AUSTIN, TX.- In a world that often valorizes the myth of the solitary artist toiling away in a secluded studio,
Day Jobs offers a refreshingly nuanced perspective on what it means to make art while navigating the pressures of everyday employment. Edited by Veronica Roberts and featuring a foreword by renowned art critic Lucy R. Lippard, this richly illustrated and thoughtfully assembled volume examines the less-visible aspects of creative production: the jobs that pay the bills, the mundane routines that keep the lights on, and the delicate balancing act that so many artists maintain. Co-published with the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University, Day Jobs challenges traditional narratives of artistic success and redefines our understanding of what it means to sustain a creative practice.
The book’s central premise revolves around a pressing question: How do artists navigate the intersection of survival, identity, and creativity when they must take on day jobs? Through a series of short essays, personal accounts, and scholarly reflections by contributors including Francesca Balboni, Sarah C. Bancroft, Meg Burns, Jenny Dally, Lynne Maphies, Aja Edwin Mujinga, Kenta Murakami, Rebekah Rutkoff, and Jorge Eduardo Sibaja, Day Jobs unpacks this question with both honesty and intellectual rigor. Each author brings a distinct perspective, whether rooted in art history, criticism, curatorial insight, or firsthand experience. The result is a multifaceted portrait of the artist as a worker—a human being subject to economic constraints, labor conditions, and the broader socioeconomic currents that shape cultural production.
In her foreword, Lucy R. Lippard sets the tone by acknowledging how the romanticized figure of the full-time artist rarely corresponds to real life. Instead, she gently leads us toward a more expansive conception of artistic identity—one that does not diminish when an individual steps out of the studio and into a classroom, a café, an office, or a construction site. Lippard’s long-standing commitment to supporting less conventional narratives in contemporary art is evident here, and her thoughtful framing prepares readers for the pages that follow.
Veronica Roberts, as the editor, has orchestrated the texts into a cohesive ensemble that marries conceptual inquiry with personal storytelling. The contributors do not shy away from the complexities inherent in these dual lives. They consider the historical precedents of artists who famously held day jobs—think of the postal clerkships of Charles Bukowski or the iconic teaching positions of many postwar American painters—and the impact of these roles on the artworks themselves. Through these reflections, the book reframes the notion that one’s “real” artistic life begins only when the day job ends, suggesting that creative activity and paid labor are often interwoven, sometimes even indistinguishably so.
What emerges strongly from these essays is a critique of the art world’s invisibility cloak, which tends to obscure the realities of how artists make ends meet. Aja Edwin Mujinga’s contribution, for example, illuminates the racial and economic inequalities that shape who can afford to be an artist without a day job. Rebekah Rutkoff explores the relationship between the day job and the mind’s internal creative engine, revealing that some artists find unexpected inspiration—or even a more sustainable practice—when their livelihood does not depend entirely on unpredictable market forces. Other essays engage with issues of authenticity, time management, and the psychological toll of juggling multiple roles.
Beyond the intellectual merits, Day Jobs is visually compelling. The book is richly illustrated with images of the contributing artists’ work, as well as archival photographs and studio portraits. These images function as more than adornment; they serve as visual evidence of creativity’s persistence in the face of practical constraints. The design underscores the book’s central arguments, contrasting the polished aura of finished works with glimpses of the environments and daily routines in which they are conceived.
In its totality, Day Jobs does more than celebrate the resilience and resourcefulness of artists who must balance creativity with economic survival. It also invites readers—whether artists, students, curators, collectors, or enthusiasts—to rethink the metrics by which artistic achievement is judged. By showcasing stories that foreground labor, financial precarity, and the non-glamorous practicalities of making art, the book pushes the conversation beyond the well-trodden paths of fame, gallery representation, or critical acclaim. Instead, it valorizes the quiet perseverance of those who choose to remain artists, despite all else, and unpacks how this perseverance shapes both the process and the product.
In a cultural moment increasingly attentive to issues of economic fairness, labor rights, and the value of creative contributions to society, Day Jobs feels especially timely and necessary. It moves the discourse forward by revealing how the creation of art cannot be cleanly separated from the demands of living. The result is a publication that not only informs and inspires but also encourages a more compassionate and realistic understanding of what an artist’s life looks like—and why that matters.
