“If you don’t take money, they can’t tell you what to do, kid…Money’s the cheapest thing. Liberty, freedom is the most expensive.” —Bill Cunningham
“Be fiscally responsible so you can be creatively reckless.” -Tom Rothman
“I had learned to manage on very little money. I had it down to a science. I really didn’t need much to live on….There was something about the idea of unrealized dreams. I knew that if I sold the script—even for $500,000—I knew that after the money was gone, I would have become very bitter if I never realized my dream.” -Sylvester Stallone on turning down a script sale for Rocky so that he instead could star in the film
“What I realized was that the budget and your creative control are in direct proportion to one another. So the lower the budget, the more creative control you have. Or if you want more money, you have to sacrifice and compromise creative control.” -Kathryn Bigelow on making The Hurt Locker for $10 million instead of $30 million so that she could cast all relatively unknown actors
“Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.” -Epictetus
The writers Kurt Vonnegut and Joseph Heller were at a glamorous party outside New York City. Standing in the palatial second home of the billionaire host, Vonnegut began to needle his friend. “Joe,” he said, “how does it feel that our host only yesterday may have made more money than your novel has earned in its entire history?”
“I’ve got something he can never have,” Heller replied. “The knowledge that I’ve got enough.” -Ryan Holiday
If you want artistic freedom and creative control, then you have to be willing to sacrifice some things. Namely money. This might involve doing some or all of the following:
Stick to a budget. Always live within your means. (Including if you happen to receive a large payday or bonus. Save and invest that money. Don’t spend it.)
If possible, find a day job that you enjoy and one that doesn’t crush your soul. So that you have maximal energy to still make art. (Also, find ways to bring creativity to that day job.)
In your free time, every chance you get, make art for art’s sake.
Constantly ask yourself, “How can I make this art for as little as possible without sacrificing an ounce of quality?”
Don’t rush. Excellence takes time. Especially when you have little money. That’s okay. It’s worth it. Keep going.
P.S. – The B/W phots were taken by legendary photographer Bill Cunningham (also pictured above). Watch this extraordinary documentary about him, his monkish daily life, and his creative process.
P.P.S. – H/t to the always excellent Billy Oppenheimer for inspiring this post.
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