Has your life path reached a dead end?

Time to move to the ARC!!


YOU CAN'T AFFORD IT....

     OK a lot of artists think they can't afford to live here yet it is not really true. Let me explain one of the reasons. If you rent a basement suite in Vancouver you will probably still pay around a thousand bucks a month. With a typical basement suite you can handle that for about three or four nights. finally you snap and head out for a quick beer. Last time I checked a quick beer costs around a hundred bucks. Partially because of having one too many, the food after you have one too many, the taxi drive home because you had one too many and the fact that who ever you drug home eats the last of whats in your fridge the next day. If you do that two or three times a month and you have burnt at least three hundred right there.

     Then if you add up all the times you have to head out for coffee just because you can't stand your little underground cave with no view or sun any longer it gets even worse! A coffee and a muffin these days beats up a ten dollar bill. Twenty times a month and there is another two hundred bucks! Hey you won't hear starbucks complaining but who's life are you trying to build?

     On top of all that you have no space or ability to produce or practice any of your passion because your space is small. Thus you end up ticking away the moments that make up a dull day.... usually on farcebook or youtube. Either that or there are people living above you. This puts your life into stall mode. You are going no where and getting no where just as fast. If you ever want to know how fast time goes by... think about the last five or ten years! The next five or ten seems to take forever to get here the last always goes by fast!! Thus don't base your time decisions on the next ten years!!!

     Here at the ARC instead of heading out for beer you can work on your artwork, hit the gym, hit the metal or wood shop, kiln room, darkroom or music practice room. Or maybe even stare out the window at the incredible view. If that gets boring you can go visit your neighor and have a glass of water. All which beats being a regular consumer producing nothing and spending lots to make someone else rich.

     If you factor in the above along with the fact you can write off seventy percent of your rent here it gets even better. Sure you might not be able to use those write off's right now but if you are serious enough about your art form you will be able at some point. With your basement suite you will be lucky if you can write off any of it .... ever. 

     The other thing about living here is the building is full of artists that are striving to be productive with their artwork and passion. That makes it harder for you to slack off and watch youtube. Thus you end up being hugely more productive.

     Of course you could keep your basement suite and rent a studio space across town. That will cost you three to five hundred at the least, not to mention it means you will have to drive or take the bus to get there, you would have zero security when you are not there as alarm systems are meaningless, and no access to all the amenity rooms we have here!

     Living here you can also be part of the Eastside Culture Crawl. Sure you can be part of it no matter where you live in the Eastside but how many people are going to come to your creepy little basement suite... ten... most of which are your friends to drop off a little pity. Last year here at the ARC we had three thousand people come through the front doors!!! Our record is 3,800 through the front doors. I am convinced we are going to hit 4000 this year! (especially if you move in here with your art!!!)  That much exposure is incredible! If you are serious about your art then it might be time to look at whether you really "can't" afford it or not. If you don't believe my babble you may want to read Steven Pressfields book "The War of Art". I can't recommend his book enough. He will kick your talent in the butt real quick!! Not only did he kick mine but he shone the light on all my feeble excuses.

     We also have group shows here in our common room which can also be more exposure. Or if you want you can have a solo show down there in our common room or as we sometimes call it "ARC Gallery".

     Another cool thing is the potential for networking that exists in a building like this. So it all pretty well boils down to how serious you are about your art... Yes I know  you are... you have been saying it for years now... might be time to show a little backbone for a change... bite the bullet.... and start thinking about the ARC.... after all.... the world's waiting!!!    

just sayin.....