When you think of someone as a “real artist” you probably conjure up images of the woefully-tortured-for-their-craft “starving artist” and think that even if you ‘make it’ professionally, you probably won’t necessarily be making it financially.
But that is simply not the case if you learn to live your life the right way, frugally but fruitfully :D
10 Ways Not to be a Starving Artist
Don’t quit your day job/ side gig/ work hustle… (at least not yet!). Make sure you can definitely pay your necessities and eat every month or you will stress yourself out of artistic motivation - and maybe even your financial stability. It’s not good to worry constantly, and honestly doing so will help you account for your time better too because it will be more valuable.
Cook at home + workout for free = stay healthy and out of the doctor’s office as much as possible. It is unreal how much eating out and getting gourmet coffee and paying for gym memberships and medical treatments can really add up over a month. Try to pay utmost attention to expenses that are reoccurring and unavoidable, like health and food, to make them less costly as well as more nutritious for yourself. Remember, it always cheaper and easier to prevent rather than treat any condition, so do your best to stay on top of your good health your wallet by preparing balanced meals at home, and try working out at home or in a local park as well.
Budget your money. Figure out ways that you can reuse items, buy used to begin with, make your own, and just plain do without various nonessentials in your life. Keep debts low, resist impulse buys and shopping as a hobby, and try tracking your money very closely for at least a few months to see where your money pitfalls pop up. Realize that following your dream of being a successful artist is worth far more than anything you can own.
Budget your time. Don’t give away your most valuable resource for free. Make sure you are keeping track of where your time is spent and don’t let anyone (not even your besties and family) interrupt your creative work time because that is the one thing you can never get more of and is essential for growing as an artist. Learn to use a planner and say ‘no’ to situations that may be a time suck that won’t pay you your true worth.
Use supplies wisely. Get the most out of all your paints and paper and markers and glue. Don’t be wasteful (or buy stuff you won’t use) and you will save a ton of money as well as help the planet. You can also learn to source supplies from other places than brand new from the art supply store. Let folks know around you know that you are more than happy to take on old art supplies, look around college campuses at the end of a semester for art supplies getting tossed, gesso your old canvases of practice works to be repainted on.. the list goes on and on.
No frivolous purchases. Don’t get suckered into impulse buys for art supplies, or really for anything else if you can help it. Even little $5 purchases here and there really add up. A good rule of thumb is generally not to buy new things unless you are replacing something that is all used up. It’s not going to happen over night if you are used to buying random things often, but owning less stuff will make you happier and more clear-minded, more financially stable, and more creative in ways you could have never dreamed.
Cancel excess subscriptions. Trust me, you don’t need to be watching a ton of TV anyway, only keep like your fave one or two streaming apps and toss the rest. Get rid of any reoccurring monthly or quarterly automatic purchases like theme or art boxes. They are super wasteful in literally every sense of the word. See if anything else you get delivered automatically isn’t piling up and can be paused or just stopped all together.
Find local free events and openings. I am someone who fully believes that there are interesting and fun things happening within 30 minutes of practically everywhere in this country. Put your finger on the pulse of city or town wide events, art openings, street fairs, cultural events.. there are so many fun lil happenings constantly going on if you just pay attention! Some visiting exhibits or events that cost more will often take volunteers to help out in order to see it then and usually get your own tickets for another day.
Learn to barter. You can trade soooo much for your original artwork! Local restaurants may trade meals or a bar tab, fellow artists will trade just for fun or for gifts for others, and certainly folks who offer services like bodywork or classes love to trade their knowledge and skills.
You need to have a positive mindset. Be happy to live within your means and without excess. Be thrilled to reuse, fix, or buy used many of your household objects. Realize that expensive brand names that are only sought after due to recognizability and hype rather than for actual quality are truly empty possessions and not worth wasting money on. Be literally ecstatic to find low cost and creative alternatives to so many of life’s desires and expenses. Learn to love frugality!
10.9.2022