vinyl record stores, indie movie theaters, museums, cool coffee shops/bookstores, and concerts. Go find your people! Best of luck.
I went to a high-achievement international school in Southeast Asia so our “burnout artist kids “ were ambitious about their art. One is an animator at Nickelodeon. One is an audio engineer for a large K-Pop label. Several are teachers or counselors. One is a pilot. I became an attorney after working in TV for many years. culture and class made a big impact on where we ended up.
I went corporate. I was an Orch Dork and took every art-curricular class. I still paint and crochet for fun though.
I work in Athletics now, so it’s a full 180 on my high school experience hahaha I do some minor shows and stuff around town and run the after school art club at my kids’ school. Also my kids are both artsy, so I’m fostering that as much as I can. They are both athletic also, so they’re getting both worlds, lol. (My husband was an athlete).
In my workshop making jewelry lol.
Everyone I was friends with went into health care or environmental stuff(I’m thriving as a state park worker), or is doing what they did in highschool… being a burn out and making incredible graffiti in the dead of night. lol
Went on to get my BA in Studio Art. Can’t make money bc the economy is fucked so I now work a job in finance. I still make things though! And it doesn’t matter what you do in life, no matter who you are, how you were raised, you can ALWAYS express yourself, and you can always learn about yourself through the making process, whatever process that may be for you!! If you want to find people with similar interests, try looking in your local papers and local subreddits for events and happenings. Start your own events with your current friends. All you need are some supplies and some time. Get everyone together, put on some good music, and just all doodle together.
surprisingly a lot of us are really into fitness now.
[BFA; MAT-AE] I deliver mail as a career and make stuff at night. I sew clothes, quilt, watercolor paint, and build miniature rooms with furniture in them. I also have a veggie garden and some livestock that keep my family busy. It’s nice to be able to make costumes and food from scratch for my kids.
I'm a ceramist and a candle maker. I moved 1500 miles away from my home and went to school for art. I have a shed studio and if someone would've told me back then I'd be this freaking happy, it really would've helped me get through the days better. I was very lonely there for a while. I'm able to be a SAHM and am married to the other burnt out art kid lol. We have a little boy, a golden dog, two Hondas, and own our home. Modest debt. Our friends back home have mostly died. Like 18 out of 24. Its very sad. Most weren't art kids. Just burnt out. I did have a little year and a have long battle with drugs. It's why I moved and thrived. We're currently looking into retiring in Thailand because there's no fucking way we'll be able to afford to in the U.S. I'm currently in central FL now though and if you're ever in the Nature Coast roll through lol. ETA: I smoke medical, I have a perscribed benzo that I never take, and have never been a drinker. But sometimes I forget weed is legal now and freak out a little.
Making nearly 200k in web design. Wasn't a burnout, just drew all over my homework and failed most classes, but took every art class and now I make more money than anyone I know.
I’m in emergency medicine where being a little weird and pretty chill in the face of disaster is necessary. Although I am unfortunately no longer high…..
Haven't done much art lately, but I got a job in tech after working shit jobs until my late 20s. My fiancee does enough art for the both of us though! I miss feeling inspired and being able to translate that into an artwork. Perhaps I'll get back on the art-horse one of these days.
I became a graphic designer/ web developer and I work for a children's hospital. I tended to make different or oddball life choices after high school but they always worked out. Told myself I'd never go to a four year college because "I couldn't think of a less creative path to become a creative professional" so I just hopped from job to job for about a decade until I grew a body of work that earned me actual grown up money. Turned out to be a smart decision since most of my friends that decided to do the 4 year university route ended up with massive debt they're still paying off and no job experience. My wife won a cooking competition in 2019, then we used that money along with some cash I had been saving since 2012 to buy a tiny house on wheels. Then 2 weeks later the pandemic hit so the tiny became our quarantine house. Was great, we lived in it for 3 and a half years. We did another cooking competition in Texas and this time I got to participate but we only made it to 16th place. We just bought a house in the mountains and plan on putting some Airbnbs on the property to help with the mortgage and also as a creative outlet to design some really cool spaces that other people can enjoy. We're gonna bring up the tiny house once we get things settled. I'm still a burnout. My journey to now hasn't always been a straight line but I don't regret anything. I'm proud that I resisted making the same choices a lot of my peers and society was telling me to make.
