Creative sector jobs are driving our economy and offer a viable career path for today''s youth.
Careers in the creative sector offer flexibility and security. Why then are more young people not seeking them out? Because they believe the myth of the starving artist, which conjures up images of penniless writers and artistic bohemians. The myth leads families and some educators to discourage young people from choosing a path they would love in favour of more secure fields. Years later, they could come to regret that choice.
Mark J. Jones, Dean of the Faculty of Animation, Art and Design at Sheridan College, one of the top post-secondary schools for creative arts and animation in Canada, shows that the persistent belief in the starving artist myth is not just costing young people the opportunity to explore satisfying careers, it is also costing our economy in terms of lost opportunity. Through their education, artists, musicians, writers, media makers, designers,
