The Artist’s Sacrifice: Perspectives on the “Starving Artist”

By Danny Maggs


This Capstone Project, “The Starving Artist: An Investigation into Multihyphenate Artistry” by Summer Resident Danny Maggs interrogates the concept of a “starving artist” and “true artistry” through literature review and interviews of multihyphenate artists. Through this capstone project, Danny creates and exhibits a profile for each of the artists interviewed, along with an artistic journey mapping of their artistry, and an analysis of the project’s main inquiries. Read the profiles for each artist here: Karla Estela Rivera, Thomas Kurtz, and Simon Phillips.  

Additionally, Danny created an accompanying piece of audio for this project:“I created this piece like I usually compose and record my songs, through semi-improvisatory vocalization. I created several loops of vocals and vocal percussion overlapping, and overlaid selected audio from my capstone presentation. The goal was not to create a masterpiece of music, or even something I’d listen to casually, rather to emphasize, explore, and self-reflect on the communication aspect of my learning and how I felt I had presented my work.”

Introduction

Through my capstone interviews, I wanted to do more than create profiles for each of the artists—I wanted to get their perspective on the research inquiries themselves. I posed three questions to each of the interviewees, derived from the project inquiries. The intention was to get their individual thoughts put in context with their profiles to expand perspective on these issues. What follows is an overview and analysis of their responses, with specific quotes taken from the interviews themselves. I’ve made the intentional decision of using the word “perspective” as opposed to “opinion”, as these issues are ones of commentary and conversation rather than right versus wrong. Thoughts are naturally going to differ, but can and should live in tandem with one another. 

What is an Artist?

Unlike many other vocations, the definition of an “artist” is notoriously hard to pin down, and even harder to agree upon. My interviewees varied in their interpretations of the identity. From Karla Estela Rivera:

“On the most basic level, an artist is somebody who utilizes an artistic medium to do something for them that other realms don’t do.”

She argues that the identity does not require a specific level of proficiency or number of accolades; it is up to the individual to decide how essential the art is to them and their identity, and determine whether or not to don the label. 

Thomas Kurtz states:

“Someone who identifies themself as an artist is merely someone who views their life as being filled with some kind of creative means.”

He agrees that artistry is not necessarily defined by financial gain through one's art – an artist may work professionally as something else entirely.

Finally, Simon Phillips:

“I think everyone is an artist; I think an artist is a human. The way people live their lives is an art.”

A freeing belief, Phillips views existence as inherently artful. “The world alone is art.”

These three perspectives, though diverging semantically, all hold a similar sentiment: artist is more than just a job. Rivera asserts, “it’s a vocation, it is very much something you are called to,”—artistry is a way of life. And how could it not be; Phillips argues, “there’s a natural art that humans have the capability to tap into and acknowledge, embrace, and be inspired by.” This art that we supposedly have the ability to welcome into our lives is available to us all; we just have to have the desire and drive to do so. 

What is a Starving Artist?

Rivera describes the image of the “starving artist” as a, “romanticized vision of…poverty is cute.” Artistic pieces (e.g., Rent) have long explored this image, and almost always simultaneously romanticize poverty. “It’s kind of an insult,” she says, “but it is also an indication and kind of a wholesale acceptance of wage inequity. It is a devaluing of art as a way of life and as a self-sustaining medium and career.” 

Wage inequality is no doubt a major issue in the arts economy of our country, and it affects many people’s perceptions of aspiring artists: they assume they’ll be starving and working a hard, low-paying job concurrently. And this is not only accepted, it’s glorified. Rivera also explains there’s a competition and lottery aspect—either you’re a waitress working nights and barely getting by, or you’re Beyoncé. There is no viable in-between, according to most. 

Kurtz explains that the term “starving artist” has evolved over time.

“The association I make with it (starving artist) are these words like sacrifice and grind and things that are sort of depleting to, like, the natural way of being in order to immerse yourself in a craft…it aligns with this idea that there needs to be sacrifice to pursue passion.”

He goes on to remark that the “starving artist” is someone who is doing what they love, but has completely sacrificed financial comfort in order to do so. In the real world, however, there are many artists who are doing just fine financially: “I just think that some people have a skewed or a narrow perception of what it means to be an artist.”

Similarly to Rivera’s understanding of outsider’s perceptions of artists, Kurtz says that the expectation is that you will be starving. He says if we were to broaden the scope of what it means to be an artist, it makes less sense to abide by this principle of starving artistry. 

“[The idea of the starving artist is] more so than just like this taboo idea. That’s like very much so a real thing.”

