I'm not going to retrain

Recently in the UK, a photo advertisement by the government ignited backlash and fueled discussion around the value of artists and creative industries. The ad featured a ballerina lacing up her ballet shoes with the words, “Fatima’s next job could be in cyber, she just doesn’t know it yet.”

This sparked ferocious clap backs in altered messaging of the image all over social media, that I highly recommend looking up, and anger over the clear message from the government; we are not going to assist artists in any way. 

Controversial ad in UK

While watching all this unfold live, I had mixed emotions of sympathy and despair. Having lived and studied in the UK for some time, I have boasted about their respect and reverence for the arts. I have even written about it in past articles, urging that theater become as engrained in US culture as it has been for centuries in the UK. The British attend theater and live performance as much as we go watch the latest high grossing blockbuster movie, perhaps even more.

Live performance is a multi-billion dollar industry in the UK, bringing in much more money than sporting events. So it was shocking to see that the government would so easily disregard its importance and the livelihoods of the millions who work in the industry. If the British are turning their backs on the arts, then what hope do artists have of survival in the US?

You might say that the two can’t possibly go hand in hand, but it does not bode well when the arts industry has already been demeaned as a glorified hobby in this country for decades. From arts programs being cut from school budgets to arts getting hardly any funding or grants in federal and state budgets, not to mention the hypocritical lack of respect for those who have chosen to work in a creative field, it is not hard to see that our society does not value or see the importance in the arts at all.

With Broadway shut indefinitely until the later part of 2021, live performances canceled because of social distancing guidelines, and production companies pushing projects later and later into the year, thousands have been out of work since March. There has been hardly any assistance or support from congress, leaving these professionals depending on unemployment and the extended assistance, that for most, has ended in July. Cries of desperation and worries about the future of the creative industries have fallen on deaf ears, causing a lot of us to wonder whether there will be an industry at all to open up again when safe.

Many have already looked into new employment and training opportunities, and who can blame them?

Somehow food has to be put on the table, rent needs to be paid and life has to go on. We all have to make choices out of necessity especially when it’s a matter of survival. What irks me is when non-creatives shake their head at us, throw their arms up and say, “well, you shouldn’t have picked such a hard industry.”

We’ve been hearing this since we decided we wanted to work in a creative industry. We have people tell us it was foolish and frivolous. That it can be unpredictable and brutal at times is true, but for a lot of us, it has been a very viable way to make an income and a life for ourselves.

Like in the UK, the performance industry has brought in billions in revenue in the US. It employs countless people, from writers to sound and light engineers, costume and set designers, directors, casting agents, performers, even accountants and caterers, and countless others. So why isn’t it a priority to save and value? Most of these people have spent years in apprenticeships, training, studying, and practice; resumes that have a variety of bullet points explaining experiences and skills. Now you’re suggesting that all these people simply find another industry?

A friend of mine posted the years of study and money that has allowed him to be a viable and experienced person in the industry on social media. His education at universities alone adds up close to six figures, more than what it costs to become a doctor in his country. This doesn’t put into consideration the hours of workshops, seminars and trainings artists spend honing their craft. He posed the very apt question of how he was supposed to pay for another degree or training program? What other over-saturated industry is he supposed to break into? 

It’s not that easy to just switch careers in a booming and prosperous economy in the best of times, let alone when unemployment is in the double digits during a global pandemic. The solution of retraining and changing industries is not viable when the world is running on maybe 25% capacity. I would argue that there aren’t many pandemic-proof industries out there that have made it through this year better than the last. You know why? Because no one has ever factored in a worldwide pandemic into their choice of profession. So stop telling creatives they just should never have chosen this profession in the first place. No one is coming up smelling like roses here. Empathy and not finger-pointing is what is needed this year.

It must be said that the other problem here is our society’s inability to consider that creatives have transferable skills. When you see “actor” on my resume, might you consider the fact that I have excellent public speaking and communication skills? Not to mention good time-management, budgeting, problem solver, works well under pressure, and is a team player. Some job search advisor suggests we don’t include our creative skills or experience on our CV. Aren’t there countless jobs that need those skills that I have spent years cultivating? Instead, I have to spend more time and money getting a piece of paper that says I read books about doing these things to even get an interview.

I have written other articles about the importance of the creative arts; that we should demand more respect and compensation. Arts are a necessity. The pandemic has proven that. People turned to art to get themselves through this. People have always turned to art. It has affected and added to your life in ways that you can’t even begin to comprehend and have definitely not noticed. The irony should not be lost on the fact that it took creatives to make that UK government ad.

A model had to be hired by a casting agent and creative team. A costumer had to pick and maybe make her outfit. A hairdresser and make-up artist had to get her ready. A set designer and lighting designer had to set up the set. A photographer took the picture. A graphic designer had to add the message and design the image. A writer wrote the copy.

All these people are trained and experienced human beings who deserve respect and the opportunities to make a living. Imagine if all those jobs could not be completed. Imagine if all those jobs could not be filled anymore because people didn’t think it was a viable way to make a living and simply did not train for them.

So I will not be retraining. I will be resourceful and adaptable because I am an artist, but I will not undervalue my experience because you are unable to recognize its worth. I will find a job and employer that sees the importance of those skills. I will continue to make art because it is a part of who I am, and those that respect it will benefit from it.

I am tired of the hypocrisy, the closed-mindedness, and lack of respect. It should not be my problem that you are not evolved and forward-thinking enough to value me and my community.

Niki is the features editor for OnStage Blog. She is a writer, comedy writer, actor, and award-nominated playwright. NikiHatzidis.com