Day Jobs

Day Jobs is a beautifully conceived art book edited by Veronica Roberts that reframes the often overlooked influence of everyday work on creative practice. Rather than romanticizing the myth of the solitary artist, this thoughtful volume collects 39 artist-centered essays, interviews, and images showing how part-time jobs—from frame-shop technician to museum employee—have shaped and enriched the visual arts. Featuring pioneers such as Mark Bradford, Howardena Pindell, and Barbara Kruger, the book illuminates the productive intersections between economic necessity and artistic innovation. Day Jobs invites readers to reconsider the very nature of creativity and labor in contemporary art.