What Happened to the Starving Artist?

The “starving artist” trope is a combination of history, stereotyping, and the narrowing of an already competitive field. The stereotypical artist — one who sacrifices material well-being and income in pursuit of art — walks a dangerous line on the quest toward excellent art.

The fear about making a living solely from being an artist has long diminished the idea that a student could succeed in an artistic field. Many Harvard students experience an even greater push away from artistic careers and toward more high-paying jobs, due to influence from their families. For some, this pressure makes Harvard an artist graveyard: a campus littered with individuals who know that they might never be able to succeed in the rigorous competition of an artistic field, motivated by the necessities of their material well-being.

However, the starving artist also paints a sad image of society today. Many artists make significant financial and personal sacrifices for their art, often getting little acclaim in return. These sacrifices are particularly clear in the current state of art, among the landscape of the internet and AI. Artists have always had to fight the world they live in and the artists they compete against. Now, they also have to compete with an online copycat.

The field of the performing arts is similarly difficult, if not worse. Artists spend their time and money on their craft, and sometimes deal with the aftereffects of their art having an inherent expiration date. Ballerinas may injure quickly as they continue to push themselves to the limit. Singers slowly struggle with their voices over time.

Very few starving artists gain fame within their lifetimes. Vincent van Gogh, the Dutch artist, is a notable example. During his lifetime, he struggled significantly with interpersonal relationships and his health. Despite everything, he died after a life of struggling financially and in his career. In a rare set of circumstances, his art became popular posthumously, which is why the world knows his name today. To the large majority of starving artists, van Gogh’s story is nothing short of fantasy. Many starving artists are barely remembered at all.

An unlikely version of the starving artist can be found in child stars. These stars have sacrificed everything including their health and privacy to achieve what might or might not be their idea of access. However, as seen in recent documentaries like “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV,” the world was not picture perfect. The documentary outlines how child actors are often not compensated fairly, despite the sacrifice of a piece of their own childhood towards their goals in the industry. In today’s digital age, this sacrifice parallels the hundreds of children featured in viral family social media accounts. Oftentimes, parents take the profits, while children learn how to perform for an invisible audience — they are starving artists. Their well-being has been taken in exchange for the production of an art they never consented to. This kind of starving artist can be noted as a new kind: the unintentional starving artist. These children are the people who never chose to sacrifice themselves for art, but have to nonetheless.

However, the typical starving artist has also continued on. Artists continue to sacrifice their lives for their careers, without the expectation of material wealth. Whether motivated by a creative passion or a love for what they do, individuals sacrifice a lot to create art. Influencers spend their money on cameras and technology in the hopes that they will boost their ratings online. Artists spend money on tablets, markers, and other materials, hoping for a creative result that people appreciate. Individuals thrive on the creative spirit, hoping to dedicate themselves to their creations.

This starving artist struggle can only be resolved by fundamentally changing how the public perceives art. By creating a competitive landscape, the public creates a battlefield which may ultimately destroy artists’ capacity to make art at all. There needs to be less of a competitive hold over the art fields to ensure that creativity is not stunted by a price tag and to allow artists of any capacity to live a decent standard of living. It’s imperative to appreciate more niche art from newer creators to perpetuate a world of art that is supportive of everyone.