The Funambulist
Working Without a Net
When we were young and just beginning to walk on the wire as self-employed artists, we embraced how much we had to learn about balance and not falling off. We weren’t necessarily brave, just very determined. Back then, we expected that we would fall every so often, so we cobbled together a net to catch us when we fell. That net consisted of an art support group at the local art center and library, free rent in exchange for work and income from numerous temporary illustration and design jobs. Many of you will be familiar with combinations similar to those. It is part of the young Funambulist’s repertoire. That word, funambulist, is ancient Roman in origin. We think it is interesting that in English, it embodies the word for pleasure wrapped up in the very real danger of attempting to walk on a wire high above solid ground—the fun generally being in the not-f…
