Nice to see a nod to those of us with day jobs as well as art/craft businesses. Thanks!

Go Summer! I too am a cubicle artist & proud of it!

Nice post with great ideas and fun to read!

hahaha super cool article!

sweet.

very good article!

loove this! i love my 'day job' & love my etsy life too!

Great article!!! Thx!!!

I loved working in my local art store! But I quit a few months to do art full time! I do miss it though.....

Great article. I find my other job inspires me and energizes me. I teach Fine Art to children!

thanks etsy for finally acknowledging the large number of us who do not all want to quit our day jobs, or for whom it isn't possible. the best part of this article for me was: "DON'T FORGET, THEY ARE RENTING YOUR TIME!"

great article, thx!!!

I've been looking for a day job, and this article has been very freeing in the sense that I now realize that it doesn't have to be a drone job that I hate! Inspiring, I'd love to see more work by summerpierre!

Nice to see those of us that hold two jobs, one as an artist and one in the 9-5 world get some attention. It is hard, but worth it!

my day job is as a full time homeschooling parent, which i guess isn't technically the same... but i do like her approach. i think everyone should try to compartmentalize their life a little bit less.. what a better world for us all if we did!

Sometimes I wonder if I don't get the job because of my art background. I worked very hard in the fine arts and probably spent more time and energy on it than other fields of study. Time to show that we are valuable.

Super cool article,thanks.

Very nice article. I'm a designer, but also have other day job, and I feel the same way. It's good to take a piece of your artistic side with you and work on it when you can, just to keep yourself sane and make it through the day!

Makes me feel "not so bad" about having that day job! At least for a little while...

Great article! I feel the same way about my they job! thanks for inspiration.

Excellent article! I'd love to be an artist full time but the kitties must eat as well. sigh... one day! =^_^=

Good read! I enjoy my day job and the steady income it provides. It's easier for me to be creative when I know the bills are already paid.

Oh my gosh...this was so hilarious!

Great article with great pictures :-)

"DON'T FORGET, THEY ARE RENTING YOUR TIME!" Words to live by! :)

love it!! I still have some old Goddard College newspapers (can't remember the name of them)..but I will always remember your quirky illustrations! nice.. xoxo

LOVE THIS!

Haha. Awesome, empowering reading!

Great stuff! Thanks for sharing this!

Yay! I find all the quit your day job articles very inspiring but this was a truely pleasant change :o)

Great article! Really nice pictures, too! It's nice to think that we can still create while holding a job.

This was really refreshing. I've had to square with being an artist AND an administrative assistant. I love my job, but it isn't creative. I do get lots of chances to talk about my photography though, as everyone wonders why I only work 30-35 hours a week and not full time. Then I can tell them I need time for my small business. Works great!

This is great! And timely since my 3yo asked me this morning "why I go to work".

Awesomely good!

Hilarious! And oh so right....

I love, love, love this! Great work. :D

I agree with everyone above. This article is fantastic!

This is great! I'm an artist too and I work as well. Though I found it's best for me to find a job that pays well and is something that is oddly interesting. I deliver and set up wedding cakes.

I miss the binding machine at my old ad firm job. Man I loved that thing. Hated the job tho.

I love my job! I'd love to make things, but talking to people and doing math problems keeps me sane! I also love that I have laser jet printers and computers I can use without being watched.

inspiring stuff!

What a great article and very inspiring :)

This post really made me smile. I love the attitude that you are the owner of your time, and your job just rents some of it!

Ugh. I wish this were possible. I nearly got written up for doodling a dress design on a post-it while on the phone (on hold!). Craft nazis, that's what they are. lol

Funny, inspiring and true!

this is wonderful!

great illustrations!

I actually discovered I could draw while sentenced to a mauve cubicle. I had lots & lots of leftover "cover pages" from the printer & decided to put them to good use. My job was project-based & I was way ahead so I took to drawing comics. I've got dozens & dozens of full-color one-panel masterpieces from my 6 months at that job.

great article! there is a lot to be said for keeping your day job. i miss the day to day interactions with people and of course the office gossip! having that paycheck each week is a big bonus also. great to give a nod to the folks in both worlds...

great article, i like many others aspire to quit my day job and do my passion full time, even though it is a creative job. I feel like my work adds some structure to my life, I would be a bit all over the place and stay up for days working on projects if I didnt realize I had a day to day requirement at work. Its teaching me to hone my skills in multi-tasking so if that day ever comes I can manage it all!

well written article and fun to read!

GREAT READ! LUV IT!

Great article! I wish I could have read something like this while I was still in the 9-to-5 world! It would have made it so much more tolerable. Still enjoyed it now, tho-thanks.

So awesome! I never thought of an employer as renting my time before, but that is an excellent way to look at it. Thanks, Etsy, for finally acknowledging those of us who won't or can't quit our day jobs and struggle to balance our careers with our art biz.

In my cubicle right now scrawling in my 'purse-sized' sketchbook!

I am so surprised that so many people are all but ashamed of their day jobs. Having money doesn't mean you've sold out. It means you can pay your rent and buy things... like toilet paper and electricity... It also means you don't have to live on the streets or with your parents. It's important to remember that it is POSSIBLE to be a full time artist without a day job, but just as important to remember that it's not a requirement of being a 'real' artist to not have a day job (or two night jobs, as the case may be). Thanks for reminding people, great article!

on the flip side from the train of thought of "they are renting your time" (which i love) is the idea that when you're not at work, your time is your own - and it's important to make the most of it! so many amazing full time etsy businesses have grown out of artists really owning all the other hours of the week. not just coming home and zonking out on the couch, mindlessly watching whatever happens to be on tv but actually doing things you want to do is half the battle.

Love it! nice work.

Great idea of bringing your craft with you to make work(or school in my case) more enjoyable.

nice article ... we need that day job, if only for a short period of time.

I used to work retail - Express and Victoria's Secret. The best part of the job was making the store look awesome...the worst part of the job was that you were supposed to do it THEIR way, by their layout, not with your own creative input...but it paid the bills :)

This is a wonderful encouragement! I know I work hard (as I'm sure others do) to run an online shop and to attend school/work full time. Being an artist is who you ARE not what you are doing. I wear a pair of bird earrings when I'm at school/work to remind me that I am 'free' from the junk of thinking that I can't be an artist if I don't stay in the studio ALL day ~

Don't forget they are renting your time. Wow, that's powerful. So true and so easily overlooked. Thanks for this great article!

I never know what to say when I'm asked, "so what do you do?" lol, life is pretty multi-dimentional these days, thanks for the great article!

Great Article! When I finally had to empty my work desk after quitting my day job, I had amassed an entire drawer of work doodles on scrap paper. Wish I had thought of making something a little more organized!

I'd also like to add that for me the ideal situation would be part-time job/part-time arting. If I were arting full-time, there is the risk of pressure to make certain kinds of art in order to get sales. Whereas if I have a stable partial income, then I can make whatever I feel like making and not have to worry if it's going to sell.

Well written piece.

My boss said to me once that there was only so much room for happiness in a day, and that's why I need to be at my day job. Of course, here I am at work reading an Etsy blog... so maybe the 'real work' part of the day can have some happiness in it, too! :)

Summer Pierre, you are the COOLEST!

I <3 This! Brilliant :-)

I like this post. I'd like to see more of this, balancing work and a craft.

Great article! This is exactly what I need right now. I'm out of work and looking for a new day job and completely uninspired about the prospect. This gives me a renewed outlook! Just called my local indie-bookstore and ordered "The Artist in the Office". Thanks Summer :)

Fantastic piece.

