The Tale of a Homeless Artist (continued)

by Michael F. Brown

Published: July 11, 2009

Since that move, I have been working as a full-time artist for over five years, selling artwork to private art collectors all over the world through the use of MySpace, as well as local art commissions. I made one vow to myself when I decided to leave St. Louis and move to Kansas City - that I would live life as a full-time artist no matter what, without the help of a secondary job or anything that would take away my focus as a full-time artist, even if I had to be homeless to do it.

This pact with myself was very important for me to keep. I was challenging myself to step outside of my comfort zone and the bubble I had created in St. Louis. Working simply to pay the rent and bills leaves little time or energy for art. It was and still is my goal to live my life on my own terms , without the constraints of ‘You Gotta Do This Rule’ in order to survive and thrive. Doing what I love versus what I hate just to maintain a roof over my head, and not waiting a lifetime for a retirement where I can finally live that way. And that’s basically how I became homeless too, after years of moving from this apartment to that apartment, because art is an unpredictable, unreliable way to make a living or regular income off of, which is why we are often called Starving Artists.

I’ve moved about eight to nine times in the five years I’ve been in Kansas City. I’ve lived with all types of roommates to survive and maintain a roof over my head until the past five months, but I would always have to move after a certain point because my income was too low. I couldn’t carry my end of the rent a great deal of the time because, quite frankly, the art didn’t produce enough profit. But my dream, goal and entire reason for moving here is to make it as a full-time artist without working some crappy part-time or full-time job, just my art.

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