'The Starving Artist 5|30|11

Monday, May 30, 2011

Let's Talk About 'The Starving Artist'

Let's talk about 'The Starving Artist', shall we?

The stereotype of ‘the starving artist’ has been around for a long time. So long, in fact, that it's nearly reached the level of archetype.

The closest I can come to pinpointing its beginning may be in Flanders in the 17th century, when artists literally were starving. It worked its way through a couple of centuries into the Romantic period of 19th-Century Europe, where it became entrenched as a cultural norm, until finally migrating to North America. I'm uncertain if it continued farther west to influence Japan or China, but it seems likely. Ironically, it has been adopted by many, and 'the starving artist' often goes hand-in-hand with the life of a creative. 

The Guilds were established in northern Europe in the 17th century, enabling artists and artisans to band together for financial gain and apprenticeship opportunities, as well as for political power. The guilds established the artistic career as a bona fide profession, with a sought-after product that served the upper classes.

  

Guilds developed markets for the goods produced, as well as providing opportunities for mentorship in a young artisan's life. As is true throughout the human story, they found that working together as a group moved them forward as individuals, and as a result society also progressed. The same is true today.

               

Working with others with complementary skills and expertise, in support of a shared goal, is the most effective way to move forward. 

My goal is to support your creative work, and to help you to develop 

a solid mission based on integrity and the knowledge that your work provides a valuable contribution to culture.

The art world is fickle. Art movements come and go with regularity, with an artist or genre being in favor in one decade and out the next. These days the trajectory of a movement or cultural favorite can be even shorter — we’re lucky if it lasts more than the span of few years.

Today’s artists face obstacles to overcoming the stereotype of the Starving Artist. I believe it might fall in the category of 'last permissible prejudice'. These things tend to die a slow death, but leave us better off for the loss.

It's time for a change. This self-limiting and denegrating notion that poverty is a given in the creative life, has breathed its last. It's time for a new model: 

‘The Prospering Artist’, has a nice ring to it.

Creativity builds culture. The actions of a creative person are the foundation of every aspect of society, from designing advertising to creating monumental sculpture installations for civic centers.

If you are an artist, a musician, or a writer, then you are an entrepreneur. All the more reason to have a plan for integrating marketing into the process of creating your reputation, for building an audience and, that all-important aspect of the business of art: collectors.

For information, please contact ...
Lora R Fisher | flairCreativ|971.344.5848

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