Loved this article- I stopped resenting my day job when I started writing all my notes in rainbow colours, started wearing non-corporate clothing and told all of my colleagues about my art. I really empathise with feeling 'more relaxed and alert'- and my bosses appreciated my new enthusiasm as well (no one wants a wooden employee. Well, no functional boss does anyway.) Thanks for this! Just what I needed to read after enduring a painful meeting yesterday :-)

i felt inspired with this article.thanks so much for sharing! :D

This article almost makes me want to try a little harder to find a job! : )

great piece! long live the office arteeest!

Fantastic article! I think as creative people we tend to do everything with a creative hand, from writing a memo to decorating the office for Christmas. (I enjoy planting hand-drawn elves around the place). We are great for making a sterile-looking environment more.. homely! You inspired me to make a zine for the first time now, and thank you so much for your page key, I always toil over those for ages!

Great post and so inspiring - I think it will resonate with lots of us - thank you!

Great article.

very refreshing, thank you for sharing. I feel the same way about my job and my art, but had never articulated as well as this article does!

Thankx for helping see my job a little differently. Awesome sauce.

I really enjoyed this. Thank you! In some office places using office supplies like this would be considered theft :( but I think the advice in terms of attitude and being yourself is very sound and useful.

Great article! Very well put!

Thankful to have a job even if it is uncreative...I recently brought some artwork to hang on the walls in my office, makes it more homey!

A great attitude to have! It is good to remember the benefits of a regular income. I think it could be very stressful to give it up.

I like it. No. I love it! I remember being a teenager working in retail. I used to hate using the tagging gun or whatever it's called. I hated it until I realized I could create pretty designs with it while also tagging items. After that it was bliss! What I like most about this piece was the idea that you should bring you wherever you go. Yeah!

This really hit home with me, because I have felt like that always. Jumping from job to job because I wasn't satisfied with my life, and not doing what I LOVE to do full time. This article made me open my eyes a little wider, and realize that selling insurance at this moment isn't the end of the world.

terrific article! I needed that. Thank you. Working in nonprofit helps me feel less like a "wage slave" but, I'd still prefer to be creative, on my own time, all the time!

Awesome article! For a long time I hid my artistic side from work and I was miserable. I've slowly come out and let it be known, freely talking about it, drawing in the breakroom during lunch, even displaying artwork on my desk. While I do still strive to go at least part-time day job, part-time artist and am still not thrilled with the actual work I do (receptionist), I am so much happier and so much more me than I was before. I always make sure to have a sketchbook handy to quickly jot down ideas and it functions as a nice reminder of who I really am. :)

how can people sell their zines so cheap? I agree the workplace/office is a super place to do this stuff, a favourite of mine used to be the liquid paper/white out as a drawing tool. I still buy it now for that, even though I'm not in the office anymore.

just read what quirky dame said and here's a nice portable option for sketchbooks http://www.etsy.com/shop/MinceCo?section_id=6740280

the artist inside us can only stay hidden for so long...it's bound to surface sometime!

Such a great article. I am a cube artist and kept separating the two as well. I felt better when I was able to draw some ideas and designs in my downtime. While I strive to work my business full-time, it is a lot less difficult to come up with ideas when I am not trying to work numbers everyday to figure out how and when I can pull that off! If it happens GREAT, If not, I am still an artist! Thanks!

Right on. Artists don't have to be segregated from the rest of society - they should be integrated. We all have to make a living somehow and it's healthy to acknowledge that by bringing your creativity to your job you're bringing the best of yourself. I've worked so many jobs, temporary and full-time, that I thought were pulling me apart because I was splitting my creative from my "work" side. Great post!

I love this post! Every "quit your day job" article on Etsy makes me feel like an outcast because I Etsy in addition to having a fulfilling career. It's nice to know there are others out there! Power to the power suits!

I love this post! Every "quit your day job" article on Etsy makes me feel like an outcast because I Etsy in addition to having a fulfilling career. It's nice to know there are others out there! Power to the power suits!

At my job, they may be renting my time, but I am NOT renting their copier, stapler, string OR buying the copy paper. Your "idea" would be called stealing by most employers.

I worked at an Art Museum and was the only really artsy person on staff (go figure). It was kind of hard to go in day after day to face people who had no real concept of what "being" an artist was. Now I'm a SAHM (stay-at-home-mom) with more people who have no real concept of it, but at least they're teachable - most of the time. LOL Great article - we've got to remember that being an artist is just part of who we are!

"Remember they are renting your time"... but also remember that during the time THEY pay for you have no right to cheat them out of your attention or steal supplies they've paid for. There's nothing wrong with paying the bills with a day job instead of being a starving artist living in a garret, or of being less strict with compartmentalising your life, but if someone's paying for 8 hours of your day then you're morally obliged to give them 8 hours. Just because other people waste office time doesn't mean it's right.

Refreshing thoughts (always good to hear that we're not second-tier Etsy sellers just because we don't live completely off of selling our craft), but I'm with the folks who cautioned against using company time and property in pursuit of one's art. I've worked places where theft like that was a surefire way to make sure you were a full-time artist because it was grounds for immediate dismissal!

this is great! I must say I have a day job, and although its not my dream job, I always make the most out of every situation- and bring my creativity to each task, wether it's simple format changes, or completely redesigning a brochure or website. I do this partly out of sanity and mostly because I can't- not change something if there is a need for it. I'm sooooo glad etsy has a feature like this, I've been begging for something to balance out the qydj articles, which can feel overwhelming at times for those of us who are either not there yet, or don't want to be there..... I will say I wont ever stop finding the irony in that I am an mfa artist who gets paid to make photocopies! lol thanks for the clever drawings that went along with the story, really made it come to life and illustrated how creativity is always present- because its the lens in which we can view any job or situation!

This attitude can't apply to everyone. And I enjoy the term "wage slave" -- because I am one. Retail is a whole 'nother bag if you don't get the leisure of working in an art shop, bead shop, lax local shop, etc. It is hard, demanding, physical work that sucks out your soul. And when it's the only job you can score, then colloquially speaking, you're fucked. Some of us work for "The Man". We don't GET the opportunity to do arts and crafts, we're too busy scanning things, cleaning up the unthinkable, and bending over backwards for customers, running around the store. This is a nice attitude for the right situation, but I think you're conveniently forgetting that not all of us are as lucky. And I'm with mazedasatoat -- you shouldn't be slacking off doing crafts if it ain't your lunch hour.

Awesome article. Sometimes I bring my clay to work and sculpt on my breaks & lunches. I keep my finished bots on display at my desk. They make me happy, remind me of how much fun I had creating them, and have even gotten sales from co-workers!

Love this piece! Thank you!

Love this! I feel lucky to have a paid job reflecting my artistic skills (I teach Art & Graphic Design 3 days a week) but sometimes the unpaid work pays off so much more in other ways and feels way better than the work that is, well, better paid... It's all about balance I guess!

@bumblebeebaubles - right now I would love to have a job, even a retail job. In my line of work (web development) things are severely competitive. I'm older and not up the latest and greatest like I ought to be, so I'm just struggling to stay afloat until I get thru some technical coursework. I have worked retail and it is a considerable challenge, especially considering the shifts and the seasonal sales fluctuations. However, work is what you make it. Maybe opening up a bit of that sunshine in your soul can help stimulate a more pleasant employment experience for you as well as your fellow coworkers. Here's an interesting article I read recently about "Happinomics." https://www.adbusters.org/magazine/84/happinomics.html In regards to this "bring your inner artist to work" article here at etsy, again, nobody said you MUST use company time or supplies. This article was meant to inspire. Artists are engineers of creativity so do your artist thing in way that you can. Don't make excuses like "I can't do this or that" in order to stay miserable in your day job. Some of us would love to be oh so terribly miserable in a day job. Just sayin.. HA!

