92% of Artists Work Outside Their Field, Survey Reveals

A 2019 survey by esferapública found that 92% of artist respondents have worked in jobs outside the art or creative fields. The survey, conducted via Instagram stories on February 12, 2019, asked three questions: a binary yes/no, a multiple-choice, and an open-ended text response. Forty-one people responded, naming sixty distinct occupations. The most common were waiter/waitress (eight mentions), salesperson (seven), and call center agent (four). Jobs were grouped into three areas: services (48%), creative-adjacent (13%), and manual/administrative (24%). The survey highlighted that art practice occurs in the interstices of this labor burden. A follow-up survey in April 2026 showed 84% of respondents had worked outside art, down eight points. The 2026 audience was more international: Spain led with 24.1%, followed by Colombia (23.2%), Mexico (15.3%), and Argentina (10.9%). New jobs included Uber driver and selling portraits in San Antonio park. One response read 'Call Center x20,' indicating repetition. The surveys capture self-perception, not verified material conditions.