Who Benefits From The Starving Artist Story

The biggest story the devil ever told was that he didn't exist.

The biggest story business ever told was that it was boring.

Both stories are distractions. They keep our eyes turned away from what is going on. In the case of the devil, we'd plunge ourselves right into hell—metaphorically speaking—because we were certain we had nothing to worry about.

In the case of business, we'd just stay poor and dependent on our employers because dealing with "business stuff" was either too complicated, filthy, too boring, or joy-stealing.

"Business is boring and filthy" is a belief that runs rampant especially in the creative industries. There are SO many major artists who don't own any of the music they created. There are actors who go broke because they do not know how to manage their money. There are creators who have a big break and end up bankrupt just a couple of years later.

Just open any broadsheet and you'll find many, many stories like that.

If you go looking, though, you'll also find the other kinds of stories. The ones about artists who are smart business people. These stories are often reported with a bit of a raised eyebrow. The artist is either already past their prime, not committed to the art, sellouts, or just a D class celebrity with no talent (look back at the reporting about Paris Hilton, for example...).

And then, there are artists who got ripped off because they did not and still do not understand how the industries they work in work. Some of them refuse to learn.

At first, I got a bit mad at the artists. I can't imagine signing a big contract without having a really, really good look at it and asking around for a lawyer or two. Then again, I am not a bright-eyed tween anymore. If a major record label had offered me a large advance to make an album in my early twenties, I would probably have signed up without many questions.

Thinking through this today, though, it occurred to me that it is not only the artists being negligent with their businesses.

Someone clearly benefits from the stereotype of the starving artist. Someone benefits if artists believe that making money is dirty. And someone benefits when artists believe that they should NEVER deal with business lest they contaminate their art.

Someone benefits from these lies.

Just follow the money.

Also, do use sunscreen, ditch the stories that don’t serve you, and always read your contracts.