The Myth of the Starving Artist

The myth of the starving artist is still weirdly romantic in people’s minds, and I think it’s poisonous. It suggests that suffering makes the work pure, and that the moment an artist becomes financially stable, the work somehow loses integrity. That’s fantasy. I work, constantly. I budget materials, negotiate shipping, photograph and archive each piece, talk to collectors, manage invoices, write about the work, promote shows, pack crates, handle logistics, and still carve out protected studio time like it’s oxygen. None of that makes the work less honest. In reality, professionalism is what allows the work to continue existing. Sustainability is not selling out; sustainability is how you stay able to make uncompromising work for decades instead of burning out in two frantic years. I want to normalise respect for that labour. The painting is the point, yes — but the structure around it is the reason the painting can keep happening.