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The Struggling Artist Trope, Explained: Why Movies & TV Think Unhappiness = Creativity
The Take Film TV Movie
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20 hours ago
While so many of us might dream of building our lives around our creative passions, often the financial reality of being an artist can be a major hurdle. In film and television this isn’t...
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00:00
While so many of us might dream of building our lives around our creative passions,
00:05
often the financial reality of being an artist can be a major hurdle.
00:11
In film and television, this isn't always seen as a bad thing, however.
00:16
Often, struggling is in fact seen as proof of an artist's true commitment to their craft.
00:22
And indeed, suffering has been so intertwined with the idea of creativity
00:27
that it's often seen as a necessary part of the journey.
00:31
But why is the idea of suffering for your art such a major part of pop culture?
00:36
And how does it affect our views of artists and their work in the real world?
00:40
This is theatre, Chandra.
00:42
We don't have to do any of this.
00:44
We do it simply because we must!
00:47
What?
00:48
Let's take a closer look.
00:50
As art has been connected to this idea of suffering to some degree for so long,
00:55
it's shaken out into a few subtropes.
00:57
The struggling artist.
00:59
One who is down on their luck but scrappy and truly feels like they have a shot of making their dream
01:03
a reality if they can just find a way to keep themselves afloat a little bit longer.
01:08
You should have a guitar.
01:11
I sold up to pay the bills.
01:12
You can't go on like that.
01:14
These artists often feel like they have a difficult time truly focusing on their real work
01:19
because they have to spend so much time trying to make ends meet with jobs they hate.
01:23
Welcome to the graveyard of ambition.
01:26
Loco caliente means crazy hot.
01:28
Crazy because that's what you'd have to be to eat here.
01:30
Or work here for that matter.
01:32
The starving artist.
01:34
Generally darker and more down and out.
01:37
These artists are often more stubbornly focused on a very specific idea of what their art should be,
01:44
and what it truly means to be an artist,
01:47
and so are willing to forgo pretty much anything in service of their vision.
01:51
This leads them to be less willing to take on work that doesn't align with their end goal,
01:56
which in turn often leads to them going without.
01:59
How's the music going?
02:02
Uh, pretty good.
02:03
Pretty good.
02:04
Oh, good.
02:05
So you don't need to borrow money.
02:06
The tortured artist.
02:08
The most obsessive and self-destructive of these subtypes,
02:12
the tortured artist's degree of obsession with their work often leads to them developing
02:17
anti-social, destructive personalities that pull them away from the world around them until
02:22
their art is all that they have left. Though their art is the sole focus of their life,
02:28
it doesn't even necessarily bring them joy. Their drive feels more like a compulsion.
02:35
They have no option but to create.
02:38
But still, at least it held my ground because I am an artist, okay, an artist,
02:41
and this is not art.
02:44
At their core, all of these artists' tropes stem from the romanticization of
02:48
one caring so much about their art that they're willing to eschew everything else,
02:53
money, relationships, food, in pursuit of it.
02:56
I can't decide if you have everything or nothing.
03:02
I live in the moment. Nothing is everything.
03:06
On the more positive end, this can play out as an artist who is just crafty and resourceful,
03:12
finding a way against all odds to bring their dream to life.
03:15
But more often, we see the darker version, where this pursuit leads to their own ruin.
03:22
But why does this idea that art and financial stability cannot coexist have such a hold on our
03:29
stories? In addition to the very real issues artists face in trying to create their art and
03:34
also be able to eat and pay rent, which we'll dig into more in a moment.
03:37
There are times when we're dirt broke and hungry and freezing, and I ask myself,
03:45
why the hell am I still living here?
03:47
Much of movies and TV's ideas about the idealism of the starving artist,
03:52
is drawn from the era of bohemianism. In the mid-19th century, many artists began attempting
03:57
to separate themselves and their work from the more constraining parts of society and the pressures
04:02
of capitalism. Many had already been kicked down by society. And so, instead of attempting to give
04:08
up and give in, went in the other direction and attempted to embrace a more simple life,
04:14
in order to focus on their art and art alone. Well, and also love, of course.
04:18
But I know about art and love, only because I long for it where every fiber might be.
04:24
Puccini's 1896 opera La Boheme is one of the most well-known windows into this era.
04:30
It follows the ups and downs of a group of bohemian artists' friends in Paris,
04:35
as they struggle to create and survive in a world that seems set on not allowing them to do either.
04:41
An artist's struggle to block out everything except their creative passion often turns tragic.
04:48
But it can also be seen as romantic, as it seems to represent a pure form of creation,
04:54
unsullied by the pressures of the outside world. Artists frequently have to contend with the internal
04:59
clash between not wanting to sell out versus needing to do something to make money to live.
05:05
I'd always heard that you had some talent.
05:06
That was last year. This year I'm trying to earn a living.
05:09
The artists who choose to take the more difficult path
05:12
often see themselves as being above others who gave in to the machine.
05:16
If that's what music is for you, a way to get to that place, then yeah, it's a little
05:20
camerist. And it's a little square. And it's a little sad.
05:25
There's also a lurking fear that once you take that path,
05:29
you might end up pulled away from your art forever.
05:33
And I nailed the odd dish, but I didn't get it.
05:35
But anyway, I just decided to give up on myself and become a teacher,
05:39
because those that can't do, teach.
05:41
In addition to the idea that one should suffer from external factors, say lack of money, for their art,
05:47
there's also a pervasive idea that internal suffering is required to create truly great art.
