An Artist Responds to a Bleak Forecast

It was with dismay that I read Allan Parachini’s Nov. 11 article on diminished opportunities in artistic fields (“Artists’ Outlook: An Overcrowded Landscape”).

As a successful artist and designer whose income has been steadily increasing throughout my career, I have many reasons for not wanting to believe that opportunities for artists are questionable.

The article ends with a quotation that warns, “Artists beware.” Do artists and other people involved in creative professions really need to hear more patronizing admonitions to think about something more sensible, like getting a real estate license or enrolling in law school?

We get well-intentioned, oppressive messages like this our entire lives from parents, teachers, relatives and employers. The hardest thing for us to overcome is not the lack of opportunity but the almost complete lack of a viable identity as a contributing member of society. On a deeper level, this amounts to a lack of faith.

Hard facts concerning market conditions and economic realities are essential to impart as news. But the impact of this article is basically “ain’t it awful.”

CLIFTON LEMON

Culver City