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

by Jeff Goins

You can do extraordinary things when you are patiently persistent.

In a word, stealing—that’s what creativity really is. We do not create our way into becoming artists; we rob our way in.

For a long time, I thought real writers did something different. They must have been born with innate talent, some style that was just waiting to get onto the page. Turns out, that’s not true. We find our voice by mimicking the voices of others.

There is a code of conduct every Thriving Artist follows—the right way to steal—and we would be wise to follow it.

TO DO THE WORK OF A PROFESSIONAL, YOU HAVE TO STOP WAITING TO BE SEEN AND START SHARING YOUR WORK NOW.

CHARGING WHAT YOU’RE WORTH BEGINS WITH THE BELIEF THAT YOU’RE WORTH WHAT YOU CHARGE.

No price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. —NIETZSCHE

The Starving Artist sells out to an early bidder, but the Thriving Artist holds out and owns as much of his work as possible.

IN THE END, BEING AN ARTIST IS ABOUT CREATING GREAT WORK, AND OWNERSHIP IS THE WAY WE GET TO ENSURE THAT GREATNESS.

This is the Rule of the Portfolio: the Starving Artist believes she must master a single skill, whereas the Thriving Artist builds a diverse body of work.