Art, Vocation, and Making a Living

This blog post from the co-author of Freakonomics is a great starting point for a discussion of the connections between art, vocation, and money.

I think Dubner is right about there being a certain group people who see art and money as irrevocably divided:

This troupe of sneerers seem to believe that writing is art and that art comes from the soul and that the fruits of the soul shall not be bought.

This is definitely an attitude that I have encountered from time to time. This is also the attitude behind the concept of "selling out" - prostituting your art in order to make money. At the same time, American artists often daydream of landing a patron, along the lines of artistic patrons of the Renaissance. The patron, however, should not "interfere" too much in the artistic process.

In the world of philanthropy, donors are often surprised when they learn that employees of nonprofit organizations earn a salary, sometimes a substantial salary. Feeding the hungry or serving the needs of the world, it's apparently felt, is a purely altruistic endeavor. A salary clouds the purity of this altruism. Business, on the other hand, is viewed as a purely self-interested. Corporations don't improve the world - they are a necessary evil.

Why is there such a perceived discord in American culture between earning money and living out your vocation? I think clericalism within the church is largely at fault. The church has often taught the unBiblical idea that there are clergy who do the work of God and laity who support the clergy. Notice what this implies in terms of money and career:

• Most jobs have nothing to do with God.
• The work of the laity only provides money to support the clergy.
• The clergy don't "earn" their money, but rely on the generosity of the laity.
• There is no eternal value in the average job.
• There is no monetary value in the job of the clergy.

Because art has often replaced religion in modern culture as a source of revelation and comfort, this same clericalism has bled over into the artistic world. "True artists" are set off from the rest of us, whose daily lives have nothing to do with art.

But what is money? Money is a symbol of value. How much is this cheeseburger/shirt/car/house worth to me? How much am I willing to pay this painter/doctor/psychiatrist/waiter to work for me? If someone's art is worth something, should you expect that people will want to pay money for it? Conversely, if you want to be paid for your art, wouldn't you want to create art that is worth something?

The problem comes when we see artists, clergy, and nonprofit workers who appear to be grossly overpaid. Poorly written pulp novels become bestsellers. Shysters fly around in private planes. Hospital CEOs make millions while sending collection agencies after the uninsured.

This should not be surprising. We live in a fallen world, and most of us will not see our true value on this side of heaven. But these inequalities do not negate the fact that the worker deserves to the paid for his work. All vocations have value. May the way we earn our living correspond to the work God has called us to.