I ask myself this question daily, “Is it possible for me to take care of myself and those I love while making great art and growing my career?” Yes. Absolutely. What if we shift how we perceive artists, artmaking, and artists’ humanity? What if we replace the myth that artists must give up everything that makes us well. We lay to rest the idea of sacrifice for art, and in its place, we see ourselves as whole, essential, and contributing human beings. We require our social contracts and our business contracts to reflect our core beliefs. I started LoveHustle in 2013, an artist-led, multi-platform conversation about artists pursuing dreams while balancing life, love, family, relationships, and work. This 10-year examination of artists’ work/life balance, begins and ends with the conversations we have with ourselves.
Monica L. Williams is a conceptual performance artist and artistic leader who specializes in cross-sector collaborations. Her work has been presented live and virtually at various community-based organizations, festivals, off-Broadway theaters and major cultural institutions including the world famous Apollo Theater, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater, TED Women Conference, Audible, and the National Black Arts Festival. She lives in Harlem, N.Y., and is a frequent visitor to the Island.
Photographer Robyn Twomey’s Portraits on Purpose profiles people carving their own destiny in order to have a positive impact on the world. They are changemakers, cultural innovators, and sometimes troublemakers, but always good trouble.