Since the beginning of time, creative types have struggled with a paradox. If you are an artist, deep down you want to pursue the passion of your genius. You want to create the purest representation possible of your soul and share it with all who will notice. The further you get from your heart, the more anxiety you feel; but you at the same time, you have to eat.
Every artist goes through a period, usually in high school or college, where he scoffs at the idea of “selling out to the man.” He thinks: those fools running in and out of that big office in their fancy suits… I’ll never be like that.
But soon, the weight of the world starts to stack upon your shoulders as bills start to pile up. Life without a job starts to loose its luster. How long an artist can hold his ground becomes a badge of honor to those who remain.
The Artist’s Dilemma
In the short-run, the truer you are to your own genius, the less it pays.
The life of an artist is a constant struggle between creative control and financial reward. This is one reason why so many great artists throughout history lived such tortured lives. Many of the greats were never even recognized in their lifetimes. It wasn’t until they passed that they reached global status.
As an adult and an artist, you must find your place on a continuum between creative control and financial reward.
If you choose to live on the extreme left of the spectrum, you choose the life of a starving artist in exchange for total control of your art. You create what you want, when you want, no matter who is paying.
If you choose the extreme right, you “sell out” your creative skill to someone else. You get paid a lot for your talent, but you do it at the expense of creative control. Your job is to create someone else’s vision.
One path is not better than the other, just different. Survival and self-expression are both on the hierarchy of human needs. Unfortunately for the pure artist, survival is necessary before self-expression.
One for Us, One for Them
One approach that many independently-minded Hollywood types have been taking lately is to alternate between artistic and commercial projects. The artsy movies satisfy their craving for self-expression while the commercial films pay the bills. Here are a few examples…
Stephen Spielberg:
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Commercial: War of the Worlds, Catch Me if You Can, Jurrasic Park
Artsy: A.I., Emperor of the Sun, Munich
Matt Damon:
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Commercial: Brother’s Grim, Borne Identity, Ocean’s 11, 12, 13
Artsy: Dogma, The Good Shepard, The Talented Mr. Ripley
Robert Rodruiguez:
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Commercial: The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D, Spy Kids 1, 2, & 3-D
Artsy: Sin City, From Dusk Till Dawn, El Mariachi
Richard Linklater:
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Commercial: Bad News Bears, The School of Rock, The Newton Boys
Artsy: Slacker, Dazed and Confused, Before Sunrise, Waking Life, A Scanner Darkly, Fast Food Nation
Balance
The answer (just as it is in every classic duality) is balance. The longer you resist financial gain as a starving artist, the less freedom you have. It’s unpopular, but true: money gives us a certain amount of freedom; and debt takes it away.
At the same time, the more addicted you are to money, the less freedom you have. If money is the center of your life, your creative soul will begin to starve, shrivel, and fade away.
If your goal is to eventually have total artistic freedom, you must begin by freeing yourself from needing money. This doesn’t mean to quit society and move into the woods. It means to live as modest a life as you can bare, and build passive income until you are free to create whatever you want, even if no one wants to buy it.
Without the pressure of money, your art will flow freely from your soul and fulfill you as an artist.
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Very interesting post, Brian. It clearly describes the struggle between being idealistic and realistic. Balancing these is an art I must learn to master.
I felt the urge to become a musician at one point.. I still play my guitar a lot (I just bought a new set of strings for it too!!!), but I went through that realistic phase..
But I still do love freedom in my life and being my own boss, so I’ve been running my own business, and I dabble in many areas of entrepreneurship these days, trying to find my passion..
In my case, technology/marketing/people turned out to be another passion and a talent so I’m loving life… and music is a great passtime/hobby, and a great source of entertainment for friends once in a while.
I can tell that you have a great attitude, and that’s what’s keeping you going!
Someone said, Creativity takes Courage, this is sooo true. Great post, you’ve struck a nerve. Balance can be so elusive. I am 44 years old and have lived the life as a ‘starving artist’ since 1975. I started young. After leasing retail art space for six years in downtown Delray Beach (as an artist-owned gallery -no small feat); I finally purchased art space (a blighted industrial compound in downtown Delray Beach). I am am currently realizing my dream of creating an urban arts oasis where all creative expression is art. I continue to discover that where there’s a will, there’s a way. I remind myself, if it were easy everyone would be doing it.
Kevro,
I totally agree with your comment. ‘There is a will, there is a way’ from Buddah. I wrote down this on my photo porfolio to remind myself. And it’s also very true that creativity takes courage, takes a man out of a man. If it’s what you truly love, just do it. Don’t ask and don’t doubt. You only live once.
I have a bit of copy on my site for exhibiting my paintings entitled “The Artists Dilemma”. Generally speaking I’m a painter, not a writer and the thought suddenly came to me to knock the phrase into google just to see what I could come up with. Hey presto! this is what I found. Thank you very much, it sums things up so very well I quoted a bit of it on my site. I hope you don’t mind, I have put in a credit and a link back with the quote.
Dude I am so there…. great post!
Interesting post.
Very artistically put!
Creativity is a central source of meaning in our lives. Most of the things that are interesting, important and human are what makes us different from apes. Our language, values, scientific understanding, and artistic expression that was recognized and transmitted through learning.