{"id":84,"date":"2008-12-04T09:46:25","date_gmt":"2008-12-04T09:46:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/gap\/wp\/?p=84"},"modified":"2008-12-04T09:46:25","modified_gmt":"2008-12-04T09:46:25","slug":"dear_virginia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/gap\/2008\/12\/dear_virginia\/","title":{"rendered":"Dear Virginia"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"knit.jpg\"<\/span><\/p>\n

So, a few posts back<\/a> I turned up the volume on an internal debate I was having between “intellectual” and “real world” creation. I got off on a rant because I was anxious about spending so much quality time with just my computer, and I was looking to get a little physical.<\/p>\n

Since then, I have spun right round like a record. Obama may be on course for a smooth transition, but I am feeling a little lost while locking in on future goals. <\/p>\n

This may be a bit of a red herring, but a major tripping point in my thought process has come down to the fact that I am a woman.**<\/p>\n

It wasn’t until I turned 30, got married, and moved out of New York City that I confronted sexism head on (though thankfully, in my case, the overall dent has been minor). But even though I bring home an equal paycheck and can use my own power tools just fine, thank you very much, I admittedly feel held to and actually enjoy some traditional stereotypes: I like to cook and make things that people use–and use up. It’s a matriarchal work tradition, and I march in that parade with joy in my heart and conflict in my head. A lovely meal is, after all, eaten, and while it may not be forgotten, it won’t enter the canon of great art no matter how carefully I blog about it. And maybe that’s just fine. It sure does add to the quality of life and the household’s Gross National Happiness quotient. But then I retire with my after dinner drink to the living room, surrounded by our collection of great literature, and wonder if I’m apportioning my energies well. While I’m baking my own bread, I’m not pitching a new article to an editor. Looking further down the road, that’s not even starting on what adding children to this mix will mean.<\/p>\n

Women have been confronting these questions for decades and finding a balance point for themselves one way or another. In the 21st century, there are probably quite a few men having similar debates. But it seems to me that the creative sector, especially in the Internet age, braids the line between home life and professional productivity in ways other professions don’t, and I’m surprised by how few models I have to look to as I make these decisions for myself. How are you working your creative mojo to make art, a happy family, and a satisfied self a reality? What helped you find your balance point?<\/p>\n

** Related: Encouragingly, people are having more success making a real living off of their creative pursuits<\/a>, but women
\nartists are statistically paid less for their work than men<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So, a few posts back I turned up the volume on an internal debate I was having between “intellectual” and “real world” creation. I got off on a rant because I was anxious about spending so much quality time with just my computer, and I was looking to get a little physical. Since then, I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-84","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-uncategorized","7":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/gap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/gap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/gap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/gap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/gap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/gap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/gap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/gap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/gap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}