Real Artists Don’t Starve

The starving artist is a myth, Jeff Goins argues, and a creative temperament gives people an edge rather than holding them back. He traces the ideas behind the myth and replaces them with rules for thriving: apprentice under a master instead of trusting the lone genius, steal from influences rather than waiting for inspiration, collaborate, take strategic risks, and earn money so as to fund more art. Goins supports these rules with anecdotes of successful creative people, and he treats business and art as compatible pursuits. Building on his earlier best seller The Art of Work, he examines the tension between an inspired life and a practical path to success that every creative person and organization faces.

Author Scott Perry pulled it from his read-next stack after abandoning a book that fell short, a copy given to him by a friend from the altMBA alumni community.