For the last ten years I worked full-time to support my artistic pursuits.
I am a sculptor that works mostly with metal.
This is deeply fulfilling to me on a spiritual level, but I must admit it does not pay the bills. I worked in a deadly dull office setting all through this time. I hated every minute of it, but it was the only way to make enough money to keep doing the art that I loved. A few weeks ago I stumbled across an exciting job opportunity, and now I have the chance to use my artistic skills to work for a local HVAC contractor. It seems the HVAC industry has more of a demand for custom-made housing for the equipment they use. Rich people don’t want a big clunky air conditioner sitting in their closet, so they hire an artisan to make a custom housing that looks fancy and elegant. Everyone knows what the air handling unit for an air conditioner looks like, and usually they are unobtrusive. A metal box sits in the side or backyard of the house, helping with the air exchange for the HVAC system and managing the ventilation. What I do is take that metal box, throw it away, and create for you a gorgeous custom-made housing for your HVAC equipment. Instead of dreary A/C equipment now you have an amazing work of art suitable for a gallery. I have made custom HVAC housing in the shape of birds, butterflies, and even a recreation of Stonehenge, and my work is very much in demand.