Salute' to individualism

I love what you said about bringing your real self -- whole self out into the world and to your job. I agree, that is so important! So often in the day-to-day grind we can lose sight of what really matters and leave out 'selves' at home. Thank you!

Love it... I am a graphic designer, etsy artist and stay at home mom.... It's always a juggle but it keeps life interesting!

"Don't forget, they are renting your time!" Interesting perspective...

This artical gave me a good moral bost too! Ive been wishing more and more that i could just put all my time into makeing things, BUT in truth i get pretty lazy if I dont have a time limit for my art! My job now is at my church nursery, 3 or 4 days a week part time. I get to take my son with me (yes every moms dream) and even better Im in charge of the kids crafts now! I had to work to get to do crafts and show my creative side. Now its the reason I love my job (kids will drive me crazy but the crafts make me sane) keep showing your creativity and your boss my use it(for your good too!)

Thank you this was a good kick in the pants to remember that I do love my part time job! I work at my church nursery, and get to take my 3 year old son with me. Its NOT my dream job but it works and we can pay a bill. Ive been wishing i could just do etsy BUT in reality i get pretty lazy if i dont have something i HAVE to do! Relly i like my job if i dont focus on wanting to just make stuff! I get to bring my son (a moms dream!) and i work with wonderful ladys and kids but best of all Im in charge of crafts! It took me a year of being creative to get the responsibility but it makes it all worth wile to think of fun things for kids to make!! my advice, show your creativity at work and maby a creative side of it will be given to you

humm it did go threw! well yall just are lucky to have me twice

What a fantastic perspective! This has really given me a boost.

Thank you for this awesome article !

I love this part: I took it with me and once I stepped out my front door, something magical happened: I felt like me. So I ask myself what can I "carry" so that I always feel more fully like myself whereever I go and whatever I do . . . Thanks for inviting me to contemplate this. Much love from the "Guitarless Goddess" who often feels beautiful when there's a goddess necklace resting over her heart.

Great article!

Summer Pierre -what a cool name! You are a Modern Renaissance Artiste!!!

This article had great ideas. My day job is teaching little special ed kids - very very different than my "artist job" but (almost) equally important and creative in a very different kind of way.

Holy Cow, Ms. Summer Pierre, I just looked at your shop...absolutely love your drawings & writings...amazing...HEY EVERYBODY, GO LOOK!!!

wow, lovely!

This article is about stealing time and supplies, not an accepted practice in most workplaces. What would your boss say about this?

Wonderful piece! I actually created my first zine as well while @ work on breaks, usually after having a particularly rough patch of hassling/obnoxious customers/phone calls etc, just sketching it out and really getting my concepts together when I had a chance to get a minute. I don't do the smoke break thing, so I discovered I had plenty of snippets of time, that didn't take away from completing my actual job. I also found having that little outlet for my creativity actually made me *more* productive than when I sat behind my desk and grumbled about it, which sadly is what most corporate types do, and to no avail to their end of day numbers. BIG Kudos on a refreshing spin on the usual Quit Your Day job series! I love the re-vamped and expressive article! *Great* sense of humor btw! Cheers!

Just came across this and loved it....I can relate! Although I've always been lucky enough to find an art job to supplement me being an artist, its still a job. That said I do get to bring my real self to work each day, so for that realization I'm thankful!

Glad to see this perspective. True, some jobs are awfully draining but attitude is everything. I try to do the best I can every day and have an attitude of gratitude. It's a real morale booster.

Great article! Thanks.

Next up, somebody ought to do a piece about being a stay-at-home mom and Etsying. I'm just getting started and I can tell it's going to be an uphill battle. (Although part of my problem is my "inner artist" got locked up for so long.) It's funny, my first thought when I read about using the office copier was also "uh-oh, if she gets caught she'll be in trouble," but I can't wrap my brain around the concept of giving someone "the full eight hours." Come on, folks, there is always downtime. Let's remember it is people working these jobs, not robots, and that no matter how efficient an employer is, there's no way they can keep you working on their stuff that entire time, even after you've factored in scheduled breaks. I mean, the two major fields in which I worked when I was employed were customer service over the phone, and retail. In retail it's next to impossible to doodle most of the day. If nothing else you have to watch for shoplifters. Doing a phone job is different. Unless you MUST be writing something down or typing into a computer as you are taking the call, there's always time to doodle and any boss who would fire you for that, or even write you up, is a boss not worth working for. It's employment, not slavery. They're paying you to be there and do the work as it comes, not to be chained to your desk. Let's keep some perspective on this, OK?

While I was still working before I got laid off this past September I would always have things around my desk that I had created I had some of my artwork on the wall by my desk and I always wore my jewelry that I had made for my self each and everyday and this really helped to inspire me that it's more to me than what you all see here at work I am an artist, jewelry designer and home decor designer. This is what helped me make it through each and everyday by surrounding myself in my little space at work with what I do, I did this for me. This article was right on time I know excatly what you are talking about. Great article

Great! since i work from home and don't have a real "office" i never know when is it that Im just home or when is it, that Im at work?! ..this is great reminder..

About time! Great article.. I needed that!

Thanks for a great article about those of us who have day jobs! Can't wait to check out Summer's book!

Great and fun read! http://www.flowerydeer.etsy.com

@PeachyOne, I had a similar reaction, but only about supplies. Lunch is your own time -- by law! In my most recent office job, I was a intranet analyst/web designer in a large corporation's head offices. The culture favored workaholics. There was a distinct feeling of being watched in terms of time -- especially as the economy got harder and budgets shrank and people started getting laid off. At times, I felt guilty about using too many Post-It notes. Combine this with an emphasis on politics instead of results (if you didn't smile enough, your boss might hear about it), and it was extremely stifling. I did try to bring my creativity to work: I kept little toys on my desk, played my own music (VERY quietly), doodled on meeting notes and scanned my best doodles to my blog. I tried drawing at lunch a couple of times, but that hurt more than it helped. I was happy with the results, and it was very stress-relieving, but I had no motivation to go back to work afterwards (this doesn't help the politics/paste-a-smile-on-your-face part of the job). I couldn't hang inspiring artwork because any office artwork had to come from the corporate collection and be installed by maintenance personnel (no, I'm not kidding. I joked about hanging a football jersey on my wall, and my boss got wary). I also tried to do creative things on the weekends, like taking photographs in a nearby state park, but it just wasn't enough to counteract the pathological environment at work.

Ditto-Great article full of fodder. The word artist is a tough one to define because I believe there is a bit of artist in every human being; we make aesthetic decisions all the time-from the mundane like choosing a wall color for one's dwelling to painting the spectacular like the Sistine Chapel. Some individuals are simply more destine than other to nourish and cultivate the artist within. It really isn't a choice, rather a profound calling that must be heard and acted upon. Jobs come and go for the most part throughout our adult lives while the artist within remains steadfast with a robust imagination to share with others anywhere and anytime.

Loved this--I'll be repeating "they're renting my time" daily from now on. I'm going to stop apologizing for working full time, and start saying loud and proud that I'm an artist. Making money doesn't mean you're selling out. That's a load. I watched talented artist family members devote themselves to their art, and after living 40+ years hand to mouth, they are retirement age with very little (and none too happy about it). That's one potential reality of living for your art. Much as I dream of being a full time artist, I knew the world from a very young age and where I fit into it. Thanks so much for this article!