Phillips brings the perspective of truth to this phenomenon—many people they know rely on their artwork for income, which is “not always enough”. Though he agrees that this is not always the case. He discusses outsider’s perspectives on professional artists and their work, citing an instance he met with a friend in the tech industry. When driving by Phillips’ former boss’ house (she was a dancer), the friend was shocked to see how nice it was. There’s a perception, Phillips argues, that people hold about the average professional artist, and it does not tend to be one of luxury and comfort. 

Is Struggle Necessary for an Artist?

Struggles, for artists, are not simply economic. Says Rivera:

“It’s learning, it’s understanding humanity, it’s interpersonal relationships, it’s…understanding landscapes, it’s figuring out how you do your best work in different environments.”

Phillips agrees that the artist’s struggle is not defined by money: “many art forms…are kind of responses to trauma,” he says, “that’s why arts can be so empowering as a means to navigate experience, whether it be traumatic or positive.”

Additionally, Rivera challenges the idea that an artists’ sacrifice is just their financial comfort. She also argues against this “world of extremes” where the only two options are stardom or barely scraping by, also pointing out that people from lower income backgrounds and/or marginalized communities have to rely on economic success much more than others who are more privileged. When they do not have the money to fall back on during hard times, it’s more difficult for them to maintain a career. 

“Success is not about the stage that you’re on, it is about your ability to self-sustain,” she states. How much art and culture are we missing out on, she wonders, because of artists living and working in an economic environment that does not allow for sustained success? The struggle and sacrifice that they endure regularly does not make them more successful; it inhibits their comfort and career. 

Kurtz self-reflects, recalling his undergraduate studies in saxophone performance. He had been in the routine of co-practicing with a friend around 7am in the mornings, and continued said routine even after the friend stopped. The feedback he received from peers and professors was positive. But the positivity was not towards his time practicing, it was towards his practice of waking up unnaturally early. They praised his sacrifice of healthy sleep to further his musicianship and artistry. This was not out of the ordinary for the music education atmosphere—he recalls receiving a resource pamphlet at a summer saxophone camp. The front of the pamphlet read, in big, bold letters: “No pain, no gain.”

Kurtz began to feel a disconnect between how much he was praised for his artistry and practicing habits and how he personally felt about his musicianship. 

“I didn’t feel fulfilled in the music that I was making.”

The struggle and sacrifice, what promised to fulfill him and allow him to excel at his art, was doing just the opposite. 

Phillips comments on the purpose of artistry being overshadowed by financial struggles endured by artists.

“With artistry, we have to keep that in mind: what is our impact?” 

Art, they say, should be intentional and clear in its expression, even just art for arts sake. Many artists want to “just make art” but, he says, bills must be paid regardless. 

“How can we practice and craft our art in a way that seems inclusive and accessible and understandable?”

Posing this question, Phillips further comments on the purpose of art-making, bringing to light the question of access to art for others, not just the artists themselves. Can artists make art that is accessible to all while still maintaining their own livelihood and comfort? 

Conclusion

While Rivera, Kurtz, and Phillips all bring individual and unique perspectives to these issues, a few themes do emerge:

  • Artists Do Art: Though it may seem obvious, this definition of artistry is a lot more open than many I read in my literature review. Not constrained by financial gain, this consensus on artistry allows for a world of interpretation and creation. 

  • An Artist “Starving” is seen as an inevitable part of the career: Whether it’s a friend surprised at an artist’s wage or a parent saying “good luck being a waitress!”, many artists have felt the repercussions of the “starving artist”’s prevalence. Not only is it expected that they will go through financial turmoil, it is accepted. 

  • Artists should not have to sacrifice financial comfort to make their art: Though there’s differing perspectives on what kind of sacrifice is asked of artists, the general idea of financial sacrifice being detrimental to livelihood and artistry is agreed upon. The notion that giving up everything and working harder than everyone will guarantee you success and fulfillment does not hold true for most.  

The issues brought forth are often of the perspectives of society and outsiders, but there are very tangible problems as well. Wage inequality and societal barriers to aspiring artists are real within the artistic industry, as with any industry—but unlike with other industries, artists are meant to accept these problems as par for the course. The romanticization of living in poverty, giving up everything, and selling your soul to the art causes real harm to artists and prevents change. Once this issue is widely recognized as one that needs to be addressed and is fixable, we can move forward into a better path for artists everywhere. Until then, the stories and perspectives of artists living it deserve to be told.

Read the profiles for each artist here: Karla Estela Rivera, Thomas Kurtz, and Simon Phillips.