The Dangers of Gig Work

Telling somebody you’ve just met that you’re an actor or artist usually comes with an unspoken assumption on their part: that you have a side hustle that actually pays the bills. As dismissive as that may feel, for many of us it’s true. I can’t count how many actors and artists I know who’ve worked as waiters, hostesses, babysitters, drivers, and bartenders—or whatever else was available—to stay afloat while pursuing their craft, all in an economic landscape that’s often hostile to creatives.

If you’re an artist looking to pick up a side hustle, a simple Google search will yield thousands of credible results. There’s no shortage of self-anointed experts and coaches who will provide you the tools to survive the modern gig economy. They will claim that gig work provides an artist with the ultimate flexibility required to do what they really love. But I’m much more interested in the flip side of that conversation, an angle we don’t hear that much about: the very real downsides and dangers of gig work.

You may think gig work gives you permission to go “all-in” on your artistic career. But the truth is much more complicated than that. Gig work is just a temporary fix, one that brings with it a host of insecurities and stressors. But primarily, it delays the inevitable question you’re avoiding asking yourself: How can I make my artistic career the whole of my career? Here are some of the problems you’ll probably face when depending on gig work, and how it will remove you from (rather than get you closer to) your ultimate goal.

• It’s unpredictable and unsteady. Oftentimes, when submitting to the temptations of gig work, you’re simply turning yourself into cheap and disposable labor for a large corporation. You work just as hard as a full-time nine-to-fiver but without any of the advantages of financial stability: health insurance, retirement plans, or job growth opportunities. In that sense, gig work truly represents the worst of both worlds. You are going to have plenty of ups and downs, bumps and ditches, and triumphs and doubts on your path as an artist. Don’t duplicate those stressors in your money-making life, which should bring with it stability and contentedness.

• It disconnects you from a personal mission. While occasionally lucrative, babysitting, clearing tables, taking orders, or temping at an office are contributing nothing to your artistic development. You might ask if a typical nine-to-fiver, who cranks away in an office all day, is somehow more artistically satisfied in the workplace. Perhaps not, but the typical nine-to-fiver is at least working in an environment somewhat related to their strengths and interests. They enjoy a steady, built-in support of colleagues, plenty of booze-filled opportunities to network, and employer-subsidized professional development programs that keep their skills sharp. Side gigs aren’t those kinds of gigs. You are putting in the same amount of labor and time into the work, but you’re not receiving any of the additional “soft” benefits that come from actually practicing your profession of choice.

Even QVC kitchen sponge impresario Lori Grenier agrees with me. On Shark Tank, Grenier and her cadre of celebrity judges are not shy to balk when they discover that some of the show's contestants are holding down second jobs on top of the businesses they are trying to start. The show’s judges rightfully demand these contestants give all their attention to what they’re trying to accomplish—that singular goal—because the sharks know that they need to be “all-in” in order to make it happen.

Now, I’m not naive enough to believe you’ll make your primary income from your art and your art alone—at least not at the beginning. You will most likely need a secondary revenue stream. But there is a fine line between gigging—which saps your energy at the end of the day and keeps you beholden to someone else—and a stable and satisfying revenue stream that holds a meaningful connection to your mission as a whole.

A solid secondary income stream can take many shapes. Do you have an eye for spaces that you could translate into a virtual interior design offering for folks on a budget? What about a “reel-to-go” service where you travel to nearby locations to help with self-tapes? Have you been wanting to turn your side interest as a writer into a more stable copywriting job? It’s entirely possible to find income-generating work that complements and supports your artistic interests and talents in a way that gig work simply cannot. 

Building that secondary income stream is a whole course unto itself so, for now, consider the gig work of the past, present and future. Does it continue to serve you? If not, let us know. We have some more insights into what may.