Inspiring article! www.curioussparrow.etsy.com

SO HELPFUL! So happy I saw this.

Love this article. I love the "They're renting my time and service" quote. ^_^ Empowering article.

This is pretty dope. I adore my day job and would probably still do it even if I won the lottery. (I'd love to test that theory someday.) My job can be very creative, so I bring all of me to work everyday.

Brought a smile to my face. Thank you for posting. It puts things into perspective.

Great article! It's surprising how a change in attitude is all you need to stop feeling sorry for yourself. Artists are artists, whereever they are. I was fortunate enough to have worked for a children's magazine which was super creative. I loved being a full-time writer and I love being a full-time artist. :)

Great collection! : )

um i have a day job and i would never - ever - ever have time to make a zine. i'm busy all day and pretty sure that if anyone saw me not working but using the copy machine to make a zine i would not have a day job anymore. having said that i DO bring my sketchbook and pen, and sometimes my laptop to work on what i consider my real job (illustration) during my lunch hour.

Nice work :-)

lovely designs!

Great article, Summer! It's so important to acknowledge and support the work of artists who don't make art full-time. In recent years, I have struggled with the work/art balance and etsy has helped me so much to find that. Personally, I have the incredibly demanding--and rewarding--career of teacher. I love my job, and while it doesn't define me, I am proud of the work that I do, and my creativity contributes to my teaching life on a daily basis. Thanks again--this article was a treat to read. xoxo, Gina

This is just SO GOOD! I am so could relate to this! Yay!

Love, love. love! I am so here and learning to be both my day job self and artist self at the same time. It's where I am right now and there are many good things to celebrate. I am fortunate that my coworkers support and acknowledge me as a creative person so that helps...I love the part about the junk-food approach...lovely!

Becasue I am an artist and creative, I can handle anything at work. Until this economic mess, I've always been self-employed, the creativity and curiosity as an artist motivated me to build a better mousetrap, collect experiments and results and look at every day as a challenge to be manipulated. When the rug was pulled out from under my business, I took anything I could get.....retail. It became a "canvas". Retail is suck work, believe me. But I found it fascinating to learn what goes on at 5 AM in your local strip mall. I think I was the only happy person working there, the manager was always extremely suspicious of me. I went from wearing dress suits and pantyhose to unloading overweight, torn packages crammed to the ceiling in hot, stinky, semi trucks. OSHA bedamned in that store. But I lost 20 lbs in 4 months!! Yayyyyyyy!! Now I'm in an office job, thankful to have it, and my muse is still at work creating well written, professional correspondance, doing very detailed and organizational work (yayyy structure) and with their permission recycling their trashed manila folders into my art, recycling their copier paper mistakes. They think I'm a little looney, buy my big boss is now using the back sides of spent printing as notepads. I've saved her a ream of paper about every 30-45 days. My creativeness has put money back in her pocket here and there.......your muse never sleeps!

Sometimes I feel stuck, sometimes I feel grateful to have a job.

very cool article and describes exactly what I do when I'm at my office job... I doodle and create whenever I can without interfering with my work =) I always have the best creative spurts then =D

Thank you Summer & Etsy! A wonderful story and a meaningful message. Favorite: "Normally, when I traveled to work, I felt invisible — but carrying my guitar made me feel like I was carrying my real self — out into the world, and into work." As a stay at home mom + full time spinster I would go positively insane if it we're for my night job! I hope that I always have some opportunity to work outside of the home to keep myself fresh and inspired. kudos

I'm an artist in my office too. Surfing and surfing on internet all time. Thanks for share this with us. :)

Great article! Thanks! =)

Love this article. The 90% of etsy artisian are dreaming in their office. Like me :)

This was a fabulous article - how nice to see a positive spin on creativity and day/night jobs. Being a teacher of art, I feel fortunate that my passion extends into my job and onto my students. Cheers to enthusiastic and creative workers.

"I stepped out my front door, something magical happened: I felt like me." I love this statement. I used to be in the Marine Corps and I spent 7 years trying to conform to being a permanent cookie cutter person until a mentor made me realize I just need to be me... the first day I showed up early to work on a project dressed in my normal style (hair down and long enough to sit on and a purple broomstick skirt - that actually matches my purple car) it was so freeing and made my last two years as a Marine so much more rewarding. I stopped wasting the effort on hiding myself.

nice to see a different attitude and approach to our "day jobs", and delivered with a good sense of humor and artwork;) thanks!

Thank you for your article Summer. I work as a tech in a local Emergency room. I have felt resentful about my job. I do not always get the vacation time I request or the days off I want and so I feel like they own me. Yes, a slave mentality. You are absolutely right. They are renting my time. This is a very good thought. Thanks again. I'm trying to think of ways that I can bring my creativity to work. I have made little stuffed toys to give to the little kids that come in and are scared. This was satisfying. I also wear my scarves and carry my purses, which people have bought right off of me. That is really fun. Any way, I do appreciate my job. Thanks

I agree with most of you that creating your art should be done during breaks or lunch hours. I find my self to be one of the very lucky few in the "wage slave" world who has creative license in a job. I litterally get paid to answer phones and work on my art. Now the art is in no way part of my job description but i am allowed to "find means to occupy my time through out the day." Some times being entry level has it advantages.

Great article! It is even better if you love your job too, but that is hard to find. I enjoyed your bad ass drawings, as well as the coffee cup reminding me I waste a lot of money on that.

Thanks Summer & Etsy for this article! hooray for our day job!!

Love the drawings!!!! Hope I can get to the point of enjoying both worlds!

FANTASTIC article!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Absolutely love this article. The advice is fantastic and the artwork is amazing!

YES! this is so nice to hear...I work in food service at the most beautiful venue...it is very inspiring. A recent college grad, I know I don't know everything, and as an artist you can't ignore the business side. I'm making the most of my day job to learn management and business skills that I can use at work and elsewhere, can't get in trouble for learning.

awesome article..i love zines :)

I too have a day job, (a monkey's gotta eat right?) but I have lots of free time during the day. I don't feel it's stealing if I surf the net or make some copies as long as I get my work done. After all, I can only fake being busy for so long.

very cool!

I dunno, showing the diagrams of corporate theft isn't exactly a noble message. Isn't respect due to everyone?

IT IS stealing if you didn't pay for the ink, paper or electric. This article doesn't send a good message.

Reminds me of the time I go caught photocopying a kitsch old teatray by my boss. I had some explaining to do and she gave me funny looks for a while. I like this project, and the layout of the zine is useful info, but getting caught could be seriously embarrassing (especially depending on what's in the zine!)

One of the best pieces Etsy has published. Thanks to the writer, and for the food for thought. As someone who has been unemployed for over a year, the income I've made from Etsy has helped, but I'd love a day job. This encourages me even though the searching is hard and the doors aren't always open!

LOL..and I am not kidding. You are very talented and extremely funny! I needed a good laugh! Thanks

really fun to read... especially because I'm at work! lol

Read this on a day that I really needed it! I've just been made redundant from an arts organisation, had a really cruddy last day, and needed encouragement to follow my dream however small it may be! :) Thankyou!!!!

I got a copy of this awhile back and it is a fantastic book throughout, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Thank you for this inspiring article. It's true that you shouldn't just leave a part of yourself at home when you go to work. I just never thought about it that way! Thanks!

Great article!

