Bazaar Cafe is a host to local struggling artists. Many of the patrons are artists in the truest sense of the term: they are extremely artistically talented, but cannot support themselves through their art. They sit in the cafe writing code for website applications, grading high school history papers, etc. and occasionally "just for fun" will pull out their sketch pads and embroidery hoops and make some art. Every artist that I talk to that comes in tells me to learn web design or advertising if I insist on being an art student. One such patron, Shane is the most talented embroiderer that I have ever met. Her unbelievable skills, patience, and creativity have many times inspired me to pick up my embroidery needle. When I gave her the publication we had a discussion about how she was supposed to be having an art show in a local venue to showcase her new embroidery and hand-made clothing line. She said that she had multiple discussions with the art coordinator and in the end he simply refused to communicate with her through any way other than email. Shane doesn't have email, and thus lost out on the space. Apparently, you need a computer to be an artist.
sylvia is a local website designer. she told me she's still waiting for payment for a website she created for a christian university in the east bay. There are no regulations on how much someone gets paid or when. The arts are not considered a respectable or important career where standards should be set. Sylvia went to art school in Europe and says that all of her art school friends are making livings for themselves there. Also, they receive social security and will actually be able to retire sometime.
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