The cliché of the starving artist has existed for centuries in all creative sectors, and the music industry is no exception. Unfortunately, this makes musicians all that more likely to expect a hand-to-mouth way of life, particularly when an impoverished lifestyle is encouraged on the basis of making ‘art for art’s sake.’
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In this recent piece on MusicThinkTank, Ghostly Beard laments the still-prevelant creative culture which often celebrates and encourages the cliché of the ‘starving artist.’
“But romanticizing the idea of impoverished artists struggling to create art at the expense of financial security reinforces the notion that artists should create “for art’s sake” alone, with no expectation of compensation, and normalizes the idea that an inability to support one’s self is an inherent part of life as an artist, making them a class apart, basically less than any other human beings, and that it’s therefore perfectly normal for them to beg!”