Sometimes, when the times are tough and there aren't that many paying gigs available, that frees an artist up to take risks and do what they love, which may find them more satisfied in the long run. The New York Times reports on the trend among various artists toward artistic freedom. They feel less constrained in their artistic endeavors due to the freedom given them by the economic downturn. Liz Fallon, a visual artist in Portland, Maine wrote into the Times to explain how the economy had affected her. "As for myself, freed from the constraints of creating for a specific buyer," she wrote, "I've experienced my own surge in creativity and have been producing a great deal more than I used to." Fallon added there was something of an artistic renaissance under way as group of artists formed cooperatives and collectives to connect creative professionals with one another. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed earlier this year has approximately $50 million dedicated to spending on careers in the arts. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the number of artists and related workers will grow by 16 percent from 2006 to 2016.  |