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Make Art Make Money: Lessons from Jim Henson on Fueling Your Creative Career
In our culture, artistic genius and poverty seem inevitably linked, but does it have to be that way? Jim Henson didn’t think so.
An iconic creator and savvy businessman, Henson is a model for artists everywhere: without sacrificing his creative vision, Henson built an empire of lovable Muppets that continues to educate and inspire—and a business that was worth $150 million at the time of his death. How did he ever pull it off? And how can other creators follow in his path?
In Make Art Make Money: Lessons from Jim Henson on Fueling Your Creative Career, journalist and educator Elizabeth Hyde Stevens presents ten principles of Henson’s art and business practices that will inspire artists everywhere. Part manifesto, part history, part cultural criticism, part self-help, Make Art Make Money is a new kind of business book for creative professionals: a guide for creating and succeeding thanks to lessons from the Muppet Master himself.
NOTE: This book is a Kindle Serial. Kindle Serials are stories published in episodes, with future episodes delivered at no additional cost. This serial currently contains one episode out of an estimated ten total episodes, and new episodes will be delivered every week.
An iconic creator and savvy businessman, Henson is a model for artists everywhere: without sacrificing his creative vision, Henson built an empire of lovable Muppets that continues to educate and inspire—and a business that was worth $150 million at the time of his death. How did he ever pull it off? And how can other creators follow in his path?
In Make Art Make Money: Lessons from Jim Henson on Fueling Your Creative Career, journalist and educator Elizabeth Hyde Stevens presents ten principles of Henson’s art and business practices that will inspire artists everywhere. Part manifesto, part history, part cultural criticism, part self-help, Make Art Make Money is a new kind of business book for creative professionals: a guide for creating and succeeding thanks to lessons from the Muppet Master himself.
NOTE: This book is a Kindle Serial. Kindle Serials are stories published in episodes, with future episodes delivered at no additional cost. This serial currently contains one episode out of an estimated ten total episodes, and new episodes will be delivered every week.
Kindle Edition
First published September 17, 2013
175 people are currently reading
783 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Hyde Stevens
2 books4 followersElizabeth Hyde Stevens created the “Muppets, Mickey, and Money” research course at Boston University. Her analysis of Jim Henson’s career has appeared online at The Awl, The Millions, Electric Literature, and Rolling Stone. In 2011, her essay “Weekend at Kermie’s” was viewed over 160,000 times. Called “a long, brilliant thinkpiece" on Twitter, it was praised by Internet curators Brain Pickings, Mother Jones, Longreads, Longform, Wired, IMDB, IFC, Reader’s Digest, and Kurt Loder. Stevens attended public school in North Andover, Massachusetts and went on to study Art Semiotics at Brown University and Creative Writing at the Brooklyn College MFA program. She is a member of the Brooklyn writers’ collective The Kilgore Trout Home for Wayward Writers, and teaches fiction at Gotham Writers’ Workshop. Her writing has earned the Himan Brown Award and the Somerville Arts Council Fellowship for Literature. Everything she knows about business she learned from watching Sesame Street.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
December 28, 2013
Fascinating insight into Jim Henson - a man at the crux of creativity and wealth. A must read for author entrepreneurs who want to understand how copyright, licensing and ownership for the long term work. I'll be writing a detailed blog post about this in 2014.
May 20, 2014
A great read for artists of all kinds. This book was a nice interpretation of Jim Hensen's life and career, including his attitude about money and the corporate environment, which also sometimes played out in his work (and entertained us). One of the most important lessons to be learned from this book is that it's possible to make money through art, but also that an artist should never completely turn over management or the business side of their enterprise to someone else because no one will represent your interests the same way that you can. Work with others (including large corporations), but do so as a partnership and never give up your rights or control in the name of making a fast deal or quick money.
If you're an artist, don't neglect increasing your business savvy. It doesn't necessarily compromise you as an artist: it will protect you so that you can continue to make great art and build an audience so that you can be successful.
If you're an artist, don't neglect increasing your business savvy. It doesn't necessarily compromise you as an artist: it will protect you so that you can continue to make great art and build an audience so that you can be successful.
February 2, 2014
I'm a big muppets fan, and consider myself to be both entrepreneurial and creative. So this book seemed right up my alley. The first third of the book was good, although it's written like an academic paper. Eventually the book becomes more of an analysis of Hensen's business and a comparison to others like Disney. I ended up skimming most of it, and found it to be somewhat repetitive -- quotations used multiple times, examples repeated in different chapters, etc. I think the message of the book would be much more successful (and succinct) if the author just put the ideas out there without feeling the need to provide multiple sources and interpretations of specific muppet scenes for each point she was trying to make.
July 15, 2018
Make Art Make Money should be required reading for anyone who thinks they are an artist. It is ok to make money with your art! It is not "selling out" to make some money so you can create more art! I think Jim Henson is a great case study for this idea.
