Perhaps because artists are generally assumed to be starving already, creative professionals are an easy group to overlook in discussions of the ongoing recession.  Regardless, the economy has had an impact on their livelihood.  The following links, while by no means pretending to a comprehensive overview, will give some idea of how severe the impact has been, and the forms it’s been taking.

Pianist David Hahn, blogging at musicianwages.com, speculates that musicians are jumping onto cruise ships, sailing the high seas in search of stable wages.

Hahn also notes that transportation costs have put a cramp on tours.  The high cost of travel has also made it necessary for Hollywood stars to fly coach.  Although this Telegraph article is from November, I’ve searched and found no indication that the SAG deal it reports has not gone through, though I am open to correction.

Speaking for wedding photographers, at least, Ed Wolf of the SnapStory Photo blog observes that they are feeling the pinch both in the number of clients they see and the prices they can charge.

Garrison Keillor, in the meanwhile, has recently contended that poets can contribute to the economy by removing themselves from it, and that young people should pursue their passions regardless of profit.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has assembled a comprehensive report on the outlook for artists working in visual and multimedia in the near future.  The short version is that employment for such artists is expected to keep pace with growth in the rest of the economy, such as it is.

And speaking of government, once upon a time wide-eyed art aficionados believed that President Obama would prove a great ally to the arts, or at least a decent friend.  But so far, art journalist Tyler Green laments, that hasn’t been the case.  And given the fraught political and economic climate, one wonders if a turn-around is likely.