Adam Smith, the father of modern economics, once said in his book Wealth of Nations: “It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest.” However, nowadays, people are enslaved by the profit-driven society, consumerism, and the downside of social-economic inequality, which are believed to be the driving forces keeping the capitalist system running: some people have to work several jobs to receive basic human rights like housing, education, and healthcare. Some may get lost in conspicuous consumption. Self-interests become a privilege, and this pandemic only makes the discrepancy larger.
In my visual art project, "The Weight of Souls- Grocery Bags," where I interview and photograph the artists who had left their previous job/professions to be an artist—those who are battling between having a lucrative job and pursuing their dreams. With this questionnaire, I want to expand this inquiry from art professionals to an exhaustive catalog of the faces and untold stories of the middle class, and respond to the questions that always interest me: How do we define our career identity, and how is that related to our purpose in our life? What pushes us away from pursuing our own dream? What should we sacrifice to live a good life? What is a good life?