This is an entertaining article, I used to illustrate any thing I could on many scraps of paper daily, and even had one of the Safety guys ask me to draw the energizer bunny for him for a special shut down project for his office, He still has the artwork I did, then I went back to college

Thanks! Nice reminder that attitude is everything! I've been getting frustrated with my day job but I think I might just need to change my way of seeing it (besides, I get to hang my art and have met a few good clients there)!

*applause* Spot on!

so much fun to read! thank you!

If you are sneaky enough maybe you can surreptitiously gaffle a co-workers lunch out of the community fridge while you are at it too. At least you'll now have something to read while you eat, right?

This was so refreshing to read! I have a hard time balancing being an artist and working full time in a place void of other artists. I would love to see a regular series of articles on Etsy about how to be creative, find inspiration, and keep producing art while still maintaining a different career.

I have started wearing at least one piece of my jewelry every day, and I use pictures of my stuffed animals as my screen-saver. I agree that bringing those pieces of the "real me" to my stuffy, corporate-type job helps to make my wage-slavery a bit more enjoyable. Thank you for the sentiment. Although I have to say, the advice to use office supplies (even making copies costs money) made me squirm a little.

Maybe your boss might like for you to do the work you are being paid to do while at work. Maybe if you use your work time for work time you might have time to do stuff like answer emails and take down illegal listings and stuff, and pay attention to how many times certain people have been on the front page in one day-things that you are paid to do.

I'm just trying to help you re-evaluate your idea of how to use work time is all I am doing.

thanks so much for this article, I reminded me that I can be a successful artist and successful in corporate america at the same time. As I start my etsy shop this is something I need to remember.

Great article. Thank you.

Great article! Thank you.

Oops

I LOVE that quote so tell your brother I am going to quote him often. My day job is as a substance abuse counselor so you can imagine what I hear at a party. It's like throwing a soaking wet blanket on a conversation.

Of course my above comments were thrown out to whatever admin thought this would make a wonderful article.

I'd be pissed off if my employees were stealing my rented time and my supplies.

Not to mention I wouldn't want a nanny who thinks it's ok to "pick up things" to use in her art, and as a consumer I can assure you I do not appreciate that the cost of gaffled items from say a store clerk might be passed down to me to pay for as we all know they are.

I love "out of the box" thinking...you've sparked an idea in my head about how I can think differently about working at home (without stealing from The Man and all that...wait a minute, I AM The Man. The Woman. Whatever.) I think I'm gonna schedule in some creative goofing around time. Yeah! That's what I'm gonna do! Thanks.

Hmm, well how about if your boss and coworkers show up at your house for a meeting during your creative time when you're "not being rented", proceed to raid your refrigerator (well it's full and you won't miss anything or be able to eat it all anyway) and then help themselves to whatever tchatchkes you have lying around (they're just things gathering dust and you have so many) as they head out the door. Same thing, just a little different spin.

It's no wonder the economy in North America is going to hell in a handbasket...it's one thing to work within the system for change, better working conditions, better benefits, etc. But for Etsy to advocate stealing, even tongue-in-cheek through publishing this not so funny diatribe, I find truly depressing...at least there are some posters here who have found creative and honest ways to utilize potential waste...now that would have made a much better article..

It is not 'rented time', it's bought time. You have a legal and moral obligation to work in the time you're meant to work. Stealing from your boss is theft. I find it incredible that a company like Etsy is endorsing and encouraging corporate theft. If I was their employer, I would seriously suggest the employee who wrote this to find somewhere else to do their arty stuff. Disgusted by this article. Have Tweeted and will again.

This article and Etsy's advocating that which is contained therein by publishing it disturbs me as a buyer. As a buyer I don't want to buy any "hot" art.

This article and Etsy's advocating that which is contained therein by publishing it disturbs me as a buyer. As a buyer I don't want to buy any "hot" art.

I think this is a more positive approach: "I'm an artist too and I work as well. Though I found it's best for me to find a job that pays well and is something that is oddly interesting." I feel like, if you dislike your job enough that you can't wait until after work to do your hobby, you need to find another job, one you like enough to actually DO.

This is called office theft. "In any workplace in America, at any moment of the day, someone is probably “borrowing” something, a loss to business of about $14 billion a year, according to the National Retail Federation." The Xerox Fairy does not replace your boss's toner cartridge, and that's just for starters. ethicsFAIL

love your work, your fantastic sense of humor and your great attitude! wonderful feature!!

I agree with Timeless. Renting time doesn't make sense. When you rent something, you eventually have to give it back. Also, encouraging stealing company time and supplies, as long as you don't get caught? Lame.

When I Tweeted this, someone replied saying that Etsy is not endorsing stealing because the article says that 'you are responsible for getting your workload done efficiently and on time'. Right. And in the same breath it mentions, 'pssstttt...' do all this during work time... Extremely slippery slope, Etsy. Where does this end?

Darn...the downsides of being a work at home mom...there's no one to steal from!

Wow, I work part time at a Playgroup and you are pushed to get enough time to nip to the loo! We work flat out to get everything done and often end up doing unpaid overtime too. What are these jobs people have where you have the spare time to do all this stuff? Tho I agree with the idea of keeping your artistic self alive and present wherever you are, I do not think you should be doing these things when you are being paid to work for someone else My husband has a small business, we actually have to pay for the paper, printer ink etc, it doesn't drop from the sky. Etsy, this is not cool.

sounds like a great book, wish i would of had this years ago when i was doing all sorts of admin jobs. you will be "saving" many creative and artistic men and women from the hum drum of corporate America.

Updating from "the day job" right now! I love this article. I find I spend tons more time on Etsy when I'm gainfully employed, too. However, unlike some of the above folks, I work in an office with people who have more going on that just what happens within the confines of this building. I work with a realtor, (formerly) a masseuse, and a guy in a cover band. We take breaks and talk about movies or watch the Olympics. It's a very healthy atmosphere when you're allowed to both get your work-work done, and have a personality beyond that.

If I caught my employees stealing my supplies and crafting at work I'd stop renting their time real quick. I can't believe now many people think this is OK.

I wonder if she stole at all of her jobs or just at the office ones.

thanks for the encouraging post! i too have a day job, and am not ashamed. i'll check on my shop a few times during the day, but i don't know if i'd go so far as to whip out the knitting needles...

Just what I needed to read when I needed to read it!

As a graphic designer I freelance a few times during the week (like...right now!). Not only it provides me with a semi-permanent paycheck, helps me get out of the house and interact with adults but I get to work on my own stuff during down time AND collect scraps of nice papers that would otherwise end up in a landfill, AND I get to use their super duper printer. Yey for dayjobs!

Good point of view :) When I had a day job I used to say I have two jobs - my office job and my jewellery handcraft. And it's true - if you add all hours spent on it, it could be another full time job.

Love this! I will never quit my day job. Other than working hard for years, I paid a lot of money for the education that got to wehre I am. I can do job that I am passionate about and my craft and be passionate about that too. I wouldn't be complete if I let go of either.

Really inspiring!

Great article Summer! I find that saying I'm an artist just opens up a can of worms. People are just so nosy, plus I feel Americans are overly-concerned with the nuts and bolts of how people make a living...it's just not classy to ask! I figure if they are having to ask me what I do (because I'm not in an artsy environment where they know I'm an artist), then I am in the "wrong" environment, and I might as well go ahead and have some fun or pretend. Sometimes I swear I just want to say something shocking like "I make porn videos!" just to get them to go away...or this from my roommate: "I could tell you, but ..... you'd probably just get really jealous ...." and then smile a wicked little smile and walk away. I'd honestly rather make something up than tell people the truth, as it just invites them to grill me on this, that, and the other thing.

