On Making a Living as an Artist (Reissue)

A zine published by The Creative Independent, compiling quotes, excerpts, and recommendations from working artists, all gathered from our archive. Topics covered include making money through your art, financial planning, day jobs, and starting a creative business.

This is the first physical release by The Creative Independent (TCI), a growing resource of emotional and practical guidance for creative people, published ad-free by Kickstarter, a public-benefit corporation. We produce interviews, wisdom, and guides that illuminate the trials and tribulations of living a creative life, as told by working artists—including writers, musicians, designers, visual artists, and others. Our goal is to feed and grow the community of people who create.

Each week we publish interviews, tips, essays, or how-to guides featuring a different type of working artist’s wisdom. Conversations tend to focus on themes like dealing with creative anxiety, starting something new, creating your own opportunities, and making time for creative work. Our Tips and Guides share practical advice for how to make new things and live a fulfilling, productive, and healthy life. We also occasionally publish essays, reports, and zines—all of which are intended to help illuminate what it takes to survive and thrive as a creative person today.

You can see what’s new each week by visiting our Homepage, or you can see who we’ve talked to so far on our People page or Archive. We also have a Library, which you are welcome to browse for reading recommendations, PDF downloads, and staff picks.