From the Studio: The Starving Artist

The Starving Artist Myth: Romantic or Ridiculous?

We’ve all heard it. “You're an artist? So like… what’s your real job?” Cue the eye twitch.

The starving artist stereotype has been around longer than your grandma’s Tupperware. It paints this picture of a misunderstood, paint-streaked genius eating instant noodles in a drafty attic, tragically devoted to their craft while the world passes them by (and passes on paying them).

Let’s set the record straight: This myth?✨ Is outdated.✨ Is damaging.✨ Is total nonsense.

Where Did This Even Come From?

Blame the 19th-century Romantics (and probably a few too many tortured poet vibes). The idea that "true art must come from struggle" became romanticized, like artists are only legit if they suffer for their work and never sell out (aka: succeed financially). As if making money and making meaningful art can’t co-exist.

Spoiler: they absolutely can. And should.

The Reality Check

Artists work hard. Whether you're a painter, potter, designer, candlemaker, or crochet queen — you're not just creating. You’re:

• Marketing

• Shipping

• Pricing

• Photographing

• Budgeting

• Crying into your coffee because USPS lost another package

• …and maybe (just maybe) squeezing in a little art

This is a job. A real job. And yes, you should get paid for it.

Why It Matters

When society treats art like a hobby instead of a career, it becomes harder for creatives to thrive. People start expecting free work (“for exposure” 🙄), undervaluing handmade goods, or balking at prices without realizing how many hours went into that piece.

If we keep feeding into this myth, we normalize burnout and unpaid labor. And that doesn’t help anyone.

So What Can We Do?

✅ Support local makers (shameless plug: hi, welcome to The Rustic Cow Crafts)✅ Pay artists fair prices✅ Say "no thanks" to free labor requests✅ Respect creative work the same way we respect other trades✅ Educate folks who still think "arts and crafts" are just for kindergarten

Final Thoughts

Art isn't just a luxury. It’s culture. It’s emotion. It’s connection. And artists? We’re not starving. We’re thriving (with enough support, caffeine, and maybe a functioning label printer).

So go ahead. Buy the art. Tip the artist. Ditch the myth. Being creative should never mean being broke.