Freelance Artist: Debunking the Myth of the Starving Artist

September 6, 2009 by  

There is an article floating around the internet of an interview given by actor Thomas Jane promoting his new HBO show “Hung”. It is about how he “hung” on through the hard times to make it where he is today. In the article, Jane talks about how being a starving artist helped him. He mentions that at moments in his life he was living off of food stamps and sleeping on park benches. “There were a couple times I wanted to quit, but fortunately I didn’t have anything else I could do,” he says. “So the thought of quitting would come when I couldn’t find any purchase in the barren soul of the artist, and I carried on. I think I had that advantage over some of my peers, who were very nervous about not having a car and very worried about the social status of being poor, whereas it didn’t bother me at all. I actually thrived and had a good time being poor and made fun of people who looked to social status. I was shown the light in India that that was a bunch of hogwash. It was irreversible and untradeable and an absolute gift. It gave me the strength and wisdom to overcome a lot of rejection.”

While I agree that social status is not something that one should hold in high priority, I disagree with the starving artist myth that is being continually promoted. The acting field is a business, and to come from that perspective, one will see that the mindset of a starving artist could be detrimental to one’s career.

Diversify
The current economy is causing the work force to realize something that artists already know, one needs to diversify their work skills. The age of the freelancer is here. Many people are having to work many different part time jobs to create a stable finical foundation. This should not be news for an artist. As an artist, you need to have many different skills that you can market to many different fields. Sure you got the acting business down, but that is not going to pay the bills. What other skills do you have? Are they ones where you can freelance and create your own hours. Have you set up a business model to sell your many different skills? There are many freelance options: wedding photography, child care, dog walking, virtual assistant, etc. Do you think you do not have any skills? Well, then teach yourself. There are plenty of cheap (and free) online training programs to help you in learning a variety of skills.

Branding
Once you have your multiple set of skills. I emphasize multiple, as things will be slow when you first start out and you will need many different potential ways to generate income. Now it’s time for you to create your personal brand. Here is a hint: the personal brand is you. As an actor, you are the product. Make yourself the product for your other freelance jobs. This is what Marci Alboher calls, in her book in her book One Person/Multiple Careers: A New Model for Work/Life Success, “The Slash Effect”. An evolving workforce in which people are defined through multiple identities rather than just one job title.

Create a brand that ties in all your skills. A great place to do that is a website. As you can see here at DENNIS BAKER LLC, the website highlights my different skills. With Permalinks, it is easy to send a potential customer to the specific page that promotes the skill they need. If I am promoting my web design skills, I give out the web address “www.dennisbaker.net/web-design/”, if I am promoting myself as a teacher than I give out the address, “www.dennisbaker.net/teaching-artist/”. The potential client can read the specific information that pertains to their field, without searching pages that have nothing to do with job they are looking to hire.

Freelance Is About Freedom
Being a freelancer takes a lot of work, but in the end it is about freedom. Freedom to pursue what you want, when and how you want it. It may not feel that way at first as you will probably be working more hours in training yourself in the a variety of skills you need, building your brand, and finding freelance jobs. But for the artist, the positive out ways the negative. With many freelance jobs, you can work from anywhere. Take your laptop (and wireless internet card) on set and while you are waiting hours upon hours to be called to shoot your scene, get a couple of hours of work in for your client. Are you on tour, or away from from home for three months with a theater job, no problem your work can go with you. Your client doesn’t even need to know you are not at your home office. Being a Freelance Rockstar is about maximizing your potential income hours, without having to be tied down to one location.

Share Your Story
I am coming from the perspective of an actor. What artists in other mediums and fields are creating a freelance model that works for them? How have you branded and promoted all your skills. Please leave a comment. Share your story and help your fellow artists. Knowledge is power!

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    Comments

    8 Responses to “Freelance Artist: Debunking the Myth of the Starving Artist”

    1. Brandi Ford on September 6th, 2009 8:39 pm

      I couldn’t agree with you more! While acting is my priority, I’m also a wedding coordinator. While I’ve had to limit the number of weddings/events I take on I’ve found that it offers such a freedom that I love and gives me the flexibility needed for me to continue to go on auditions.

    2. Dennis Baker on September 6th, 2009 9:38 pm

      Good to hear, Brandi. Thanks for commenting. A friend of mine is a video/visual artist. He does wedding photography, mainly in the summer, which helps pay for him to work on his art during the rest of the year.

    3. Maria Helm on September 7th, 2009 9:03 pm

      Enjoyed your post! I was laid off last year and that prompted me to work freelance. I decided to become a virtual assistant. I am so much happier now than I’ve ever been. I enjoy the freedom of working virtually anywhere in the world without being micro-managed by anyone.

    4. Cory Huff on September 8th, 2009 2:09 pm

      It’s been a ton of fun learning how so many different artists diversify their talents. I’ve met actors who are tour guides, SEO professionals, graphic designers, salespeople, lawyers, and dozens more. I love the diversity!

    5. Jennifer Gleeson Blue on September 8th, 2009 2:56 pm

      I, too, disagree with the starving artists paradigm. It’s self-defeating and unnecessary. When I worked for a casting department at an Equity theatre, I was always impressed by actors who had other gigs going on and particularly remember one who rented chocolate fondue pots for special events. : )

      Now that I am self-employed as a life coach (who diversifies by project but not really by specialty), one question lingers for me that I haven’t given too much attention and would love to hear others’ opinions on: does diversification inhibit you from becoming as successful as you’d like?

      For example, does spending so much time on web design lessen your proficiency as a teaching artist or an actor? And vice versa.

    6. Dennis Baker on September 8th, 2009 3:25 pm

      Good question Jennifer. I think extra work needs to be taken by a freelancer to balance their time properly. I would also say some fields help others. When I teach, I think it betters me as an actor as I have to keep up the skills I am teaching. The ideal for some might be to spend all their time in one field, but in this economy, that might not be a viable option.

    7. Jennifer Gleeson Blue on September 8th, 2009 4:30 pm

      Makes absolute sense. It seems, too, that the more engaged we are in creating a meaningful life – in financial and non-financial ways – the more rewarding life is overall. I know that for me, doing the same thing day in and day out would get boring, and so I’ve created a job that offers that variety.

      Additionally, fields like acting are influenced by so many factors and I have noticed a sense of powerlessness because there is a whole lot of waiting to be chosen. I bet it’s particularly helpful to have another gig going wherein you can feel like you’re in the driver’s seat in a more powerful way. That sense of success invariably spills over into other endeavors.

    8. From Passion to Profit: Living the Freelance Lifestyle | DENNIS BAKER on April 26th, 2011 6:02 am

      [...] & TIME MANAGEMENT To continue the freelance myth busting, started by Laura, the saying “jack of all trades, master of none” does not mean one [...]

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