Great Legendary Creatives Who Lived with “Normal” Day Jobs

Many creative people today can’t afford to dedicate themselves fully to their art. And many who juggle their craft with a “normal” job often feel a loss of identity — as if the world doesn’t take them seriously.

The question always hangs in the air: “If you’re truly a writer, an artist, a filmmaker — then why aren’t you getting paid for it?”

The recent opening of the Henri Rousseau exhibition in Philadelphia — a painter who spent his entire life working at customs and painted only on weekends — made us think: who else among great creatives had ordinary day jobs?

So we put together this list.

Reminder:

No one can take your identity away from you — not a job, not a hostile environment, not a country, not an illness.

You can work anywhere and still remain exactly who you choose to be.

The only person who can take that away from you — is you.