Real Artists Don't Starve: Timeless Strategies for Thriving in the New Creative Age

Written by Jeff Goins

Narrated by Stu Gray

Jeff Goins dismantles the myth that being creative is a hindrance to success by revealing how an artistic temperament is a competitive advantage in the marketplace.?

The myth of the starving artist has dominated our culture, seeping into the minds of creative people and stifling their pursuits. The truth is that the world's most successful artists did not starve. In fact, they capitalized on the power of their creative strength.

In Real Artists Don't Starve, bestselling author and creativity expert Jeff Goins debunks the myth of the starving artist by unveiling the ideas that created it and replacing them with 14 rules for artists to thrive, including:

• Steal from your influences (don't wait for inspiration)
• Collaborate with others (working alone is a surefire way to starve)
• Take strategic risks (instead of reckless ones)
• Make money in order to make more art (it's not selling out)
• Apprentice under a master (a "lone genius" can never reach full potential)

From graphic designers and writers to artists and business professionals, creatives already know that no one is born an artist. Goins' revolutionary rules celebrate the process of becoming an artist, a person who utilizes the imagination in fundamental ways. He reminds creatives that business and art are not mutually exclusive pursuits.

Real Artists Don't Starve explores the tension every creative person and organization faces in an effort to blend the inspired life with a practical path to success. Being creative isn't a disadvantage for success, it is a powerful tool to be harnessed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins Leadership
• Release date: Jun 6, 2017
• ISBN: 9780718086312

Jeff Goins

Jeff Goins the bestselling author of five books, including The Art of Work and Real Artists Don’t Starve.

Reviews for Real Artists Don't Starve

[Rohit Guptaa · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Realisitic way of thinking for an artist, worth listening and audio is also nice

[Marina Kim · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A must read/listed for every creative person! Brings together all the essential elements of a successful creative mind.

[Heather R · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fantastic book. There is a lot of interesting history that the author uses as case studies to prove that real artists don’t have to starve (and shouldn’t). Join the new renaissance!

[Marcosar · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

A good introduction for the uninitiated, but I suspect experienced artists (who are making a living) should look elsewhere.

[ponce911 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Recommended to all who want to grow and thrive into the future!!

[Farah Ahmad · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I feel like I need to listen to this again! Very valuable information

[Melani N. Douglass · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent book for anyone who needs to understand that being an artist IS a career and always has been. Also great for artists who need case studies that show how it has been done. What a wonderful time to be an artist!

[Eduard L. · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very very good audiobook. Concise, smart and creative way to become a lucrative artist, from a business perspective. A must read for artist.

[Cassandra G · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is an amazing book for any artist out there. I will be re listening to this again in years to come.

[Marivaldo Sena · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really liked this book. It helped me to see that creative work doesn't mean just a way of entertaining, but a way of living if we value our work and act accordingly. We can have side projects we really enjoy working and still make a living. It applies not only for creative work, but for any kind of work be it in finance, technology, etc. We can marriage things we have to do and things we love to, for real artists don't starve.

[Amelia Koch · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'm listening a second time. As a person with a BA in studio Art, this is the best angle I have heard on the subject. Except for my mother of course who would always tell me it takes a lot of self discipline to be an artist, to counter the stories I told her such as students using drugs then painting and thinking it made them more creative.

[Yana Soguilon · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I just realize how starving artist i am hahaha well done this book is artists life saver!

[Sarah Jones · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Well written, easy to follow and full of real-world advice. As a visual artist I know that a positive and professional mindset is everything, and this book really allowed me to amp up my self worth, especially the section on charging what you’re worth and never working for free.

Since listening to this audiobook I’ve decided to actually make use of my art history degree, and landed paid writing jobs, which provide financial support for my painting. Before this book I conscribed to the stereotype of working low paid jobs which ultimately sapped all my energy, and painting when I got the chance. It didn’t work!

Artists must utilize each and every one of their skills, and become excellent businesswomen and men. This book is a great place to start.