I'm amazed Etsy would advocate what amounts to stealing from an employer and disappointed at the number of people who find it acceptable. If any of my staff behaved like this their source of freebies would soon dry up and I don't think you can rifle through the office supplies at the unemployment office.

Oh... this was fantastic! Entertaining and informative. Only on Etsy baby! :) Thanks guys!

OH My Goodness!!!! I totally just finished this book! I am at work and it is sitting in my purse right now!!!! It totally changed my life...well, my view of my job! I started to order supplies in color and altering ways to make work more fun and Artistic. Today, I used really nice & fancy font on my labels to help me get excited about filing. I know, it sounds ridiculous, but it totally got me motivated. Summer talked about thinking more about what your job provides for you rather than you wanting to get out of it so badly that all you saw was the bad stuff. After thinking about it, It really didn't seem so bad. Anyway, I definitely recommend reading this book! It really helped me to chill out on the whole quitting thing.....

Wonderful article. thanks for a good read!

This is a fun post. I can add to it with decades of experience in doing my own painting on the weekends and any other time I could grab. After all those years, I built a body of work, that helped in getting my online art business going full tilt. However, since I worked as an Art Director and designer/animator most of those decades, my 'real' job was pretty creative and usually lots of fun. So I had some cross-over with my fine arts background. I learned a lot from each job and made new friends along the way. It's important to live life as you want, and I'd suggest that keeping the inspiration and passion alive to create is crucial to being any type of artist.

I felt very much as the author did in the begining of this article. I resented my work and didn't feel fulfilled or happy there. Then somehow I had an epiphany and decided to use my creativity at work. I started a knitter Knatter group so I could knit at work! and meet up with other crafters. I also took on more work which made me feel a part of my work and more involved and respected. I started running the craft table at the kids club and then last year I even started and helped organise a craft fair at work. Try and turn things around where you work and use your creativity to make things better there for you and hopefully for everyone else.

Yay! I've been sitting at my office job all day thinking about how I would rather spend my day being creative...

EXCELLENT article. Thanks!

Great piece - I love being creative at work too, I often crochet at my desk in quiet periods and lunchtime, as well as work on patterns on my computer and sketching at my desk - my colleagues love seeing what I do and often commision me to make stuff for them and for gifts as does my boss. Plus it inspires them to be more creative - 2 colleagues have brought knitting projects to work for me to help them with. Don't quit the day job!!!

Very Good!!! Thanks, Summer. --puci

This part really resonated w/ me" "when I brought a physical tool of my artistry into the office, I felt more relaxed and alert. I was no longer divided between my real self and my work self" It just happened yesterday as I had a meeting after work and had a few of my light boxes with me, so I hung them around my desk for the day to give my co-workers a glimpse, and it was def. a nice feeling! I wouldn't say it's made me any more excited to come to work, but there sure is some truth to the benefit of bring some of your creative world to your work world. Cheers, ao.

Maybe I should go hold up an office supply store and see if lifts my spirit and gets my creative juices flowing.

I left out the word it up there.

Great prespective and love the drawings. Thanks

Omg, this is exactly what I needed. My husband actually needs it more, will forward. :) Thanks!

Thank you so much for this article! I have a full time job that I really like that is also completely unrelated to my creative outlet. I have no desire to do my crochet and knit accessories full time. Attempting to make a comparable amount of money as my day job would probably just give me carpal tunnel! It's also great in conversation with other folks at work - plus it's amazing what you find out about your coworkers too. People I never would have guess do anything other than live and breath their day jobs are musicians with weekend and evening gigs, painters with their work up in local galleries...it's inspiring.

Feel a bit more motivated to be at work now!!!! Very inspiring and nice to hear about someone who hasnt quit their day job!

in the event that I face the unfortunate situation of returning to a corporate job any time soon, somehow I think this might help me stomach it a bit easier.

awesome article- thanks for it .... : )

This is great Summer. Love the illustrations.

I think a lot of people assume that if you are an artist that has a day job, then you must loathe your day job. That doesn't have to be the case. I actually like my day job and feel that it fuels me in different ways which adds to my creative side. Basically it comes down to this: you get from it what you put into it!

I cannot trully express how stoked I am at this article. I am so sick of other artist looking down at those of us who have to take outside day work to survive till our art supplies the funds. Right on!!! Great ideas. Cheers, Sonrisa

what I dislike about my day job is the amount of time and energy it zaps from the rest of the week - it is a bit artistic and usually fun but tiring.

If you want to KEEP your day job, I don't know that these are necessarily wise things to do.

I'm very lucky in that I can work on my crafts *while* I work. I spend most of my time talking to clients on the phone using a headset; I discovered early on that finding something to do with my hands kept me more focused on what the client was saying. I ended up with so much jewelry, I decided to try to sell it and give most of the proceeds back to the nonprofit I work for. This is how I started making jewelry again and how my Etsy shop was born!

I enjoyed the article, but more so enjoyed the perspective. Part of what I enjoy about Etsy is that I don't have to make a living at it! I can do as much or as little of it as I want and still enjoy. I'm also not looking to get out of my day job, because I love that too...and it does pay the bills.

This is a humorous and refreshing perspective, I like my job and have no intention of quitting it, I also enjoy the variety and balance of having a job and a creative occupation. I won't be doing any art at work but I agree that I am an artist no matter where I am or what I am doing, its in the way we think and respond.

Love this, I too work a few jobs also, I love the mix...and I will have one client but that client will use me for not just jewelry but also Yoga, and maybe even to clean there house...Mix it up! THANKS AGAIN for the awesome info!

100% awesome! thanks for sharing! :)

great - now I can take the mask off

I liked the magazine layout. I'll try that. Thanks.

Love this, I too have a few jobs and it works out for me sometimes that a jewelry client will use me for Yoga, and maybe even to organize there home (or the other way around)...it's a great way to enjoy life and pay the bills! THANKS AGAIN!!

Apparently, I really needed to read this this week! Thank you! I find it interesting how polarized the comments are: some are blown away by a new creative point of view, some are shaking their fists and grumbling about office theft. To me, the article didn't suggest to go waste my company's time by doing my own art instead of my job, it stated that there are always creative alternatives to looking at and doing things. I work as a graphic designer for a big company, so there are elements of my job that are pretty creative, but when it's not the kind of work that's currently occupying your dreams and brain-space, which it generally isn't, it can be hard to remind myself that I am there by choice... I personally wouldn't use my company's (gorgeous!) printer for my own use, I'm too nervous about being caught, and I have some karma/ethical concerns about taking something that's not mine. If I could pay for the paper/toner I used, that would be another thing...but I can't. So, I keep my sketchbook/post-its handy all the time and try to add new concept drawings daily (when I'm waiting for big files to open, routing things to the printer, or otherwise sitting idle, waiting for something.) I would go crazy without my sketchbook...I don't spend a lot of time adding to it, but it is an important part of me feeling like me, and feeling like I am supporting my future dreams while I'm at my desk job. I can't help but notice that there are tons of people who will spend heaps of time at the water cooler, in the lunch room, or at each other's desks talking the day away. This happens everywhere. Is that not time theft as well? Of course it is, but who cares? If work is getting done, goals are being met, people feel respected and the atmosphere is positive, then who cares about the process, if they all reach the desired end result? Humans have to act like humans (including being interactive and creative) even when they're working in cubicles. I believe that's all this article is trying to celebrate. Etsy (being Etsy, that is, bringing opportunity to the people) is completely justified in publishing it (note: there is a difference between publishing something and endorsing something!) Just my two cents :) Thanks!

