I used to say ‘I’m broke’ when I was in college, but in my adulthood I have actually been poor. The cliche ‘starving artist’ is nearer to my reality than not. There are reasons for my circumstances and there are lessons from poverty which I’d like to discuss.

1. I put my morals over money in situations where my dignity, safety, or sanity were being harmed or disrespected. I stood up for myself when my boss was sexually harassing me and trying to make me his mistress at Arts and Humanities Council of Tulsa. For this, I was fired. I have quit jobs where I was not safe from predators or bullies. I have refused to sink to certain levels to sell art or be social media famous. I have chosen to be single instead of taking handouts from unsavory men. In short, I chose poverty over shamelessness.

2. Poverty has made me a folk artist. I have created art from cardboard boxes headed to the trash and with children’s crayons and color pencils. I’ve quilted from old clothes and bedsheets. I’ve collected vintage clothes and objects to support my art journey and taken inventory pictures for my shop with a disposable camera. I’ve turned sketches on notebook paper into a children’s book. This tradition of art making is called folk art, in part, because the supplies and tools are sourced from the artist’s daily life. Folk art is driven from a deep impulse to create without the purpose of economic gain and driven by solving problems during the creative process with readily available resources and ingenuity. Folk art is such an interesting global tradition and there are many books and museum collections on the topic.

3. Poverty has taught me who I can trust and who will betray me at my lowest point. I have so many wonderful friends and family that still laugh and hang with me for free simply because we love each other’s company. They have enjoyed my art and supported me emotionally. I have also experienced people and institutions that have actively sought to manipulate or abuse me while I was trying to survive or share my art with the world. Poverty shows you who matters the most and I’m glad I’ve been taught this lesson.

Have a Pleasant Day!
-Rae