What if artists weren’t starving?

An artist friend came over for tea recently and after we caught up, she confessed that she was having suicidal thoughts. Cutting herself. Unable to pull herself out of the dark hole of debt, doubt and disillusionment because of a bad deal with her music that was sucking her dry. But almost in the same breath, she spoke of her new music and how it’s the best she’s ever created and how she’s sure she will be able to survive on her own.

This juxtaposition of paralyzing fear and bottomless hope is common within the creative community. I’m talking about is those who go from thinking they’re half-decent at drawing, playing guitar, dancing to dedicating hours of practice and persistence to a craft that makes their heart sing in ways nothing else does. These are people who can’t NOT create art. And in the best cases, they burst through the forces against them to make your heart sing too.

They are compelled to express themselves and their perspectives on the world through mediums most of us are afraid to touch. Some get to the point of communicating new meaning, offering deep connection, revealing hidden perspectives that enhance our world view and experience. Art allows us to have a deeper understanding of ourselves and, therefore, a more fulfilling and meaningful life.

So why are artists starving?

Potential answers:

1. There are more artists creating art than there is demand for their work and creations. (Demand deficit view)
2. Most art isn’t that ‘good’. (Value deficit view)
3. People are told from an early age that they shouldn’t practice art because it’s not ‘real’ work. (Capital deficit view)
4. People are afraid of feeling or expressing themselves in a way that art demands in order to fully comprehend it’s value. (Emotional deficit view)

Likely the reason artists are “starving” is a combination of all four options, but I want to zone in on the fourth possibility: fear.

Fear is often what keeps people from even pursuing art (and most things) in the first place. Fear is often what prevents them from fully investing themselves in the craft to achieve greatness. Fear is often what limits the audience’s ability to fully appreciate and value the offered art. Fear is, therefore, what could create an imbalance of supply and demand.

Let’s go back to the beginning.

If you’re a parent, think about how many drawings your child may draw for you in a lifetime. Possibly a roomful, if you children are anything like mine. And it’s impossible to take the time, effort and focus to actually receive and take in every offering your child gives. I always felt like it is. Or is it?

What would happen if you took an extra 30 seconds to talk about the art with your child, discuss what they were intending and what it means to them and what your thoughts are about it.

What if you got to express your feelings about the subject of the picture, rather than just passing judgement: “It’s good! It’s cute!” What if you asked, “What made you think to create this dragon? What feeling did you have when you were drawing it? Why is the dragon’s expression sad? What is the dragon’s story?”

Not only are you demonstrating empathy about an imaginary creation, you are demonstrating VALUE of this object of art to your child. Because what your child has done is express their perceptions, emotions or imagination into a creation that they want to share with you (which is exactly what an artist does). How can we better respond to our children’s presentations to open up a channel of discussion that could bring out more emotional connection and awareness?

Artists and athletes everywhere reposted this video of Chinese billionaire businessman, Jack Ma, speaking at the World Economic Forum about the importance of teaching sports and arts to children in order to promote skills humans inherently possess over machines. Because if a machine can do the job, it’s likely that the human will be replaced.

So let’s imagine what would happen if we started focusing on ‘soft’ skills, as Ma puts it. How would the world change if we could express ourselves creatively without the fear of being told it’s less valuable work than other subjects? What if the understanding and reflection of art was essential to our growth, just like eating healthy foods? And when we were presented with art in our lives, we ALLOWED it to move us? What if we respected and rewarded creativity in any kind of work?

Furthermore, what if artists were assigned appropriate value every time they offered their heart on a platter for us to witness? What if we saw the vulnerability, pain, love, joy, confusion in the art and understood that the feelings we allowed ourselves to experience were adding incredible value to our lives?

Let’s take a typical scenario: a busker plays music in the street. Right away, they are viewed as a ‘charity case’ or potentially homeless or poor. Maybe desperate?

Let’s pretend we could pause on those thoughts and recalibrate. What if we just stopped, listened, watched and worked to take in what the artist was trying to express? What if we actually listened to the words of the song? Considered their meaning or the situation of the lyricist? Watched the expression on the artist’s face as they changed key or turned a phrase?

How many times have you just mindlessly walked by a busker or even thrown in some spare change and not actually stopped to to experience the art? Have you ever actually looked into the eyes of the artist? Have you stayed to talk to them between songs? Have you put any work into trying to take in the offering they were giving? Or have you deflected that experience with tossing a few quarters or by walking to the other side of the street?

What stopped you? Lack of time? Lack of interest? Lack of enjoyment? I would argue that there’s a fear at play here that prevents most people from just giving art any chance to affect them.

The value of filling up someone’s emotional bank is as valuable as filling up their monetary bank, so why not make it a fair trade? But the only way you can receive this wealth is to remove the fear subconsciously (or consciously) preventing you from engaging in art of any form — including your own.

Imagine artists are able to receive fair compensation for the energy they put out. Not Beyoncé-level wealth — just a fair standard of living.

What would it look like if artists weren’t starving, but flourishing? Most of the artists I know would not horde that wealth in their bank accounts. In fact, it is my deep belief and experience that artists are incredible drivers of the economy because when they get money, they spend money. And they support their communities. When an artist is loved and given value, it is their best talent to reflect that love right back.

Imagine…happy, creative artists who have sustainable lives…creating a happy, creative populous who has a multitude of opportunities to understand and reflect on our humanity…this is my dream.

For what will this world be without the eye of the beholder to witness it in all of its complexity and beauty and show it back to all of us who have fallen asleep?