April 24, 2021
Ok. I think this book is well researched, and the author took a wide lens to the culture of Henson and the culture of his various studios. I definitely found myself looking up a lot of Muppet references that I didn't know. The author seems to have an obsession with "Dark Crystal," which I have yet to watch. I found a good portion of this book repetitive and some of the examples she used a little clunky.
July 12, 2021
Somebody else read this so I can gush about it to them please.
March 25, 2018
Is it possible to succeed as an artist and entrepreneur?
Elizabeth Hyde Stevens examines this question in her book, Make Art Make Money, about how Jim Henson navigated the parallel worlds of art and business to become one of the greatest American artist-entrepreneurs.
Make Art Make Money explores how this gentle man had an innate sense of both artistry and commerce to become one of the rare artists that received critical acclaim and commercial success throughout his entire career. We get a behind- the-scenes view of all the major Henson works: Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, The Muppets Take Manhattan, and many others to see what decisions had to be made for those works to reach the public and how Henson made sure that creativity remained at the forefront on each project.
Stevens writes the book in an episodic style focusing on lessons that the reader can gleam from each part of Henson’s career. There were a couple lessons that resonated with me and will keep as a reminder for my own artistic journey.
“Maintaining a balance between art and business has always been a part of what I do.”
This lesson reveals that Henson understood instantly to be a successful artist he had to balance art and commerce. I learned that Henson did commercials to fund some of his more artistically driven projects. And that artists may have to create something strictly for commercial gain in order to create art that is more meaningful to you as an artist. Henson shows in this lesson that striking the balance of art and commerce is challenging but rewarding.
“It’s tempting to cash out yet for an artist, it is harder to truly cash out, because the things you’ve made are not mere impersonal gadgets or algorithms; they are extensions of your personality. They are more like our children. Protect your art. Hold onto it. Control its destiny.
This lesson comes near the end of the book and Stevens goes into detail about how Henson fought to maintain artistic independence and where he fell short in the Henson-Disney merger. This episode of the book should be a warning to all artists who believes that cashing out will bring you true artistic independence.
I knew little about Jim Henson before reading Make Art Make Money. I watched Sesame Street growing up in the late 1970s-early 1980s. However after reading this book, I have become interested in Jim Henson’s art much more than I would have expected and will heed the lessons from his magnificent career for my art. Elizabeth Hyde Stevens has written the most important book I will read in 2017. I highly recommend Make Art Make Money for any artist who wants to learn how an artist like Jim Henson maintained a delicate balance between the worlds of art and commerce.
Elizabeth Hyde Stevens examines this question in her book, Make Art Make Money, about how Jim Henson navigated the parallel worlds of art and business to become one of the greatest American artist-entrepreneurs.
Make Art Make Money explores how this gentle man had an innate sense of both artistry and commerce to become one of the rare artists that received critical acclaim and commercial success throughout his entire career. We get a behind- the-scenes view of all the major Henson works: Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, The Muppets Take Manhattan, and many others to see what decisions had to be made for those works to reach the public and how Henson made sure that creativity remained at the forefront on each project.
Stevens writes the book in an episodic style focusing on lessons that the reader can gleam from each part of Henson’s career. There were a couple lessons that resonated with me and will keep as a reminder for my own artistic journey.
“Maintaining a balance between art and business has always been a part of what I do.”
This lesson reveals that Henson understood instantly to be a successful artist he had to balance art and commerce. I learned that Henson did commercials to fund some of his more artistically driven projects. And that artists may have to create something strictly for commercial gain in order to create art that is more meaningful to you as an artist. Henson shows in this lesson that striking the balance of art and commerce is challenging but rewarding.
“It’s tempting to cash out yet for an artist, it is harder to truly cash out, because the things you’ve made are not mere impersonal gadgets or algorithms; they are extensions of your personality. They are more like our children. Protect your art. Hold onto it. Control its destiny.
This lesson comes near the end of the book and Stevens goes into detail about how Henson fought to maintain artistic independence and where he fell short in the Henson-Disney merger. This episode of the book should be a warning to all artists who believes that cashing out will bring you true artistic independence.
I knew little about Jim Henson before reading Make Art Make Money. I watched Sesame Street growing up in the late 1970s-early 1980s. However after reading this book, I have become interested in Jim Henson’s art much more than I would have expected and will heed the lessons from his magnificent career for my art. Elizabeth Hyde Stevens has written the most important book I will read in 2017. I highly recommend Make Art Make Money for any artist who wants to learn how an artist like Jim Henson maintained a delicate balance between the worlds of art and commerce.
January 10, 2015
STRONGLY RECOMMEND - I am a huge fan of Jim Henson and his work. About 10 years ago, I became intensely interested in **how** he: did his work, attracted great associates and managed them, made $ too - all whilst creating wonderful art that has such globally positive messages. There wasn't anything available that I could find....