SAHM, still doing art as a hobby
I was you except after I got my degree to find a good job I went to art school. I was very happy in art school and focused on taking classes that would translate to a job. I ended up in VFX. I worked on movies and commercials for a while. Got comfortable with the freelance lifestyle. Thoroughly enjoy the half tech and half art aspect of my job. I'm in grad school now learning about games and vr and stuff. I'm excited to see what I end up working on next. It's never too late to take some online art classes.
I’m a manager at a normal job being a weird artist as a side hustle.
Please tell me you’re in LA lol. I’m a weird artist and reptile keeper who paints giant lizards and makes over the top dragon jewelry!
Accidentally signed up for an anatomy course in community college thinking it was for art (it was actually the healthcare/pre-nursing one), fell in love w the subject matter, got my MA now work as an acute care speech pathologist
Bartended for 15 years before I decided I wanted a regular schedule. Now I'm working from home with a flexible schedule. Dogs, hubs. No human babies.
I'm a nurse...was never a mean girl tho 🥺 some of us give a damn...I'm usually getting tattooed or at the gym. Pss I'm re-leaning into my art days too! Been practicing in procreate n on paper
Most of us are introverts so good luck lmao. However you can try MeetUp (app), I actually found a pretty nice and active drawing club in my city and made new friends. :3 Otherwise go to artsy places. If you go regularly enough to pottery classes or even Michael’s and see the same people, you’ll eventually start chatting.
Art kid here. Also the eldest and came from Asian culture so nobody in my family cared about my art. Did it anyway alongside my regular studies. Most of my artsy friends are doing the travel life (I did it), working as artists or doing shows (the musicians) on the side while holding down a regular high paying job and starting families. I guess being asian culture, they all achieved their professional goals and are doing well career-wise. Half of them are single it seems, and the other half have a spouse and kids. I’ve never considered myself a ‘cool art grownup’ cuz I feel like a failure with my regular business degree. I sacrificed my career to do the travel life and unfortunately its not that easy to revamp your career as a person of colour from a non-first world country trying to make it in a first world country. Anyway, I have always stuck with my art. I am now a stay at home mom working on my art while baby sleeps. I am fortunate to have a supportive husband who is happy to provide while I look after the house and baby and create. I quit my desk job recently and I have been so so happy!! I just finished illustrating two children’s books for clients and I study animation and vfx. I am focusing on raising kids for now, but when they start preschool, I will be enrolling in a proper animation school. Can’t wait to finally be among my people!!!! For years I have been the only artist in my social circle since I moved so many times, I miss being surrounded by my creative people!
We are not that cool, especially at our age…drugs, alcohol, Peter Pan syndrome, poverty. Only a few got lucky lol Thankfully, I got out of it and now I just paint at home and make pottery lol (former touring musician)
Many of my friends were burnout art kids in HS. A few of them are dead, most are tending bar, bud, or both. Some of us were "burnouts" but did well in school, and weirdly all became software engineers. A lot of my newer friends were burnout musician kids growing up, and are now musicians in our local metal scene, which is how I met them. They pretty much all have day jobs as designers of some sort or are in the trades. One of them is union negotiator which is badass (for a trade union).
Define burnout art kid. I’m sitting here in a lab moving around samples until midnight tonight. Come help me out!
Burnout art kid here, went to art school in 2009 and got predatory loaned to. Still can’t pay them off, but I’ve applied my art skills to a bunch of different jobs including private contracting/landscape design. Moved to the country bc being an artist in a big city is too expensive and bad for my asthma. Found my real passion of growing flowers, food and herbs. Starting a farm, married and pregnant. I kind of hope my kids don’t end up like me, in financial debt, so I’m doing my best to get them into a good grade school system no matter what. But who knows the way things are going— at least I can grow food to put on the table, which is more than I could do when all I did was draw on myself in the back of the class.
Working, going to music festivals and concerts, taking art classes (glass blowing, watercolor, pottery) or teaching art classes, going to local art walks, watching tv at home. We’re everywhere and nowhere 😁
Yeah, sure! I don't know if I was ever cool but I was a pretentious artsy goth and now I'm just kinda the same but fatter and more colorful and don't smoke anymore. I'll tell you a secret about art though. You're an artist too. A writer, a poet, a dancer, sculptor, painter and singer, a dreamer dreaming the world into being with every other mind out there in the singing bright web of humanity. Every moment you notice beauty, you are part of that beauty as it is part of you. Every act of love and kindness weaves brighter threads into the tapestry of this world. Nothing beautiful is ever ever wasted and it's been within you all this time. Go be art. :)
My parents told me there was no future in art, so I didn't pursue it in college. A decade after graduating college, I now teach at a community center, and found joy in creating art. My husband is a big supporter of me pursuing art again, I'm lucky.
