An Artist’s Unemploymentality
2009 March 4
As we’ve suggested before, not everyone with the Unemploymentality were laid off by some knob in the financial industry. No, there are a wide variety of people in our neighborhoods that exhibit the fundamental traits of the unemploymentality with out even receiving an unemployment check. For instance in my neighborhood there is an artist named Shawn who sets up shop outside of the grocery store and tries to make some money by selling his art (actually he asks for a donation). Since I have more time than responsibilities these days, I decided to get to know a little bit more about Shawn and his own brand of Unemploymentality. Here’s his story:
Here are a few of Shawn’s pieces:
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Click to enlarge.
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9 Responses
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That’s a good idea. Sometimes I am desperate enough to imagine doing Tarot card readings for cash!
I want to buy some of Shawn’s art. How do I do it?
Ben, I’m sure Shawn would appreciate that. Email me at john@unemploymentality.com and I’ll help you out.
John Steinbeck wrote novels about guys like Shawn. Keep filming, John. You are documenting history.
This was great, John, keep it up!
Especially since ‘unemployed’ means something so different in the Black community – with so many places experiencing an endless repression that comes along with racism, failed urban policies, and the criminalization of entire communities.
I noticed in one of his pieces, Shawn has a link to http://ghettocomics.com/ – a non-existent site. Does he want/plan to put his art online?
P.S.
I think the best part of the video is when the cops come to harass Shawn, you stick around. He knows that with a camera there, the police reaction to him is completely different.
Guy just trying to sell his shit, what’s their problem?
Yeah, the cop was actually pretty cool to him. It’s the damn manager at the grocery store that gets all pissed whenever he sees him there. He says he can usually get a half hour in before the manager calls the cops.
He wants to start a website for his comic book series that he’s creating. He wants it to be called ‘ghetto comics’ though I think that URL is taken. But gettocomics.net or something is free so he wanted to do that.
Glad you guys enjoyed the video!
sweet video dude, really well done make more of them
Hey. I met Shawn today while walking through Oakland, and bought a print from him. I chatted with him for a bit, and he’s the one who told me about your web site (he didn’t quite remember the name, so I had to search for you). Great site in general, and I love the piece on Shawn. Good work!