A Letter to the Parents of Artists

Firstly, thank you. Thank you very much.

Secondly, please – enough with the ‘When are you going to get a real job?’ question.

There are so many reasons why one becomes an artist, and few are financially motivated. For non-musicians (or musician sympathisers), the life decision to undertake a career path so fraught with failure and unsurety is a puzzling one. Why would anyone want to spend decades of their life chasing an obscure dream that comes with no promises – except that it’s going to be a really hard slog?

These are the questions my parents struggle with. Both are from the Baby Boomer generation, built on the primary ideals of personal independence and freedom, hard work, and building a life for yourself in the American/Australian/British dream mould. By developing a career, one had the ability to make decisions, not be hostage to a benefits system, and most importantly, the safety of knowing that you and your children would be secure well into retirement. My parents followed this line successfully – they worked hard, and gave me every opportunity to follow my passion, by providing a good education, a loving family environment, and plenty of...