That would benefit all of us, not just the artistically inclined… and I’d argue that being artistically inclined is more widespread than people think… our creativity is what helps make us human, I’d argue.
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There is a second kind of “government support” for musicians, something I found out about an Austin musician* who died of cancer, in poverty, but on her own terms. She was talented, recorded several albums, was in several successful bands, from a musical family. She did have a big family to fall back on when she got really ill. But yes, she had had a very precarious financial life and depended on government support.
Food stamps (SNAP).
Her brother mentioned in a casual way that most musicians who take their work seriously consider living on food stamps a badge of honor. His words, not mine.
It sure as hell doesn’t pay the rent. Funding from NEA and various official entities… it’s a drop in the bucket that most regular artists don’t ever get to see.
The central question, isn’t it? But the thought of life without it–art–just doesn’t bear thinking about, to me.
*
Rest in peace, Traci Hancock.
You are missed.
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Another source of income for budding young UK musicians in the 60s, 70s and 80s was the student grant. If you could get into higher education the state would give you just about enough money to live on in some circumstances. Get into art school, where the requirements at the time to do actual studying were, erm, minimal and you could rehearse and gig like a mofo to get yourself established.
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Or – hear me out – maybe trauma really is what happens to us in the States.
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I don’t think the article disputes that.
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maybe not, but the headline could be read as dismissive?
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It’s weird that the headline that shows above isn’t the headline on the actual article, which is:
Tell Me Why It Hurts: How Bessel van der Kolk’s once controversial theory of trauma became the dominant way we make sense of our lives.
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A famous yacht with a subsequent history of maintenance and repair issues mysteriously sinks.
Archive version: https://archive.ph/H1RIs
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The article talks about trauma as being something from the past, which is not true for many of us, and also that whole section on “doing The Work” was utterly horrifying to me, and I’m sure would have sent me out of the room pretty quickly if I were actually experiencing it. There’s an emphasis on the victim fixing the problem, which is now over so it needs to be moved past, which just isn’t reality for many people. Trauma is a daily thing, and not just one type. It’s like making people separate their recyclables because Climate Change exists. It shouldn’t be on the individual to inconvenience themselves to “fix” things, because that’s not even how things work, anyway.
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How it appeared in the print edition:
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He does a great job breaking down how charts like this are made…
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