Earlier this year, a new, much more comprehensive biography of Henson was published which I listened to (audiobook) greedily, hoping to gain more insights. Most of the insights had to do with how much of an impact his art had on me over the course of my life! Others had more to do with his seriously huge work ethic, gained mainly thru the remembrances of his colleagues. I went looking for more, and found this gem.
The author has done quite a bit of deep analysis of Henson's life & work through which she has drawn some very sensible conclusions which are applicable to any art form, certainly not only puppetry. Hyde Stevens also references a number of other sources to support her conclusions that have added a number of books onto my "to read" pile; in addition, this Kindle book has got wonderful footnotes, almost all are hot-linked.
I've not yet finished reading this book as the author has not yet finished serializing it; I look forward to every "episode"!
Earlier this year, a new, much more comprehensive biography of Henson was published which I listened to (audiobook) greedily, hoping to gain more insights. Most of the insights had to do with how much of an impact his art had on me over the course of my life! Others had more to do with his seriously huge work ethic, gained mainly thru the remembrances of his colleagues. I went looking for more, and found this gem.
The author has done quite a bit of deep analysis of Henson's life & work through which she has drawn some very sensible conclusions which are applicable to any art form, certainly not only puppetry. Hyde Stevens also references a number of other sources to support her conclusions that have added a number of books onto my "to read" pile; in addition, this Kindle book has got wonderful footnotes, almost all are hot-linked.
I've not yet finished reading this book as the author has not yet finished serializing it; I look forward to every "episode"!
March 27, 2015
FANTASTIC BOOK FOR PUPPETEERS and artists!
As a puppeteer I found the author's observations of Henson's career very helpful and interesting. By reviewing how he worked, why he worked, and who he chose to work with during his career the author has left us a template to guide creative people in their journey to share their gifts, and get something back from their creations, be it puppetry, music, or a book.
The love and affection towards her subject is very obvious, and makes what could have been a very dry subject, much more interesting. My only suggestion would have been to perhaps include spot illustrations to "jazz it up" a bit. I understand that using Henson's art may not have been an option due to copyright and licensing issues.
Henson has inspired many puppeteers, writers, artists, and creative people to do their very best to try and make our world a happier place for all. I am trying and welcome you to visit my puppet troupe's website at WumpMucketPuppets.com
As a puppeteer I found the author's observations of Henson's career very helpful and interesting. By reviewing how he worked, why he worked, and who he chose to work with during his career the author has left us a template to guide creative people in their journey to share their gifts, and get something back from their creations, be it puppetry, music, or a book.
The love and affection towards her subject is very obvious, and makes what could have been a very dry subject, much more interesting. My only suggestion would have been to perhaps include spot illustrations to "jazz it up" a bit. I understand that using Henson's art may not have been an option due to copyright and licensing issues.
Henson has inspired many puppeteers, writers, artists, and creative people to do their very best to try and make our world a happier place for all. I am trying and welcome you to visit my puppet troupe's website at WumpMucketPuppets.com
February 21, 2021
Insightful examination of Henson’s art and career.
I’m no artist, just an admirer of the Muppet kingdom and ethos.
I’m thrilled to have read this book with its thoughtful consideration of Henson’s art and career. I’m confident that artists will be inspired by it. However, it’s also useful as a primer for businesses who rely on creatives to get things done. It offers a perspective that will allow business thinkers to better facilitate the dynamics with seemingly frustrating artists and creatives.
There are quite a few practical ideas in here that will benefit both sides. Some of the concepts even apply to other dichotomies such as insurance/healthcare. The book highlights Henson’s benevolent spirit and how he was able to unleash potential in many of his relationships.
It seems that Henson is a great case study for a better understanding of servant leadership and authentic leadership and especially positive leadership.
I’m no artist, just an admirer of the Muppet kingdom and ethos.
I’m thrilled to have read this book with its thoughtful consideration of Henson’s art and career. I’m confident that artists will be inspired by it. However, it’s also useful as a primer for businesses who rely on creatives to get things done. It offers a perspective that will allow business thinkers to better facilitate the dynamics with seemingly frustrating artists and creatives.
There are quite a few practical ideas in here that will benefit both sides. Some of the concepts even apply to other dichotomies such as insurance/healthcare. The book highlights Henson’s benevolent spirit and how he was able to unleash potential in many of his relationships.
It seems that Henson is a great case study for a better understanding of servant leadership and authentic leadership and especially positive leadership.
Read
May 19, 2016A very interesting book, using Jim Henson's career as a sort of template for how artists can be financially successful while still remaining artistically and creatively true to themselves. It touches on practical matters, like retaining copyright and ownership of your work, and more abstract ideas, like collaborative philosophy and separating the spheres of "business" and "art" while still allowing them to feed each other. And, of course, it's a celebration of Henson's life and work. The author makes it clear that this is not intended to be the ONLY way to be both financially and artistically successful, but as at least an example that it CAN be done, and here's how one person did it. A lot of food for thought, overall.
