The wrong definition of value

I went to the theatre tonight to see a preview of Midwinter’s Dream Tale at The Great Canadian Theatre Company.

“I take it you’re an actor,” said the woman next to me, at intermission.

How she came to this conclusion, I don’t know.

“Yes, indeed!” I replied. “I work around Ottawa a fair bit.”

My compatriot sat up in her seat. “That’s really nice!” she said. There was a pause, and then: “So… you can make a living as an artist?”

I smiled, and looked her in the eye, and said “Oh sure! I’ve been able to do it for many years now — since 2004 or so.”

“That’s really great. I’m glad you can make some money. My husband and I love the arts. It’s nice to hear someone in the arts can make a living.”

I never know what to make of this kind of comment. On one hand, it illustrates an understanding that artists are not whining rich elites who spend their time attending fancy galas, as Harper once claimed. On the other hand, it suggests that artists are pity cases who are expected to need handouts in order to get by; or that “the arts” is something you “get” to do as a hobby once your full time job has your salary and benefits covered. I love the first impression and bristle at the second: not because artists don’t (or shouldn’t) get subsidized, but because the notion implies that we are martyrs of sorts, suffering without the comforts of the middle class in order to serve a noble higher calling.

“My daughter trained as a visual artist,” the woman continued. “She was very talented, I thought. She teaches now. But when she was younger she really wanted to be an artist and she applied to all the schools and really wanted to do it for a living. I tried my best to help her. I called every painter I could think of and asked them if they were making enough money.”

We had been talking for a few minutes, by this point, and so I felt comfortable allowing my response, here, to move beyond quaint Canadian pleasantries.

“With respect,” I said, “I think you asked the wrong question. You should have asked if they were happy.”

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