The Starving Artist & The Deflection of Empathy

In the online space of the arts, it seems more normalized than ever to invalidate the struggles of artists in favor of the "bootstrap" mindset. What is the bootstrap mindset? It refers to the belief that if things are difficult, you simply need to pull yourself up by your bootstraps and climb out of whatever hole you are in through sheer will and hard work, regardless of the circumstances surrounding you.

This mentality is especially present when it comes to struggling artists. While encouraging people to do their best is not inherently bad, the issue is how this line of thinking is directly and passively used to dismiss or downplay artists experiences. The message is often not one of support but a form of invalidation masked as motivation.

Many people do not actually want to uplift the starving artist, they view them as privileged and entitled and perhaps some are. But often they want them to remain silent or at the very least not have their experiences impact an imperfect system. Acknowledging their reality would mean confronting one's own participation in a broken system that affects us all in various ways.

There is a deep, often subconscious, cultural conditioning especially within art spaces that appears resentful of vulnerability. When artists, whose job is to create and express, speak about systemic flaws or the imbalance of wealth and influence in the art world, their concerns are frequently reframed as jealousy or bitterness in an effort to invalidate or dismiss those criticisms.

There is some truth to this dynamic. For every sincere artist expressing frustration over the difficulty of surviving as a creative, there is another expressing apathy or resentment toward those in more privileged positions, sometimes in ways that reflect on their own poor decisions or lack of creative vision. Both realities exist, but one is often misrepresented as the other in order to avoid acknowledging difficult truths that implicate one in the structure or normalization of the system we all participate in.

Perhaps this response stems from the fact that independent artistry is still not viewed as a legitimate career. Often times artists are only taken seriously after they have already succeeded or have passed away. Are we afraid to admit that no one achieves success entirely alone? Because doing so would require acknowledging the roles of wealth, influence and social capital in the success of artists. Understandably so, it is an uncomfortable truth for many to reflect on.

My interest in this subject stems from a desire to foster a more honest and supportive environment. The artist on the verge of losing their home with only a small following should not matter less than the artist that has succeeded by both social and financial metrics IF its really about "The Art". Yet the usual response to this situation is often "Put in the work," as if success follows a straight and linear path. As if its not a maze of visibility, perception, timing and who you know, especially when a few influential individuals have the power to elevate or ignore someone entirely with a single action. These scenarios represent the power dynamics of being an artist on social media and in the art world in general.

To ignore these dynamics is to ignore what most artists and people in general actually go through. If hard work and talent were all that mattered, we would be having a very different conversation. The challenges facing the creative world is not just about income inequality, Its also about how we choose to connect, support, and empathize with others, particularly when there is little to no immediate reward for doing so.

The verbiage used to silence struggling artists are internalized and ever present. They are so ingrained within us that its not even always a malicious thing. Many people who dismiss an artists concerns, believe they are helping. They may even see it as a form of tough love. But time after time, i've seen artists pushed to their financial and emotional limits told repeatedly to just "do it for the love of art." That the money does not matter. That passion is enough.

I have seen artists internalize this message so deeply that They begin to normalize their own suffering so they don't appear weak among peers. They hide their struggles behind curated optimism. This is something that has been heartbreakingly ingrained in art culture for decades to the point where the stereotype of art needing to come from pain is still ongoing. I have seen some of the hardest working and most talented artists sell the least and receive minimal recognition. And yet, no matter how bad things get, they still hear the same lines: do it for the art. As if that alone will sustain them.

Many of these artists have been creating for years and years without a cent to the work they've produced and fully understand being guided by passion over profit, so its usually not something they ever need to hear because they've lived it.

While art can be considered a luxury, it is also essential for the sustainability of culture imo. And yet almost no other profession is expected to overlook survival in favor of passion. We do not tell teachers, doctors, or engineers to keep working for free because they love their jobs. This disconnect reveals a deeper cultural discomfort with acknowledging the value of art and the emotional labor behind it, as if emotional labor is less valuable than physical or intellectual labor.

This ties directly into why mental health remains such a taboo topic. Our society promotes a kind of performative strength. It encourages people to hide their pain and expects others to do the same. Vulnerability becomes something to be ashamed of, rather than a means of connection and inspiration

We are taught to push through rather than reach out and we foster an environment that makes artists feel like being authentic is reductive to success and that their voices don't matter. This doesn't mean every artists opinion has to be heard or is always right, as many imo are not, but its still a slippery slope.

But empathy requires vulnerability between us. It requires listening, understanding, and the willingness to sit with discomfort. Many people avoid this because they fear what they might discover in themselves. Supporting someone else’s struggle might mean confronting how little support they themselves received or offered. And that realization can be difficult to acknowledge.

It is true that no one can support or save everyone. It is also true that support, kindness, and respect are not owed unconditionally. But this reality doesn't take away from the imbalance of power. Those with money and influence shape the paths others are forced to take if they want to succeed. And often times in response to this we say "no one is forcing artists to make certain choices" but we forget that survival often demands compromise. A hungry person will choose food over most things. That is the nature of desperation.

Things might be different if there were more open conversations between artists and collectors. If both groups had more insight into each other’s challenges and goals, maybe we would see less disconnect. But these discussions rarely happen on equal footing. As a result, many artists feel they must compromise who they are to appeal to a specific crowd. It becomes a matter of putting food on the table vs staying true to their vision. And often, they cannot afford the latter.

Selective empathy isn't inherently bad. Those with the means to support others are often targeted by the entitled, the manipulative, or the desperate. Over time, some begin to see artists not as people but as opportunists. And artists, in turn, may begin to see collectors as nothing more than ATMs. When both sides lose empathy for each other, the cycle of disconnection continues and grows deeper.

These issues are not limited to the digital art world, but they are very prevalent here and my bias is on account of my time here. The speed, visibility, and competitiveness of online spaces amplify these struggles. To move forward, we need more honest conversations. Not just about money and success, but about how we choose to value and support one another, especially when doing so is not overtly convenient.

I am not writing this to dictate who you support or the way you think. I am delving into this in order to open a dialogue. If most of the artists I see feel overlooked no matter how hard they work, and the remaining few only offer advice based on experiences shaped by their own success and privilege and ignore those down below, then we are missing something important and essential.

Not everyone will succeed in the way they imagine. We all understand that. But acknowledging that reality is different from denying the importance of empathy and understanding why these conflicts keep happening when we're supposed to be a "community". I think it is possible to recognize the limits of what we can do while still choosing to care or at the very least be mindful when the majority is echoing the same sentiments. That, at its core, is what empathy is often about.

We all have preference, we all are biased and we all have every right to be mindful of who we support and listen to, Thats all valid.

That being said i know if we all want things to improve for artists, we need to be more open to whats happening in these difficult times and not immediately invalidate vocal artists that are struggling and want to be heard. Nobody gains anything from artists giving up, just like nobody gains anything if people stop wanting to invest in art. At that point we just collectively lose as a culture.