05:54
Creating any sort of art is hard work.
05:57
From putting in hours and years practicing and refining your craft,
06:01
to working to afford supplies, to just figuring out how to draw a concept from
06:06
your imagination out into the real world in a way that truly resonates with people.
06:11
I'm so f***ing tired.
06:14
I thought I just needed a night's sleep, but it's more than that.
06:19
But there's also a darker side of that coin.
06:22
The idea that pain and inner turmoil are the true font of creativity.
06:27
Mentally, for 30 years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed,
06:32
but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance.
06:36
Suffering as a way to prove that you really want something, or are truly worthy of it,
06:41
is prevalent in all aspects of life. And the world of art certainly has not escaped that pull.
06:47
The reasons driving this vary onscreen. Sometimes the artist's compulsive behavior is viewed as
06:53
stemming from a deep mental health issue. Other times, just from a desire for self-destruction.
06:59
Do you ever think about the future at all?
07:03
The future? You mean like flying cars?
07:06
And this is why…
07:07
The romanticization of these issues by the media can be a way to hand-wave away the actual issues.
07:14
Essentially saying, sure, they're having a miserable time, but it's all in service of the art,
07:19
so it's fine actually. Because while internal issues like mental health absolutely play a part for some
07:26
artists, the truth is that so much of the pain that's come to be associated with artists is due
07:32
to external factors in the way they're treated by society. Even though art and creativity are major
07:38
pillars of society, and we have plenty of evidence that they've been a central human interest for a
07:44
long, long time, they're still seen as frivolous pursuits. So failing and suffering are seen as fitting
07:50
punishments for those who dare to step outside the lines and try to do something that doesn't
07:55
exclusively serve capital. What do you do?
07:59
That's such a stupid question. It's kind of hard to explain.
08:02
Because what you do is complicated? Because I don't really do it.
08:06
In Ryan Coogler's Sinners, we see how a deep connection to one's art can summon external dangers.
08:13
Sammy has a musical gift. His beautiful voice and great guitar ability literally connect him through
08:19
time and space, and pierces the veil between the living and dead, past and present.
08:24
Pursuing his music is the only thing he wants to do with his life.
08:28
But his father feels that it's too dangerous, and peril does befall young Sammy and his cousins and
08:34
friends. His song attracted the interest of a clique of vampires who want to take not only his abilities,
08:40
but his soul. In the end, with the help of his cousin, Sammy is able to not only survive,
08:46
but then go on to thrive as a musician. He doesn't need to give in to the darkness,
08:50
or give up his dream. He just needed the opportunity to carve out his own path.
08:57
The idea that artists are supposed to suffer for their art really functions as an excuse to treat
09:03
them poorly and underappreciate them. Many complaints can just be volleyed back as them
09:08
being the problem because they must just not care enough about their art. And it's often framed as
09:13
an either-or situation. If your art doesn't bring in the money, then the responsible thing to do is
09:19
to give it up completely, and instead focus on getting a real job.
09:24
The point is, because of your $2.79 spending spree, we now owe $60 and our phone and gas are gonna be cut off.
09:30
Which then just leads to the only people who are able to take the time to create art
09:34
being people who are already wealthy.
09:36
Exactly. The only people who can afford to be artists in New York are rich.
09:41
According to research by the National Art Statistics and Evidence-Based Reporting Center,
09:46
individuals reporting primary employment as an artist or other cultural worker
09:50
were less likely to be working full-time than are workers in general.
09:55
How much artists make also varies widely depending on what kind of art they make.
10:00
Architects, who are counted as artists in government statistics and reporting,
10:04
earn well above the median for mediums more traditionally associated with the arts,
10:09
like painting, photography, dance and so on. There's also the question of getting a degree
10:14
in your field. It can come with invaluable learnings and connections, but can also possibly
10:20
lead to immense debt and you not even getting to end up working in the arts anyways.
10:25
Are we having fun yet?
10:28
Would you prefer we not do that?
10:30
No, I love that.
10:30
A report by BFA MFA PhD found that only approximately 10% of arts graduates were able to make
10:37
their primary earnings as working artists. The report states,
10:42
We struggle to support ourselves with jobs outside of the arts, and we struggle to earn a living in
10:47
the arts. Yet art school administrators and creative class reports assure us that arts graduates make a
10:54
living in the arts. The undervaluing, both of art and the artists who make it, is unfortunately an
11:01
ever growing problem. Though everyone wants to enjoy the creations themselves, across large swaths of
11:08
society there's no real interest in making sure that the people who actually make these things are
11:13
able to live comfortably and keep making the stuff we love. Arts programs and grants are being totally
11:19
decimated, and the rise of AI slop has led to some people feeling like they can just replace artists
11:26
altogether. While this is all pretty bleak, we aren't without hope. We now have more ways than
11:31
ever to attempt to more directly support artists. From buying their creations in real life or online,
11:38
to signing up to support them on a more regular basis via things like Patreon, to just sharing their
11:43
content to help it reach a wider audience who might themselves be able to spare some funds.
11:48
And while showing the reality of how difficult it can be to be an artist will of course always be a
11:54
part of film and TV, we can also begin to move away from the stories that romanticize suffering
11:59
as being some necessary part of true creation. And in real life, we can all work together to help
12:05
fix the issues that really cause artists to struggle, and create a better world for all of us in the
12:12
process.
12:21
That's the take! Click here to watch the video we think you'll love, or here to check out a
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