LB’S NOTE: One of our fave TV writers-illustrators-screenwriters-vloggers, Stephanie Bourbon, believes it’s time to change the “starving artist/writer/actress/etc. mantra and puts her piggy bank where her, erm, words are.
by Stephanie Bourbon
Hello Writers! [Today I am writing about this notion that we creatives group up with.
“I’m BROKE” we repeat it so much that it becomes our reality and everyone expects it to be true so there is no shame because we are “creatives” right?
No, that is bullshit!
Seriously, you can be a creative who isn’t broke and I don’t mean by being famous.
Trust me on that one.
I am a creative person. I started my life wanting to be an actress and I did it for many years. Am I famous? No, but I did it and I worked ALL THE TIME but because I haven’t stared aside Meryl or Tom Cruise or Al Pacino or anyone super famous people look in and assume I’m a nobody. It’s ridiculous.
If you are an actor/actress go look at the IMDB for any of your favorite sidekicks and see how they have been in hundreds of things. Now if someone works on stage they don’t always even have that huge IMBD.
That doesn’t mean they don’t have money.
As a writer? It’s even worse in a way. I have been a working writer now, meaning getting paid to write, since the 90s but even though I have a few books published and have worked for hire a lot, I’m not famous and so it’s expected that I’m broke.
In fact, my family STILL treats me like I’m just starting out. I get the “you’ll make it” and I know they think it’s encouraging but I’m over here, “um, I have made it, I work 100% as a creative and I make a good living.” In my head I’m screaming FAME isn’t everything….