The STARVING ARTIST

It’s a rather illustrative stereotype. The lone artist cramped in their loft, inner city apartment surrounded by unsold creations. The ceilings and walls are cracked. The faucet drips. They sleep on futons. Ramen and Kraft are stock piled in their pantries. Canvases line their walls. Music clutters their floor space. It’s very depicting. It’s very real.

So, what’s wrong with this picture?…

Sticking with stereotypes, there is this assumption that artistry is not the most profitable of careers. And for many artists, sadly this is the case. They have a degree, or two, or even three, and they’re stuck in a profession with mounds of student loans and a career path that on face value doesn’t support them. So, what is the solution to this problem? Where did they go wrong, and how can we support the next generation of artists from heading down this same path?

The answer lies in how we gain our livelihood. All artists need solid ground. Where is your financial stability? Freelancing is not stable, and as we’ve experienced with Covid, gigging is not reliable. Where can you reliably generate at least $35,000? The answer is very simple…the schools. The music education degree is the most underrated necessity in our profession. Often times, it has a sour contempt as the degree for the “failed artist.” It’s the “you’re not good enough to perform or create” degree. And staying true to stereotypes, there is some truth the this. The collegiate schools of artistry are institutions that require a constant cycle of craftsmen and women - some good and some not so good. Those not so good are pushed into the less virtuosic degree option, education.

Speaking from personal experience, this optic is hard to channel when you’re in school. Music is competitive, and when one views performance majors as having these “higher expectations,” it can rattle those pursuing the education degree. Education majors have to do lesson plans while performance majors get to practice concertos. Future educators have to scribe rubrics and learn how to play the recorder while the other get to perform in collaborations. For my non musical artists, I’m sure you have your own parallel examples of this qualm. However, as usual, 20 years olds struggle with the perspective of life after college.

I have many students in both public schools and marching arts organizations solicit my advise about career paths. My initial answer is always the same, “go to the schools.” There, you will find your solid ground. Education is not a lame duck establishment. Not only are you provided a fine foundational income, you receive wonderful insurance incentives. In many locations, you receive free access to health clinics. You receive a retirement pension. And IF you teach in the great state of Texas, you can unlock the mythical and magical unicorn that is the Roth 403b! What is even more wonderful about the schools is that it does not discriminate like the artistry institutions that generated us. In many parts of the country, schools support studio work for those situated with performance degrees. When I left the University of Texas, my first position was a Percussion Assistant Director in Houston where I grew a lessons studio of over 70 students! While this arrangement has a lot more complexities than a licensed educator position, it is still a wonderful solid ground.

Consider this financial arrangement.

The average rent in DFW is $1,383…let’s say you find yourself a more humble dwelling. Let’s situate you at $900/ mo. in rent.

The cheapest option of cable and wifi will run you approx. $120/ mo.

Energy and utilities for an 850 sq. ft. apartment will run you on average at $70/ mo.

The US avg. for a used car payment runs approx. $397/ mo. Let’s estimate your jalopy at $275/ mo.

You’ll bundle your renters and auto insurance into a plan that will run you around $150/ mo.

Netflix is $10/ mo. (actually $9.79, but well round up for our purposes).

I will be kind and assume that your parents cover your phone plan.

Gas is $150/ mo. at a minimum. I haven’t managed to find a solution to lower this figure, and I live 10 minutes from work and don’t often venture.

A ramen diet (which isn’t even the most cost-effective diet) is still $200/ mo (including all other grocery needs).

This totals to a bare-minimum livelihood of $1,875/ mo. in expenses…you HAVE TO make a minimum yearly income of $22,500 to simply exist. And technically, you’ll have to prove $2,700/ mo. in income or more in order to even have this apartment, because most complexes require you to prove three times your rent in income. So, you have to make $32,400 a year to even have this apartment that is 35% less in value than the average of the city. Continuing on, this doesn’t even cover leisure, trips, clothing, furniture, restaurants, holiday expenses, other job expenses, health insurance, life insurance, retirement strategies, and emergencies. EARTH IS EXPENSIVE, Y’ALL!!! And it’s easy for us in the ephemeral world of the arts to get lost in the ever grounding tangibilities of life. The starving artist in a major US city has to prove the average wage earner of the state of Mississippi!

So, artists! We have to beat this cliché. We have to honor our artistry by changing with the times. Our craft by definition is a trade - a skill that is passed down from one generation to the next. Why not support that trade by venturing into society’s most direct source of trade…the schools! No longer can we rely on patrons. No longer can we rely on passive and unreliable methods of generating income. Earth is too expensive and so unforgiving. So, here’s my mantra for you:

Only on solid ground can we build a life. It must be solid, for that ground protects and bears our homes. We must find this solid ground, for when we do, we can enjoy the excitements of the wind without fear of being blown away. We can enjoy the ever changing tides of water without fear of being washed away, and we can enjoy the warmth and mystique of fire without fear of being incinerated away.

Artistry is ancient. It is amongst the oldest professions on Earth. Why should we lessen its cultural and societal importance by allowing ourselves to perpetuate this notion that we must “starve” to create? We must adapt to the times. We must undo these stereotypes. We must fight to keep our profession sustainable. While our profession is priceless in what we have gifted this Earth, sadly, Earth has put a price on us.

Namaste,

The Cosmopolitan Artist