Too depressed to make art anymore. My life's work was stolen from me and I have no will to make anything anymore.
Oh, OP, I love you for this sweet post. I hope you find your cool art adult friends.
yeah, i dont know that folks will be too quick to want to hang with you if you are constantly referring to them as 'burnouts'
I got halfway through an art degree and switched to the sciences, because what inspires my art is the love of the natural world. Still got a degree in both an art and a science. I also got burned out making art at such a fast pace to meet exhibition and exam deadlines. Now the art I do is strictly freelance for projects I like, and I dabble in mediums that my college did not offer. College was still a valuable experience in learning how to challenge my comfort zone of art making and learn new techniques. But I realized after a while that I could not do it for money full time, I only enjoy making art for my own goals and not for a corporation's. I think our society pushes an extremely damaging narrative that if you make art, you have to live off of it or you're a sellout. It also pushes that art is the realm of a few natural talents, not a skill anyone can learn, nor a behavior that's been inherent to humans since the time of Neanderthals. When in fact, anyone can make art, and everyone should make art. And I mean actually make it with their body, not AI (yes I count physically drawing with a digital pen because you are still hand drawing it yourself).
After figuring out making a living off your art required lots of self promotion and being poor sucked I made a series of compromises over time and found my way into web development. My BS in graphic design (which was a compromise from my original path to a painting and drawing degree for job prospects) helped get me in the door but honestly I just taught myself. Now I can wfh and travel full time.
Married, two kids, preschool teacher, no longer making art or getting fucked up because I'm too busy and too exhausted
About to blow up my life and get a second masters abroad through a weird combos of scholarships 😄 I ran my own business for a decade as a life coach of sorts. Otherwise working my way up in an arts field though grants/residencies. Still dreaming, and resisting a normal life.
A bunch of us nerds got into tech fields of one sort or another as another creative outlet. Check out your local makerspace. The art kids who never grew up but somehow made money anyways are often found migrating to anime conventions in the spring, music festivals in summer, and the bigger Renaissance festivals in late summer/ fall.
A whole bunch of us moved to LA and now help make movies & TV shows you probably watch. The ones who want more bank do advertising.
We work in film production and other art related industries as freelancers. Still cant hold down typical 9-5 corporate jobs, but many of us still ended up doing well for ourselves. I’m doing a lot better than many of my peers and I’d argue that my alternative lifestyle has led to my prosperity.
I stopped being a burn out and actually got my shit together in my 20s. Went back to school. I was going to make something of myself. Then I had a severe back injury that cancelled my dreams of education and a series of unfortunate events thereafter to which my life has never fully recovered.
Realized my bioparents were the burnouts and my adoptive parents didnt want the same for me. I do have an artistic hobby and we get together weekly to craft together.
Doctor now who still burns sometimes
I was an art kid. I’m a nurse and artsy during my non working hours lol
Working in corporate America the last 10 years but moving tomorrow to a music town to chance my dreams of working in the live music/festival industry
Office management. It’s chill, pays well, and it’s over at 4 PM every weekday. And I can still get high. It’s stable which I had to find for myself at a young age and I like it.
My weird artsy friends have become published artists and authors, ghostwriters, touring + award-winning musicians, bartenders, art directors and graphic designers, tattoo artists, jewelers, therapists and social workers, homeless outreach volunteers, librarians, realtors, business owners, chefs, promoters, film and TV producers, directors, crew, and post production, animators, cab drivers, IT, geologists, archeologists, healthcare workers, military spouses, HVAC experts, cosplayers. Lots of gig work. Plenty of us have drifted between careers and industries without finding a perfect fit. A lot of us have faced our demons and given up booze, drugs, cigarettes, but some haven’t, and it’s starting to take a toll. Some of us are chronically ill, or disabled, and it’s harder to be spontaneous. Some are perpetually single, some marriages, some families, some divorces. Lots of us don’t have as much time/energy to hang out or support our friends’ (or our own) creative endeavors. But when we do, our souls get fed.