How to Stop Being a Starving Artist

HOW TO STOP BEING A STARVING ARTIST

We spend hours and hours and hours creating our work. It’s delicate, beautiful, cutting-edge work and we want to sell it. We NEED to sell it. We need to eat. We need to be appreciated. We need more supplies to create our art.

WE NEED MONEY.

With our art we are decorating the world; we are provoking the world to think; we are challenging systems. We are helping our economy to grow with our art. We push art and design to the next level –think Tesla, Apple, Chris Burden purposely getting shot, Martha Graham, painters, poets, sculptors, potters and the list goes on.

We deserve to live in decent places and have cash in our pocket just like those who went to business school have. We need to get out of starving artist status. We need money.

I commend you for having the AUDACITY to go into the arts rather than go into a sure bet field where your brain will be numb but at least you’ll have a stable paycheck.

But now what?

You’re pretty much broke. No benefits. Adjunct teacher at a college maybe. Still no benefits. Definitely no cash for life’s little luxuries.

But you are not going to stop.
Haven’t even considered that.
Art is in your blood.
It’s your life force.
It drives you.
You breathe in, you breathe out
creativity.

But you need money.

HOW TO STOP BEING A STARVING ARTIST

I’m not the Suze Orman of the creative world. But I will say that when you CONSISTENTLY show up at your studio to work, experiment, study, fail, win.

When you CONSISTENTLY show up to the gallery openings, critiques, art world happenings, lectures.

When you CONSISTENTLY go to places where you can meet and build relationships with artists, critics, curators.

When you CONSISTENTLY submit to galleries, apply for group shows, residencies, magazines.

This is when you will start getting noticed. This is when people will know your work and respect you as a serious artist. This is when your art will start bringing in cash.

So, you want to stop being a starving artist?
Then prove it. Do the work consistently.

You can do it. You have it in you.
I believe in you.


If what I said resonates with you and you’d like to hear more, then join my arts-loving community on the bottom of the home page here.