[Klaudiusz Sz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great book! Consists of many helpful tips for aspiring creatives who are unsure how to thrive with their craft.

[Abdelilah Azzouzi · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent, absolute favorite, love how it sheds light on reality

[Amber Jacoby · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Really enjoyed this book, the author had a lot of good examples from famous artists as well as from his personal experience.

[CamilaRavagnani · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely loved this audiobook! It’s is the perfect combination of art and business. It gave me insights about past and present (2020), and more importantly, it started a self evaluation movement of my own condition as a professional with a thriving artist view. Can’t wait to get my own copy!

[Weina Jiang · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The stories and info was good. But the writing style was not as professional as I’d have thought, part of that may be due to the narrator. I wasn’t fond of his voice nor the way he read the material. He made the writing seem like a high schooler wrote it as a project assignment.
This is purely my own experience, even though the book is still worth listening to if purely for the stories themselves.

[Michael · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great motivation about the nature of art in this day and age and how you can make it work for you

[Neogroup · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Goins gives many helpful nuggets of advice here! I think that some of them have the potential to shape how I approach making art, so that slowly artistic ideas and commercialism will become more of a reality.

[Nnini Moabi · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is realistic and informative. Useful tips and builds one's courage

[Jon Godfrey · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Read “Death of the Artist” by William Deresiewicz instead.

[sheila · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Disappointing, unless you're looking for a cheerful pick-me-up. I'm about half way through and the main flaw of this book is already clear - it's essentially a series of anecdotes to underscore the "what you need to do" (very general advice which is in the blurb), in order to become a working artist. But "the how", probably the hardest part, is missing. It would have been a better book if the author hadn't talked about the "artist" in such broad terms, whether it be actor, painter, writer, dancer. And instead focused on providing more specific advice tailored to just one profession.

[Ayan · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I want to love this book so much, but listening to the audiobook was close to impossible for me. I'm not totally sure why, but the narrator's voice was extremely grating to me, and the tone didn't seem to match the content so I registered almost nothing. I will have to pick up a physical copy and try again.

[jonimfisher · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Goins abolishes the myth of the starving artist with strategies for creative to thrive. He also shows how great artists and creatives have thrived over centuries.

[gentlespirit512 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book. Jeff Goins turned the image of the starving artist on its ear and made it possible to imagine a world in which writers and artists don't have to wonder where their next meal is coming from. It helps creatives to find ways to collaborate with others. Not only do real artists not starve, they don't exist in a vacuum either.

I read it fast the first time. I'll read it much more slowly and with pen and paper (or the computer) to take notes the next time. I'm pretty sure that next time will be soon.

[hjvanderklis_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Thanks to the power of the myth that real artists starve for art, live in poverty, are recognized and valued after their death, many of us have a distorted view of artistry. Aspiring artists take the safe route in life and don't dare to stand out. Enter myth buster Jeff Goins who in Real Artists Don't Starve: Timeless Strategies for Thriving in the New Creative Age replaces this paradigm by that of a thriving artist. The goal of this book is to help you build a life that makes creating your best work not only possible but inevitable. Examples like Michelangelo, Ernest Hemingway, Vincent van Gogh, J.R.R. Tolkien, the Brontë sisters, but also contemporary ones such as moonwalker-became-painter Alan Bean, Gordon Mackenzie (Hallmark), Sam Phillips and Elvis, Steve Jobs (Apple, Pixar), Dr. Dre (DEP, Beats), Michael Jackson, and Beyoncé serve to illustrate the real genius, the real artist.

Goins identified twelve principles for his Thriving Artist paradigm. You're not born an artist but become one. Better than striving to be original it's better to steal from others and build upon their work. Collaborate, but apprentice first under a master. Cultivate patrons, practice in public, and don't work for free. Own your work, make money to make art, and master many crafts. 

We are used to seeing artists struggle and suffer for their art. Throughout history, there have always been daring individuals who were unwilling to accept that false depiction of an artist. Goins showcases them and hopes you're inspired to use your creativity to harness success. A convincing book!