Chasing the Impossible Dream: The Life of a Starving Artist
When it comes to art, a common question that arises is that, do we really get it? Does an average person really digest the point of, for instance a Van Gogh piece? For those who do not know, when Van Gogh was alive, no one really cared about his art. His art brought nothing profitable to him, and yet these days many people are willing to pay millions just to have a piece of his work of art.
His portraits and paintings are now considered as prized and precious possessions only the rich and famous can have. Is it not ironic that the artist behind these expensive works of art chopped his ear many years ago and eventually committed suicide not knowing that he will be famous long after he lived in the face of the earth?
Leonardo da Vinci is another famous artist and a genius who died alone and broke with literally nothing in his pocket. The question remains, what is it about artists who sacrificed their life so that long after they lived, other people would benefit from their work of art.
Starving artists include writers, sculptors, painters, actors, poets and many more. Thousands of them even actually, are all in the quest for fame and fortune. But the ugly truth is that many don’t make it. Who are these so-called starving artists and why do they choose a thankless and non-so-profitable risky profession? It seems that starving artists have their own personal calling or motivation, an inner desire to create art.
Unrealized Talent of Starving Artists
For some artists, no matter what quality of artistry they produce, breaking into the market is almost impossible. In fact, some say that artist and their works are already in a considerably fine line of extinction. Chances of success are quite slim that even those who already created a name in the art industry feel the pinch of being an artist.
These people are very much aware that they are close to “suffering for their art”, they know that they are actually wasting their talents. What is the cause of this scenario?
Low Self-Esteem – beneath these unsatisfying behaviors of artists is low self-esteem. They are, most of the time, filled with fears, anxiety and doubts. They seemingly sabotage their efforts with this mindset. Even though they seek success, the lack of guts leads them to failure.
Unrealistic Plan – Sometimes they fail to pursue and create a concrete plan. Rarely, there is a plan but the plan is unrealistic. The plans are not based on business plans, which make it as a good recipe for disaster.
Failure to make an excellent living for their talent – Some artists has this almost inevitable aversion to focus on their goals. That refusal to follow through the plan and focus on reaching their goal leads to failure. These habits result in believing reaching their dreams is not possible.
It is not as easy as it may seem – feel for the starving artist. Being one is not romantic.
