While I was getting my undergraduate degree in Fine Art (1991-95) I wound up doing many different jobs to stay afloat. I worked 30-40 hours a week, most of it for minimum (or near minimum) wage. I was a sculpture studio monitor and computer center tutor (2 years); counter server at a bagel deli (5 years); graphic design intern at the Exploratorium Museum (2 years); artist assistant in New York (for Dennis Oppenheim) for a few months, as well as an intern at White Columns gallery.

When I got out of school I got a full time job as a graphic designer at the Exploratorium, working on everything from museum graphics to annual reports, and wound up spending most of my nights and weekends squeezing in time to make artwork. Also, I took as much advantage as possible of the woodshop and computer facilities at work, which was a lifesaver in terms of having access to art facilities after school. Five years later I left that job after getting a $28,000 grant that allowed me to take a year off to make artwork, as well as do a year-long artist residency at the Headlands. I got lucky in that during the next few years I received several other grants which finally convinced me to leave my job.

After that I worked as a freelance designer for museums and nonprofit organizations, but also got income from doing lectures, panel discussions, and was on juries for other grants, which all paid an OK amount when added up--little bits here and there. I went back to graduate school in 2005 when I got a full scholarship with stipend.

I sold vintage clothes on Ebay for almost 2 years during grad school, buying stuff at thrift stores and taking photos of them. That wasn't so lucrative but I could do it on off hours. I started sewing clothes from recycled materials and selling them online and in DIY consignment shops and now earn enough to survive, surprisingly! I now teach one or 2 classes a semester at art schools and somehow manage to get by--I love teaching but it's really energy-draining. I still have major problems trying to juggle all my responsibilities and there never seems to be enough time.