Willenbecher
I’ve been watching these short video profiles of the loft-dwelling generation of New York artists. It’s fun to see how these artists live, work, and how they all remember hanging out with Warhol.
They also all seem so young despite being in their 70s, 80s, and 90s. The reason for their youthiness seems obvious to me: they don’t have day jobs to sap their energy and their time. They do what they like to do and, importantly, they do what they’re supposed to do: they’re not railroaded by some timewasting endeavour necessary to pay rent. They don’t suffer daily separation anxiety about not doing what they ought to be doing.
Today’s artist is John Willenbecher. He puts it plainly:
If there’s one thing I’ve done in my life that I think is really great, it’s that I’ve never had a job [laughs]. I’ve never had to work for somebody. I was never a trust fund baby but I’ve always somehow managed to get along.
Live on your wits, live for your art, live for ages. If you can.
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About Robert Wringham
Robert Wringham is the editor of New Escapologist. He also writes books and articles. Read more at wringham.co.uk