Starving artist is another label and it’s not a myth. Today, it simply means you are not selling or selling very much. Probably not starving per se. According to Artnet News, in the US alone, a full 75% of artists made $10,000 or less per year from their art, 50% made zero to $5,000. The best we can do is create a DBA, meet tax code criteria and write off expenses. I’m OK with that. https://news.artnet.com/market/artists-make-less-10k-year-1162295
Why do most artists fail? A simple Google search result provides three profound reasons: “The main reason why artists fail at business is because they (1) don’t identify a viable market to fill (2) Creating art is a self indulgent activity (3) Artists listen to the inner voice that drives them to create” There is a lot of meat in those three sentences. https://mywifequitherjob.com/why-artists-fail-in-business/
I would like to put a positive spin on the current state of affairs, the universe will get me if I don’t, but fine art has been gasping for years and with the pandemic, its on life support. Put in the most simple terms: supply of art is astronomical – demand is a fickle trickle. The vast majority of davenport art consumers, opt for affordable prints. At the highest end of the economic scale, wealthy buyers opt for sure thing dead masters or very trendy “formula series” art that is recognizable, cranked out by MFA phenoms, represented by real galleries that attest that their work has investment value. The latter group is further promoted by media influencer’s – critics, digital magazines, on line galleries and global social media platforms, confirming the formula work is desirable and worthy to buy.
Don’t get me wrong, the quality of the top 1% of fine art that sells, for the most part, is astounding. Said another way, my conclusion is that living artists that consistently sell, are gifted, highly talented athletes, that generate prolific amounts of high-quality work. Yes, some pose provocatively and scantily clad with their large format art work in beautiful, two story high, urban studios. Their peak may be short lived, art is worse than music or sports. However, once you have a substantial curriculum vitae and Youtube channel, you can then make a living traveling the world and stay in nice places doing demo’s until you shrivel up with old age.
Another definition for starving artist is an artist who sacrifices material well-being in order to focus on their artwork. Hmmm, I think we are on to something here. Maybe its not about selling, maybe we are being fed a line of crap by the world defining success. Maybe the inner voice that drives us to create is what matters. There is no proof of a soul but I know I have one and its relentless. Genesis and creation. Maybe that’s what we get to do when we grow up.