Real-Life Decision Making -- Solution
You find a way to keep puppeteering.
This is the real-life decision made by puppeteer Yolanda Yott. She says
it's hard to make money puppeteering, but if you love it, you should
stick with it.
"It's a sort of rare, specialized talent, and there aren't a
lot of jobs for puppeteers at all," Yott says. "It's kind of unrealistic
in a sense, but then again, it can be unrealistic for any dream. So, I think
you should always try to go for what will make you happy."
The keys to making a living puppeteering are flexibility and the ability
to juggle many different jobs. Some jobs won't actually involve performing,
but they'll help you pay your bills.
Of course, some people perform shows just for fun. They don't care
if they make money, because they have a different full-time job. There are
many chances to do free shows at special events and libraries, for example.
For people like Yott, however, puppeteering is such a passion they find
a way to make it work. The satisfaction she gets from being creative and performing
for people is not something she'd trade in, even with the drawbacks.
"Some people could say that you're not going to make a lot of money
as a puppeteer," Yott says. "Maybe that's true, and if you want stability,
it's not a stable life at all. There's no stability in the arts
at all.
"The reward is that you're doing what you love to do."