Artists drop out of their jobs to follow their passion.
Spray Paintings
Instead of finding themselves working for someone else, painters and musicians in Cardiff have found different means to earn a living. Artists on Queen Street have taken to dropping out of their jobs to follow their passion.
Lucas, a travelling artist, carries utensils in his trolley with him. One will often find him on Queen Street beating rhythms out of the utensils with his drumsticks. Passersby on the street give him money for his talent and he uses the same to travel. So far he has been to numerous places including Germany, France, Switzerland, Ireland,etc. He said travelling is his passion. Cliff Collings, who is a drummer with Reuben and the Rabbis and plays often on Queen Street, also gave up his job to follow his heart. He is now a busker and embraces the challenges as they come. Weather is often one of the chief concerns that dictate the timings of these artists.
Travelling artist creates beats through utensils
On the other hand, painters like Gavy take a more conscious stand when they refuse to work for organisations. He creates spray paintings using different forms of canvas as well as paints. On their facebook page, Gallery on Broadway, run by Gavy and his girlfriend, they call the painting ‘a form of meditation’. In refusing to work for other people, Gavy wishes to encourage artists to create a space for themselves. When asked about his struggles, he said, ”It is not easy, you know. But the system doesn’t help artists and that needs to change.”
While the system organises opportunities for artists sometimes with projects like the Cardiff Empty Walls Project in 2014, at other times they are left to fend for themselves.