Author Topic: Starving Artist Guide  (Read 23529 times)

guitarbabe

  • Staff
  • Level 7
  • *
  • Posts: 217
  • Fell Points: 0
  • I have many true loves, I'm just not that true!
    • View Profile
    • www.stephaniefowers.com
Starving Artist Guide
« on: February 23, 2006, 09:55:08 PM »
Okay, I'm starting a list of survival tips for starving artists...and since I figure most of us are starving artists here, we just might need the guide...well, at least I'd appreciate the tips.

So, I'll start it off. Here's my first one...water. Yep, it's my best friend. You can add it to shampoo, conditioner, make-up (not so helpful to the guys, sorry), lotion...it makes the shelf life of the typical household item last that much longer (well, you know as long as it's not electric)...and you can get all that gunk that sticks on the bottom, you know, that stuff. Oh, but don't use it on nail polish...well, you can if you're conducting an experiment.

Alright...annie body else? (man, that is such an Annie line...I love that show...the old one, not the new one), anyhoo, let's hear it!
"You’ve got more issues than National Geographic!"

"You’re like a soggy brown banana, the only use for you now is to get cooked."

www.stephaniefowers.com

Gemm: Rock & Roll Star; Born to Rock

  • Level 57
  • *
  • Posts: 4591
  • Fell Points: 0
  • I Am Your Worst Nightmare's Dream
    • View Profile
    • Perfect
Re: Starving Artist Guide
« Reply #1 on: February 23, 2006, 11:10:23 PM »
Canned goods. Really, they're not just for the homeless.

Find a restaurant that has one-two days a week where they serve all-you-can-eat spaghetti (means one, MAYBE two plates) for $2.25. That's right. Buffalo rocks harder than you thought, eh?

Get a job at a restaurant. That's how I've survived for a while. But now my time there is done and I have to find something else (being Target, but very little free food).

Gain lots of weight so you can pretty much eat less than you normally would on any given day due to having an overabundance built up already (like a freakin' bear!).

Mooch. Or go to events where there'll be free food.

Is it a good thing that I know all this, am only 20, and have been living on my own for about almost a year now? Ah well, that's what I get for giving my body hell I guess. Hahah.

Enjoy meatbags.
“NOTHING IS TRUE. EVERYTHING IS PERMITTED.”
                William S. Burroughs

“Who needs girls when you’ve got comics?”
                Grant Morrison’s Flex Mentallo

The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers

  • Administrator
  • Level 96
  • *****
  • Posts: 19211
  • Fell Points: 17
  • monkeys? yes.
    • View Profile
    • herb's world
Re: Starving Artist Guide
« Reply #2 on: February 24, 2006, 09:12:50 AM »
Kill your Tivo. Stop paying for cable. go back to dial up internet. Cancel your magazine subscriptions.

All the above are luxury items that so many people think they need. If I ever hear people complain about not making ends meet and I find out they're doing any of the above, I instantly lose pity for them. If they do more than one, I want to stab the whiny git in the face.

guitarbabe

  • Staff
  • Level 7
  • *
  • Posts: 217
  • Fell Points: 0
  • I have many true loves, I'm just not that true!
    • View Profile
    • www.stephaniefowers.com
Re: Starving Artist Guide
« Reply #3 on: February 24, 2006, 10:43:25 AM »
Okay, how about this? I totally agree...with the above anyway...but bargains. Oh yeah! For rent (at least in this Provo college town), find a contract two weeks into the semester (that calls for knowing someone, having relatives around to live close enough to get to school and all that)...but, that's when everyone is desperate to sell. We got our awesome place for an awesome deal...and even though we don't have Tivo, we get everything else (cable, internet) free! Hey, that's my second tip...the bargains.

Oh, and z eats e, we're called the institute crashers here. Well, seriously, you can never starve if you go to every activity, FHE, institute, birthday parties, any party. And on the up side, you get to be social.
"You’ve got more issues than National Geographic!"

"You’re like a soggy brown banana, the only use for you now is to get cooked."

www.stephaniefowers.com

Spriggan

  • Administrator
  • Level 78
  • *****
  • Posts: 10582
  • Fell Points: 31
  • Yes, I am this awesome
    • View Profile
    • Legacies Lost
Re: Starving Artist Guide
« Reply #4 on: February 24, 2006, 03:44:02 PM »
how 'bout this?  Get a real job you freaking Hippies.
Screw it, I'm buying crayons and paper. I can imagineer my own adventures! Wheeee!