WOW, this really hit home for me, as I am sure it does for many of us artists doing our passion outside of our full time job. Thank you for sharing this... truly inspirational!

Love this article! I hope I can get a job that I can still have energy left for my artwork and designs.

I loved this article!

Love it! I have a day job too. I'm a high school art teacher, so I am doing artwork or facilitating it all day, BUT it is still a struggle sometimes to go and make my own. Maybe it's the opposite of an office job. I am stuffed with art talk and visuals all day so my mind just wants to escape after work!

haha, this is great!

Good job on the long article!

Many a day I have felt this way, but as I wear my work everyday, I get those comments and orders just by walking through the door... thanks for the reminder!

Wonderful! You should add writer to your talents. Your article made me smile, laugh, snicker and hoot. I feel like an insider now instead of a one day old newbee. I guess the truth is that for some one job is not enough. Then, two is not enough. Then, well, who knows?

Brilliant! I try to bring my sketchbook with me wherever I go but alas, I haven't been doing that lately... but I will know, thanks to you. Not to mention it helps if you can get a job that let's you be creative on the fly. Working in chocolate shop helps since I can draw with chocolate. :)

Hey without the day job I couldn't afford to pursue my dream. To make jewelry is my passion and the day job makes it happen. I enjoy your approach not to feel like you are a slave to your day job.

i can really relate.

You know Summer, I am a full time artist by day and night. You've hit upon a great point of all that we do...EMPOWERMENT! Knowing who you are inside and expressing that wherever you can is wonderful. I've been a freelancer and a corporate exec, but somewhere is the middle ground where we belong AND get the bills paid!! Bravo and thanks!

wow this is so inspiring:) just totally changed my outlook on today thankyou:) great zine too i might add:)

Well said... and it boils down to your attitude. Although I'm not crazy about my day job, I give them 100% -when I'm there. It pays the bills, AND since I'm part-time, I have time to devote to creating.

love the article! i do design research on the internet as long as the office work is done. it works out.

Thank you so much for the article. I always doodle when I'm at work, talking on the phone. Those doodles end up being a "real" work!! My boss is very understanding too. Your article made me feel ok to be doing work and "real" work at the same time.

It's really cool to see something for those of us that have day jobs. I am very fortunate that I actually like mine. I work part time, full time mama, but I am able to sneak a little handy work in every once and awhile. Good Luck everybody!

Great article! Really makes me reconsider my resentment towards my own day job. I definitely relate to the therapy of bringing art to your job though - I always let my boss's or managers know that if there is anything they need painted or arted up in any way, I'm here! I'm currently working as a waitress when I'm not crafting, but this week I'm repainting the host stand at the front of the restaurant with some funky designs. Art on!

:O)) Very good article and fun to read! Thank you!

I'm a bit surprised Etsy published this article. In these times having a job is a goodsend. It is just as easy to load photos on a flash drive and resize them or layout your 'zine, catalog or check email or whatever else during your lunch break e.g. not time your being paid. When it comes to the printing out 6 pages on both sides, stapling etc..really do that at home. Why print it at all? Think of greener option turn your 'zine into a PDF and e-mail it (from home) to everyone. Sure would I love to be doing creative things all day everyday but I need my full time job to purchase supplies and basic needs. Try suggesting doing a e-newsletter or better yet do one as a sample for your full time job that has a staff section where you can mention what you do outside of work. I did the first one 7-8 years ago and it has been great fun. We send it out via email to our customers and some actually ask if they will be mentioned in upcoming editions.

Great words of wisdom here. Finding joy, or at least presence, in every task you do is a difficult thing to accomplish, but what a difference it makes!

Thumbs up!!

I love this article. Please, do more!

me too, I need my full time job, so i could make my works with less finacial pressure.

It really really REALLY amazed me how many people are OK with stealing. I wonder if the forums will hear the other side of this any time soon. "I dont have my day job. I got fired for stealing office supplies and wasting company time!"

I have found this true myself. You can't deny who you are. We have to do many things in our lives and to be whole people we have to be ourselves when doing all of them. Well written; thanks!!

I loved this post - and your work is great, especially the comment from and drawing of your brother! Whether you have another job or not - I love the idea that you are always an artist...

This is a great article. I certainly feel that divide and I'm glad to know it's not just me.

I really appreciate this article. As someone who has a full-time job, but is an artist outside and trying to build a stationery/invitation company that will allow me to leave the full-time world, this made me smile. I've been horribly unhappy working full-time and on several occasions have considered walking out. There are a lot of factors behind this, not just me wanting to be an "artist." Most recently, I have allowed myself to come across as the creative person that I am in the office and while it does help, it doesn't. I guess what I'm trying to say is that your article helped give me a ray of perspective, especially on a day where I really disliked my 9-5. Thank you.

I am a wage slave unfortunately, while it might sound derogetory to most it's fitting for me. I don't deny that I feel shackled to this job. My current job does not allow for any creativity or thinking "outside the box". There is no joy in what a I do at my "9-5" and considering I'll be laid off soon I'm practically salivating at the chance to turn my part-time Etsy business into a full-time business regardless of my financial situation. I won't know if it's possible unless I try. And yes I'm posting this from work.

I too have a fulltime job--let's not talk about it-- and oftentime I bring fabrics or other supplies for my Etsy shop to work. I like to use my one-hour-lunch to cut fabrics and do little stuff for my Etsy shop. It's the best, most creative one-hour of the day.

Soooo genius! Now I could spice up my 9-5, thanks!

I needed this article today! It was one of those mornings I didn't want to be at my day job at all. It's good to remember I'm an artist no matter where I am or what I'm doing. Thanks!

i work a left brain job, my husband's tax practice during busy seasons. i used to think it stifled my creative energies. now I look at it as the thing that balances my brain and keep my head in the "other" business world. Now I leave the office and try to maximize my time doing my creative work at ilovefiberart.com and etsy. sometimes it actually improves and expands my work: ex: the colorful numbers and marbles prints on the walls led me to come to my studio and work on 3-d fiber "marbles"-FUN!

Thanks for this article! Feeling resentful towards a day job get's you nowhere fast. I know first hand. If I'm lucky enough to have a job AND be creative on my spare time you won't find me complaining (much.)

I've been a self-employed artist for the past 20 years. Now I am struggling to quit my day job. The "day job" is the work I produce that isn't my heart's desire but I do it because I believe it'll make cash. The dilemma exists whether you are working for yourself or the Man. Security versus risk. The best part of Summerpierre's zine is about choice. It is an inner dance between our identity, our spirit and our own integrity. Wherever you are dare to follow your dreams.

I've always thought my "other job" was a means to do what I really love. OK. It's cleaning houses. Fairly brainless, but pays the bills, so I don't have to work a 9 -5, and can devote the other time to what I love. And, you do what you have to survive. However, if I didn't have my art to come home to, I'd probably shoot myself! Great article. Really laughed all the way through.

cute article! my husband is a jeweler and a comic book artist and he doodles at work all the time!! you gotta do what you love and even if it's just a lil bit per hour, those few minutes are full of joy! by the end of the day, be grateful for that!

haha!! loved that!!!

Well most of the people who "craft" on the clock and "borrow" and gaffle crafting supplies at work won't have to quit their day job anyway-they will probably get fired first.

AND sometime you end up loosing momentum and creative spark when you try to make your art pay for the bills... Thanks for this article

I find that when my brain wanders at work it is healthier to take those two minutes to jot out sketches/notes. Those mini-epiphanies are exhilerating enough sometimes to hold me over until I get home...or at least until break when I can frantically crochet for 15 minutes. Thanks for the encouraging article.

