The Starving Artist Myth
Bust the Stereotype and Find Success in Creative Careers
- Publisher
- Dundurn Press
- Initial publish date
- Aug 2024
- Category
- General, College Guides, Arts in Education, Vocational Guidance
-
eBook
- ISBN
- 9781459753860
- Publish Date
- Aug 2024
- List Price
- $11.99
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9781459753846
- Publish Date
- Aug 2024
- List Price
- $26.99
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Description
Creative sector jobs are driving our economy and offer a viable career path for today's youth.
Careers in the creative sector offer flexibility and security. Why then are more young people not seeking them out? Because they believe the myth of the starving artist, which conjures up images of penniless writers and artistic bohemians. The myth leads families and some educators to discourage young people from choosing a path they would love in favour of more secure fields. Years later, they could come to regret that choice.
Mark J. Jones, Dean of the Faculty of Animation, Art and Design at Sheridan College, one of the top post-secondary schools for creative arts and animation in Canada, shows that the persistent belief in the starving artist myth is not just costing young people the opportunity to explore satisfying careers, it is also costing our economy in terms of lost opportunity. Through their education, artists, musicians, writers, media makers, designers, actors, and others have come to understand how to reach their audiences and customers, and are perfectly poised to contribute to the global creative market.
In The Starving Artist Myth, Jones erases any remaining doubt of the opportunities in the creative economy by getting at the underbelly of the stereotype and answering the what, the why, and the how of achieving career goals.
About the author
Mark J. Jones is the Dean for the Faculty of Animation, Art and Design at Sheridan College and the previous chair of the School of Creative Art and Animation at Seneca College. He holds an M.A. in Culture and Technology from Toronto Metropolitan University, and a B.A. in Theatre from York University. He lives in Toronto.
Editorial Reviews
Mark Jones has written a classic. Accessible and erudite, laden with facts about the economic impact generated by 'creative clusters' and peppered with insights from diverse creators, this book shatters, once and for all, the myth of the starving artist.
Ana Serrano, president and vice-chancellor, OCAD University
A thoughtful and comprehensive exploration of the opportunities available to anyone aspiring to a career in the broadly defined cultural industries.
John Haslett Cuff, award-winning documentary filmmaker