Chuck Norris is the reason Waldo is hiding.


stacer

  • Level 58
  • *
  • Posts: 4641
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
    • Stacy Whitman's Grimoire
Re: Starving Artist Guide
« Reply #5 on: February 24, 2006, 04:06:51 PM »
Quote
Oh, and z eats e, we're called the institute crashers here. Well, seriously, you can never starve if you go to every activity, FHE, institute, birthday parties, any party. And on the up side, you get to be social.


I'm not sure that gemm (z eats e) knows what Institute is, not being LDS. But he has the mooch thing down, it sounds like.  ;)
Help start a small press dedicated to publishing multicultural fantasy and science fiction for children and young adults. http://preview.tinyurl.com/pzojaf.

Follow our blog at http://www.tupublishing.com
We're on Twitter, too! http://www.twitter.com/tupublishing

42

  • RPG Editors
  • Level 56
  • *
  • Posts: 4350
  • Fell Points: 8
  • Unofficial World Saver
    • View Profile
Re: Starving Artist Guide
« Reply #6 on: February 24, 2006, 04:07:03 PM »
Quote
how 'bout this?  Get a real job you freaking Hippies.


Cause Night Auditing is a real job? ::)


So something helpful...

You can always stay in school and live off of students loans, scholarships and grants until you hit it big or they make you a professor.
« Last Edit: February 24, 2006, 04:09:04 PM by 42 »
The Folly of youth is to think that intelligence is a subsitute for experience. The folly of age is to think that experience is a subsitute for intelligence.

JenaRey

  • Level 7
  • ****
  • Posts: 233
  • Fell Points: 0
  • Give me chocolate...or. ..there is no or.  Gi
    • View Profile
    • Reality By Pass
Re: Starving Artist Guide
« Reply #7 on: February 24, 2006, 04:17:24 PM »
Learn to budget.  It's important to know exactly how much income you can expect and what costs have to be paid out each month.  Don't forget things like car insurance and anything that you have on autopay.

Cook from scratch, this is usually much less expensive, particularily if you menu plan based on sales items for the week at the grocery store.  When you have a little extra pick up a can or two of staples and put them into storage for the weeks when there is no extra.

Work with temp services.  They may not be your favorite jobs, but generally you can find at least stop gap jobs to keep the bills covered.  The pro with temp services is that you're not tied down to a job if you have a school schedule that makes normal full time work difficult.  If you're attending school see what's possible at the university for work.  They tend to have flexible schedules, split shifts, etc.

Learn the power of numbers.  IE:  Carpool, share an apartment, split groceries and cooking duties, etc.

Delienate between need and want.  Most wants will wait until you're in a more stable financial place, needs require immediate attention.  Once you've narrowed these lists then prioritize.

Stay away from debt as much as possible.  Your credit card may solve a short term problem but can turn into a long term one.

Look for freelance work.  There are a lot of places that hire writers for short articles and such that can bring in a little extra cash without costing a ton of extra time.

Use your time wisely.  I personally hate talking to people who complain about being a starving artist, but when you ask what they accomplished in a given day they didn't get out of bed until noon and then watched three hours of soaps before even approaching anything productive.

My .02.

~J
http://realitybypass.8m.com

You know you wanna...

Tink

  • Level 11
  • *
  • Posts: 423
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Starving Artist Guide
« Reply #8 on: February 24, 2006, 04:32:02 PM »
Quote
Kill your Tivo. Stop paying for cable. go back to dial up internet. Cancel your magazine subscriptions.


I'd add cell phones to this list (or at least cut it down to one cell phone, which is normally the same cost as a land line with unlimited long distance). If you get free high speed internet, totally get Vonage. With taxes it's $27.50/mo and you have unlimited calls anywhere in the US and Canada. That's cheap!

And I totally get the magazine thing, but I'm keeping my Ensign subscription. :)

guitarbabe

  • Staff
  • Level 7
  • *
  • Posts: 217
  • Fell Points: 0
  • I have many true loves, I'm just not that true!
    • View Profile
    • www.stephaniefowers.com
Re: Starving Artist Guide
« Reply #9 on: February 24, 2006, 06:17:18 PM »
Quote
how 'bout this?  Get a real job you freaking Hippies.


Ha, got one, but it isn't exactly high class: assistant in kindergarten (I fit in really well), special ed tutor and recess supervisor...which I love btw, and since I'm writing on the side, I'm biding my time before I have to get a second job to make ends meet.  Ugh, I'm a hippy, aren't I?

Anyhoo, good tips. Here's another one. Be sure to look down! We inherited some cereal when some roommates moved out and I ate a half a bowl of weevils before I looked down and saw what wonderful protein I was consuming. The funny part was that I had actually considered eating the rest. Ha ha!

