Doing What You Love—The Myth of the Starving Artist

September 21, 2009

There’s a belief that artists have to starve, that suffering is the price for following your passion. But, who says it has to be this way? Who says you can’t thrive? There’s plenty of evidence all around that you can. Sure, you might face hardship when you do what you love. But everywhere you look there are stories of those who pursue their dreams and make it—some make it big.

In this blog, there are stories (and trust me, they were not hard to find) of people who achieve great success in this pursuit. Scroll down and see for yourself… Julia Child became a world-renowned chef after deciding to follow her passion of eating great French food and teaching others how to cook it. Julie Powell combined her passions of writing and cooking, and now has a book and a major motion picture out that tells her story. And two examples closer to home, Shelley Seale and Marcie Finney, transitioned into writing and jewelry design respectively—both tapping into the joy of creating from their gifts. Success stories such as these are everywhere we turn.

It’s time to debunk the myth and realize it is possible to thrive doing what you love. As I mention in Professional Destiny, believing is key. Start with a clear vision of what you want to do, set commitments and then get serious about the discipline it takes to get there. And you’ll need discipline, because although the journey may be joyful, you are almost guaranteed to face some obstacles.

It may take a little time to build yourself and your business. Expect an incubation period. During this time, you’re at a crucial (sometimes fragile) point and it’s important to surround yourself with people who support your vision. Believe in yourself enough and believe in the possibilities. Don’t fixate only on what is right now, but envision what might be.

Next, be willing to invest in yourself. Maybe you’ll need to keep a side job to pay the bills while you transition. Maybe you’ll need to cut costs to fund your new venture. For example, when I transitioned from advertising exec. to author and coach, I called this period of cutting costs to invest in the future, my “freedom plan.” I was willing to cut back to fund the freedom to do what I love. Instead of viewing it as a step backward, view it as a step toward forward.

If you face hardship, keenly notice the difference between a constant, unrelenting struggle vs. hitting a few roadblocks, while still experiencing joy along the way. If it’s the former, you may need to morph your strategy (we don’t always get it right the first time out of the chute). If it’s the latter, persevere. Obstacles are to be expected. Stay determined to overcome them and look for people who can help you.

If you have the inclination to pursue your passion, do what you believe you can do, even if people say you can’t. Be the rogue, the artist, the entrepreneur.  Follow the recipe of vision, commitment, faith, perseverance and discipline—and then put your starving artist sign away.

Filed under: Doing What You Love

Tags: career change, career satisfaction, Doing What You Love, self discovery, starving artist