Working as an artist with Bobbie Smith

Contrary to popular belief, working as an artist in Canada can be done. Not everyone can say they support their families through art. Larisa is one of those artists who considers herself fortunate but not lucky. She has worked extremely hard to make it as an artist and hasn't given up yet. It has less to do with luck and more to do with self-worth, she says.

"You need to learn to negotiate on your own behalf and have a strong self-worth," says Larisa.

In fact, she has a theory about why Canadian artists seem to have low self-worth.

"It come from the thinking that you are not a successful artist in Canada until you get a grant," says Larisa. "This is what [fine-art] students are led to believe."

Larisa says the problem with that thinking is there are so few grants given out.

"After five to seven years, not getting a grant affects the artist's self-worth and they give up," she says.

Larisa graduated from the Fine-Arts program at University of Alberta in 1981, considers herself a successful artist and has never had a grant. She says out of her class of 30, only three of them are professional artists.

She says it's possible to be a successful fulltime artist in Canada.

"If what you're creating you like and other people like it, it's possible," she says. And, she adds, as the sculptor Leo Mol once told her over coffee, "I want you to know [as long as you're an artist] you'll never retire."

ISSN 1710-6788
Published by: be smith designs
Copyright © 2004 remains with contributors