And another...get some guts. Work on your bartering skills. I learned that in the Philippines. It works at DI and even at the regular stores. If there's something wrong with the clothes...or anything. I got twenty bucks off one of my brother's Christmas presents that way (we draw names 'cause there's ten of us). You just point out the defect and ask how much of a discount you can get if you buy it and generally they'll barter with you. It doesn't hurt to ask.
« Last Edit: February 24, 2006, 06:20:14 PM by guitarbabe »
"You’ve got more issues than National Geographic!"

"You’re like a soggy brown banana, the only use for you now is to get cooked."

www.stephaniefowers.com

Peter Ahlstrom

  • Administrator
  • Level 59
  • *****
  • Posts: 4902
  • Fell Points: 2
  • Assistant to Mr. Sanderson
    • View Profile
Re: Starving Artist Guide
« Reply #10 on: February 25, 2006, 12:10:05 AM »
Secondhand stores.
All Saiyuki fans should check out Dazzle! Emotionally wrenching action-adventure and quirky humor! (At least read chapter 6 and tell me if you're not hooked.) Volume 10 out now!

42

  • RPG Editors
  • Level 56
  • *
  • Posts: 4350
  • Fell Points: 8
  • Unofficial World Saver
    • View Profile
Re: Starving Artist Guide
« Reply #11 on: February 25, 2006, 12:28:11 AM »
ebay as long as you have a set maximum bid for yourself before you start bidding and can let it go if you lose. Also check the price of shipping before bidding.
The Folly of youth is to think that intelligence is a subsitute for experience. The folly of age is to think that experience is a subsitute for intelligence.

guitarbabe

  • Staff
  • Level 7
  • *
  • Posts: 217
  • Fell Points: 0
  • I have many true loves, I'm just not that true!
    • View Profile
    • www.stephaniefowers.com
Re: Starving Artist Guide
« Reply #12 on: February 25, 2006, 03:43:09 PM »
Nice, I haven't tried the ebay thing as much as I should. I have a couple of friends who make their living off of ebay.

Here's another one...friends. Get lots of them, real true blue friends. They know things that you don't know and you know things that they don't know. If you have a friend that knows how to fix cars (by hitting the starter with a hammer to get it to work for instance) or a friend that can take professional photographs (for the controversial SASE packet...or even for the back of that book when you finally get it published) or a friend that knows more about how to make websites than you do (and he likes food), that definitely helps.

Oh, but you can't forget the MOST important part of this...you can't be a moocher, not a real one, 'cause it will never work that way. You have to give back or you'll look stupid fast, and not very nice.  So, you can help with all her papers or paint his house or help pass out fliers for his business or get a huge crowd to go to her recital, whatever...and you don't even have to pay taxes on it.

My dad's an accountant and these are the kinds of business deals he makes all the time. He'd do taxes and books and if they couldn't afford the service, they'd trade...we got a lot of cool gadgets that we'd never be able to afford that way. Taxes, well, I have no idea how that works, that's his field.

Why do you think when I go home for vacations I work at the office? It's payback.
"You’ve got more issues than National Geographic!"

"You’re like a soggy brown banana, the only use for you now is to get cooked."

www.stephaniefowers.com

MsFish

  • Level 44
  • *
  • Posts: 2947
  • Fell Points: 7
  • Geek Girl, Undercover
    • View Profile
Re: Starving Artist Guide
« Reply #13 on: February 25, 2006, 09:26:04 PM »
I would just like to point out that Landline + Dialup = more than I'm paying for high speed.  So for me, having the highspeed internet is actually saving me money over having dialup.  

Also, get your family to put you on a family cell phone plan.  Suddenly your phone costs you $10/month rather that $40.  

Also, a land line costs at least $30, and you can get a cell phone for that, so having a cell phone isn't any more of a luxury than a land line is.  
« Last Edit: February 26, 2006, 03:47:01 AM by MsFish »
Hold fast to dreams, for when dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly.  Hold fast to dreams, for when dreams go, life is a barren field frozen with snow.  -Langston Hughes

stacer

  • Level 58
  • *
  • Posts: 4641
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
    • Stacy Whitman's Grimoire
Re: Starving Artist Guide
« Reply #14 on: February 26, 2006, 03:27:56 AM »
Yeah, to get my internet, I had to *get* a land land, which is costing me an extra $40 a month or so. Cable internet would cost the same amount. So it was sixes--they cost the same, out here.
Help start a small press dedicated to publishing multicultural fantasy and science fiction for children and young adults. http://preview.tinyurl.com/pzojaf.

Follow our blog at http://www.tupublishing.com
We're on Twitter, too! http://www.twitter.com/tupublishing