Let’s Talk about the “Starving Artist” Myth
By Mel of brokeGIRLrich / July 16, 2014
I’m crazy about theatre! The magic, the audience, the feeling that anything can happen onstage. That’s why I chose my career. For many, a romantic spark leads them to pick their careers. But in the world of performing arts, this romanticization has gone way overboard—it seems almost wrong to ask for fair pay—we’ve created the “starving artist” myth ourselves.
Tell me one other job where it’s normal to live on welfare, share a studio with eight others, work for free, and still hear people say, “they’re just doing their thing.”
Doing what, you ask?
This would suggest failure in any other field!
Why is it in performing arts that low wages or even voluntary work are accepted so casually? It’s always, “it’s for the art,” or something along those lines.
The underfunding in the arts sector is clear to all. Producers need to think about the funding aspect more seriously before staging shows, rather than just focusing on the passion and magic of theatre.
But I want to point out, this is not a rant against producers.
It’s about us, the artists, and this so-called “starving artist” syndrome. It’s not romantic or okay. And mainly, we’re the ones inflicting it upon ourselves.
We should be aware that creating art is a skill! We shouldn’t accept minimal pay for our work, because this sets a precedent for the next person, and the one after that.
But this seems to be a losing battle. Unless we all demand fair wages and refuse less than minimum wage, nothing will change. Eventually, this unfairness, these long hours without fair compensation, doesn’t only affect us but it destroys art.
By offering jobs to those willing to work for the least, we’re welcoming low quality.
And because we’ve grown used to “starving,” we, in the arts, have neglected personal finance. Despite being masters of side hustles, our disregard for budgets, emergency savings, and retirement plans is shocking.
Asking for a living wage, a real one that covers rent, food, plus savings, is not unreasonable—it’s standard in other career paths.
Fun fact: I once thought the “starving artist” was a necessary phase to achieve success (I blame it on the musical Rent). But it’s clear: this romanticized notion is slowly killing us.
And that’s a wrap on my rant.
For more engaging conversations around this, see:
The “Starving Artist” Slur
The Myth of the Starving Artist
And many more.
So let’s rethink the “starving artist,” shall we?
Tags: against the starving artist, how the starving artist is ruining art, starving artist, theater, theatre, why being a starving artist is bad.