Top Rank Magazine

Few would dispute the immense social, cultural, and political significance of creative production in realizing our potential as human beings and in fostering both inventive and nurturing communities. Creative labor is a critical part of our social ecosystem. Yet, artists—especially in the US—are often unable to make a living wage from their physical and/or intellectual labor or its products. The trope of the “starving artist” still pervades pop cultural notions about the sacrosanct status—and corresponding fiscal value—of artistic labor. This romanticized image of an individual whose isolation, specifically from the market economy, is the very wellspring of their creative genius continues to have vital material implications for those who desire to be professional arts workers. In a culture of unpaid internships and “paying dues” via free work in exchange for prestige and exposure, carving out a career in the creative industries is immensely precarious. On Episode 9, co-hosts Marcel Rosa-Salas and Isabel Flo