Heck yeah! We're creative human beings not work zombies!!!! Art keeps our brains--and our lives--from going to mush!

love this article. my office could definitely use a cheerful zine project.

So... etsy says it's ok to steal time and supplies from one's employer? I've wondered why etsy employees haven't always behaved in ethically appropriate ways. This article explains why that is: etsy employees don't know what ethics are.

I took a pen home from the office once, accidentally. I felt really bad about it. Stealing office supplies, while seemingly no big deal, is wrong. And in some cases, a fireable offense. It's nice if you want to spend your lunch working on your art, but don't use company time/supplies. It's so not ethical.

Good article - even though I don't think there's anything in the world that can make me even remotely like data entry... =] I doodle designs at work. It's a great way to pass time while waiting on hold in the phone or taking 250 copies of something. Good thing there's always lots of scrap paper to use - isn't that almost environmentally neutral?? People, if you're so worried about "stealing" supplies, why don't you ask? Make a zine but do it on your own time - and ask your supervisor if it would be OK to make a few copies of it to cheer up your coworkers. I understant not all the supervisors will encourage this but there have to be some who will understand the value of art, especially if your zine is well done, appropriate and something that builds up positive environment at work. Case in point, my boss brought a great knitting pattern book to work and told me to take copies of all the pages I wanted. During work hours, using work supplies. And yes, there are copyright laws against that but it was a book of afghans from 1970s that hasn't been available in years... My boss is awesome. But I still don't like data entry.

What an inspiring piece of work. Still say artists DONT belong in an office tho ... in any way shape or form :-)

Great article, I couldn't agree more! My day jobs taught me so much, they all have been invaluable experiences. And I too learned to take the artist with me, always carrying sketchbook and pens with me and taking time to doodle and create during my working day.

You are misunderstanding the term "wage slave" - it's not that you don't have freedom over the choice you made to work a particular job, but rather as long as you work for someone else and they define your pay, the hours you work, your job duties and have the power to terminate your employment without your consent, you are a slave to their control. You can wake up tomorrow and find you no longer have that job. You are not really the one in control of your own job - so in that sense you are a slave to the job and those above you. Although, depending on your position and the company you work for, this does not always apply so severly.

Finally something positive about having a day job.

I've been both a full-time artist and also a part-time one with an office job (design). While making art full-time is a great accomplishment, there are huge advantages to having a job unrelated to the art you make (and the paycheck it brings). Making art becomes play and a lot more fun when it isn't the be all, end all. Sometimes being in the cubicle can free your mind and imagination!

I am glad you are writing an article about trying to be an artist and have a day job at the same time, I really do. It's way overdue. But, this isn't it. At work, you should be doing your job, or working to do a better job. Not goof off on your artwork, and certainly not steal all the supplies. As a business owner, this is exactly the reason that rules are made like limiting personal phone calls at work. One bad egg spoils it for everyone. Have a little common sense people.

Thanks for sharing these thoughts! I find winter particularly difficult: I just want to stay home and do my "things"! Let us count our blessings indeed!

Thanks for the sharing your wonderful energy! I never really had a problem with my job, everything you do in life has value. At any given moment you certainly can't be any place other then where you are anyway. Love your perspective!

Thanks! I needed that!

Thanks for your article, really "guilty-freeing"! (I love your drawings, by the way!)

Great topic! I asked my boss if I could put my (matted, clear bagged and PRICE TAGGGED!) paintings up in my office and he said, sure, and later proceeded to buy one! I try to give the office a pristine gallery look and people are always interested in checking out the changes from month to month. Last week I got a commission from another person at the office.

My co-workers really appreciate my jewelry and buy plenty of it, I also do repairs of their own things. Makes work more tolerable when I can talk about my craft and also make some money. I do always make sure I'm getting my job done (and then some) and not infringing on anyone elses work time either ;)

Great fresh perspective! I starting bringing my Etsy life into my day job during my lunch breaks. I figured I have a 30 minute break where I usually just catch up on emails in front of the computer anyway.. so I started taking this opportunity to do my mid-day relists, Storque readings and general Etsy browsing. It makes such a difference and breaks up my day, plus doesn't take away from work time. Thanks for your article!

Thank you, very inspiring article!

Great article, I like the bit about your guitar, I get the same feeling carrying my own printed owl bag to work, it feels great! Like your one page stories too, I really love that hand lettered quirky look, good luck!

Thank you for this! :) It is very helpful for those of us who can't quit our day job! :)

I have to say I agree with the ethical comments about stealing office supplies. I printed my own wedding invitations using my own paper on the company printer. My supervisor said it would be ok and I did it after hours, but she actually held it over my head afterward. Even if you get approval to do it, I think it does leave an impression, and not necessarily a good one, and can overshadow your overall performance in the eyes of Those In Charge. There is a way to create at work. I once had to compile office procedures and I used my creativity to make interesting covers and spines for them. You could offer to create the department calendar or update the procedures books or other presentational materials, and see if it's ok to be a little creative. That way you REALLY can be paid to create art and not feel like you're skulking around in corners and sneaking copies on the copier.

Great advice! Thanks for sharing! ♥

maybe this wasn't meant to be funny but it really cracks me up! I am always feeling like this...a person pulled in two directions, stuck at my day job because of the benefits but longing to be a full time artist. thanks for the quirky encouragement : )

Some of this may depend on where you work and what you do. I do my shipping from work (using my own materials, thank you) and get things shipped to work (there's always somebody there when mail gets delivered). I eat my lunch in front of my computer and I'm supposed to take hourly breaks from the computer (I do software, and I like my job) which I also don't do. I'm also on call 24/7/363 (we're closed 2 days out of the year) with no extra pay. I don't think I use as much paper from work per year as they pay me per hour, just to put the "stealing" in perspective.

I absolutely loved the advice given and in the way it was given. Thank you and your word of warning: Do your job is well heeded.

Cool idea, but a really good way to get fired. And those who are trying to justify the stealing would be the first ones to go.

Wow, what a great article! I have a regular 9-5 job and often bring "artist me" into work. I'll bring supplies in to make jewelry during my lunch break and I've sold quite a few pieces to my coworkers. But I'm always careful to make sure a) I am not using office supplies for my personal business and b) I only do things related to my business when I'm on break from my "real" job.

This is so wonderful and amazing. I'm always thinking and blogging and talking and making art about these same ideas: How to live in your life and be yourself as an artist and also make money. Wonderful! I'm excited to see this book.

I'm so glad someone finally talked about those of us with a 9 to 5 that still are artists and creative people. I can't tell you how many times I felt like I wasn't doing what I was supposed to do at my day job, but now I know I wasn't alone. Summer, thank you for the encouragement and tips. So many of us work in a "virtual" office that doing our art is the only way to reconnect with people and places.

Fabulous article and great advice! Thanks!

you'r lucky if you have job to pay your bills :)plus if you have time and talent to create...you are blessed.

ahh...very fun read!:)

It's true! My mom has always come over to dress me up for interviews, but once I'm there, I slowly introduce my co-workers to the real me by wearing more and more outlandish clothes- to the point where they complain and ask if something's wrong if I show up actually dressed in 'business casual'! It definitely makes every day a little more worth it and working more fun! ^_^

thanks so much for acknowledging those of us that balance the "artist life" with the "get-your-bills-paid" life :) ps: i LOVE that TtV zine from monstergallery! i will definitely be trying something like that myself.

beautiful