I feel like artists don’t talk much about their day jobs. Or if they do it’s usually negative. I work a day job that I love!
Some artists’ day jobs are adjacent to their passion, but mine’s not in my field at all. That’s actually why I applied for it originally, almost three years ago. I wanted something I could do that would pay my bills, but I wouldn’t “bring home” with me or be expending creative energy at. I wanted something physical that wasn’t retail.
As some of you may know, I worked for one of the big art & crafting corporations through college and beyond (six years total). It’s the job that allowed my husband & I to move out to Maine. But when we decided to move back to Michigan, I knew it was time to quit & move on to something else. I landed what should have been the dream job, but wasn’t. After that I was unemployed for a while. Like, starting to panic because I couldn’t find a job. Maybe I was being too picky, maybe the job market just kind of sucked. I don’t know, but I ended up applying for all kinds of weird jobs. Then I saw an ad for a bar back position at a local winery. I had no idea what to expect having never worked in the service industry before. My husband made it seem like it would be awful & backbreaking.
I applied anyway.
It can be hard. In a good way. Sometimes, I have to hustle all day. But that’s where I thrive. I like to be moving and doing things for my whole shift. Standing around with my hands in my pockets with nothing to do drives me absolutely crazy.
While I started out doing bar back duties I’ve done so many other things since then. I’m listed as “Jill of all Trades” on the website. At some point or other, I’ve helped on the bottling line, been on the crew processing grapes & apples during harvest, worked events, done deliveries, cared for the plants outside the winery, worked in the vineyard, packed online orders and wine club shipments, and cleaned just about everything. I’m sure there’s more I’m forgetting!
Recently, I began creating artwork for some of the bottles. It still feels totally surreal. The bottles above are the ones currently available that have my artwork on them. Though the skin fermented pinot gris on the left (my personal favorite label so far) has a very limited amount left! The ability to use my degree has been the best bonus I could ask for and truly an honor. I hope that LFC is able to use this artwork for years to come.
When I applied, I was simply looking for a paycheck. I somehow found a little family as well.
Artwork for upcoming labels: in order a riesling, blaufränkish, and pinot blanc.