Basic Income for Irish Artists
The Irish government has just made its Basic Income for Artists scheme permanent, giving 2,000 creatives €325 a week (around $1,500 a month), with no strings attached.
Honestly? That’s brilliant news.
Not just for artists, but for how we value creativity in society.
We talk a lot about “the power of art,” but rarely do we back that up with actual structural support. Ireland is doing what most countries still don’t have the courage to do…
Putting its money where its mouth is and saying: art matters, and artists deserve stability.
You can’t expect artists to push culture forward when they’re also working three jobs just to survive.
Security fuels creativity. Time fuels experimentation. And trust fuels great work.
The results of the pilot program really do speak for themselves:
– Stronger wellbeing
– More artistic output
– More engagement in communities
– Even economic benefits through taxes and tourism.
But the most powerful outcome is harder to measure… the cultural confidence that comes when a country tells its creatives, “we’ve got you.”
It’s a bold reminder that supporting artists creates better culture.
If we want to build better places to live, work, and connect (from offices to hotels to city streets) we have to start with those who create the culture that makes them worth being in.
I’d love to see the UK (and others) take note.
What do you think? Should more countries introduce a creative basic income like this?
[Credit - Smithsonian Magazine]
— Calum Hall, Founder
