Why It Is Great to Be an Artist in Germany

In Germany, too, artists are entrepreneurs. But among entrepreneurs, we are privileged.

In Germany, there is a lot of whining. Most feel disadvantaged by the state, no matter how well they are actually doing. Especially the artists like to complain about how hard they have it. But since I became a freelance writer and gave up my job, I know how good it is for German artists.

Health insurance and pension insurance

Whoever works in Germany in a salaried employment relationship, health insurance, and pension insurance are automatically deducted from the salary. This ensures that horrendous medical bills ever ruin no one and that everyone has at least a small income in old age.

Employees and employers share contributions to health insurance and pension insurance. If I pay 100 Euro, my employer has to pay 100 Euro as well. Both amounts together cover the insurance.

If you are your own boss, you have to insure yourself and pay one hundred percent of your contributions. Unless you are an artist.

As a freelance artist who lives exclusively or predominantly from his art practice, you have to insure yourself in Germany through the KSK (Künstlersozialkasse — artist social fund).

The KSK collects health and pension insurance contributions from the artists and passes them on to the health insurance companies. The KSK assumes the role of the employer by paying the employer’s contributions to the insurance companies.

Artists thus receive subsidies for their compulsory health and pension insurance.

Okay, but who pays for that? Contrary to what one might think, it is not the state that pays for it. The KSK spends money on artists and collects money from companies and private individuals who regularly hire artists. Every newspaper that commissions professional photographers, every television station that pays external graphic designers and every publishing house that employs cover designers pays an additional percentage of the order value to the KSK.

These are just a few examples of who has to pay money to the KSK. The system is, therefore, mostly self-financing without burdening the taxpayer.

For me, as a writer, this is a great thing. I contribute the KSK depending on what I earn per month and don’t have to take out expensive private insurance, as most other self-employed people do.

That was the best reason why it is great to be an artist in Germany. But the current Corona crisis has added another reason.

Corona help for artists

At this point, not everything is perfect but better than in most other countries.

Artists, too, have been severely affected by the economic consequences of the pandemic. Actors and musicians can no longer perform, authors can no longer give public readings, and street artists cannot generate any income.

The first Corona aid programs, which were created for artists, still almost completely ignored the need. There were financial grants, but mostly they were in the form of repayable loans that only shifted the problem into the future, or there were non-repayable grants to which artists were rarely entitled. These grants were tied to the condition that only operating expenses be paid.

The problem is that artists and other solo entrepreneurs have almost no operating expenses. Most of their income is not used to keep a company running but to finance their living expenses.

After many protests, changes have now been decided. From now on, artists and solo entrepreneurs can also apply for financial aid without having to finance operating expenses.

Today, artists can finally receive money that enables them to pay rent and food, even though they have not had any income for months.

The amount of these financial aids may still be too small for many, but at least they exist.

The German state has recognized that artists and solo entrepreneurs are just as relevant to the system as airlines, hotels, and industrial companies.

In my opinion, this insight of the government makes Germany one of the best countries to live in as an artist at the moment.

Conclusion

Artists and solo entrepreneurs in Germany also suffer from the drastic restrictions imposed by the Corona Pandemic. Here too, some artists are unlikely to survive the economic shutdown.

But at least we have an excellent chance to get through these stormy times. Other governments are abandoning their artists. This is not the case in Germany.

We can hope that not all theaters, professional musicians, and other artists will have disappeared after the pandemic.

I am far from just praising our government. But personally, I am thrilled that as an artist, I currently live in this country and in no other.

René Junge a published author writing on ILLUMINATION.

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