Surviving the Creative Life

I know a lot of creative people -- musicians, writers, artists, and even a few actors. Most of them are semi-pros, indulging their creative sides because they have "day jobs" responsible for making ends meet. But a few have made the leap to full-time creative pursuits as a sole source of income. It takes a special kind of fortitude to do that, and it requires considerable sacrifice.

While most are overjoyed to discuss the upsides of making a living in the arts, few are ever asked to elaborate on the downsides. Last week Twitter came alight when Heidi MacDonald at The Beat directed our attention to a brilliant blog post by Faith Erin Hicks. Hicks, a full-time freelance cartoonist, got brutally honest about financially surviving the creative life. The post is on her blog, Friends With Boys, where she posts her webcomic of the same name. It's quite an interesting perspective, and I recommend you also read the comments at the end as Hicks answers questions and offers additional insights.