August 2, 2015
Being one of many generations that grew with either Sesame Street or the Muppets I was instantly attracted to this book. The author has clearly done her research and knows everything there is about Jim Henson's legacy to popular culture. I guess the most appealing part to this book are both the leadership and money management tips that are hidden between several milestones of the famous puppeteer's life.
Whether you are are a creative individual looking for inspiration, someone looking for his or her idea or simply a muppet fan this one is worth checking out.
Whether you are are a creative individual looking for inspiration, someone looking for his or her idea or simply a muppet fan this one is worth checking out.
July 13, 2015
I really, really enjoyed this! It is a great analysis of Jim Henson's business model, examining what elements of how he ran his company worked, why they worked, but also what didn't work and how not all of the problems or failures were necessarily bad or, even, avoidable. It took me a long time to read, because it really is like a series of lessons that repeat one another a little, so spacing it out worked best for me. I really appreciated the information and research!
February 6, 2018
This is an interesting book to follow Jeff Goins' Real Artists Don't Starve. By digging into Jim Henson's business and personal sense, employing many examples from his earliest commercial work of the 50s and 60s to his final works in the late 80s and early 90s, Stevens strives to establish a Jim Henson mythos that touches upon both art and commerce. It also makes you appreciate his skills, and I was able to rewatch one of Henson's films with my kids and look at it with fresh eyes.
February 4, 2019
This was just.... everything. It came to me at exactly the right time. I might have to do a video review of this one at some point, because there's just too much to say about how important this is in our current cultural climate, especially in the film and TV industry. Jim Henson was a truly special human being and achieved a power level over 9000 when it came to balancing creativity, business, and kindness. If you are an artist of any kind, please read this book.
October 16, 2018
This book is less an instructional read on how to make money from your art, but more so an insight into the business model of Jim Henson and how he managed to reconciled making money from the the 'art' he wanted to make/got his passion from without feeling the dreaded fear of becoming a 'sell out'.
December 6, 2015
A fascinating, in-depth examination of Jim Henson's business practices. I'm not sure how much of this information will inform my own practices, but as a huge Henson fan, I enjoyed learning more about how money and art worked together in his career.
December 30, 2013
Loved this insightful book about Jim Henson's business and art. Occasionally choppy, with quotes re-used to exhaustion, it could have used an editor. But a good read for any artist.
August 19, 2014
Amazing book for artists to learn how to mix art and business. Also a very insightful book for non-artists to understand the inner workings of the creative person and how to best support them.
April 25, 2015
A thorough biography with a great mindset message, but became too repetitive.
July 26, 2015
Hands down the best book about creativity I. Have. Ever. Read. I can't want to see what EHS comes up with next. Whatever it is, I'm in!
February 3, 2016
Good lessons on leadership, and a lot of time spent reaffirming how Jim Henson is kind of my ideal person. What a guy. There should be more people/bosses/artists like him in the world.
December 28, 2015
Fascinating info but somewhat repetitious. A ruthless edit would result in a 5 star rating from me.
March 12, 2017
Great premise, poorly executed
September 2, 2018
Amazing book
A great biography and full of great lessons. This book is pleasant to read and very insightful. Buy it already.
A great biography and full of great lessons. This book is pleasant to read and very insightful. Buy it already.
April 17, 2018
This book inspired me and drove me to write and self-publish my own series "Twistedly Terrifying Tales from a Twisted Mind."
January 20, 2020
Required reading for all creatives. Such good insight, a great blend of actionable ideas and biography of a genius.
October 2, 2022
A testament to staying true to your values, proof that you can “sell out” gracefully, and above all - inspiration to make the art that you love.
October 18, 2017
We purchased Make Art Make Money: Lessons from Jim Henson on Fueling Your Creative Career by Elizabeth Hyde Stevens in the Kindle format.
This is a very interesting read and very informative as far as learning more about the Muppets and Jim Henson.
Readers learn a little about what decisions Henson made along the way. Although this book is an interesting read and entertaining, we are not sure that it will be incredibly helpful to aspiring artists. That really remains to be seen. Most likely this will depend upon the takeaway that each reader gets from this book.
One of the biggest concerns we have is the mention several times of a certain board that is used to delve into the occult. The illustration is not needed and it takes it out of the realm of being “Christian Friendly”.
We give Make Art Make Money four stars. We could not give it all five stars because we just don’t feel that the lessons the author is trying to teach are readily apparent.
As a biographical book, this is a good read. As an artistic “how to” book, it comes close but doesn’t quite make it. As a business book, it is helpful but misses the mark slightly.
We suggest this book would make a fair companion book with Real Artists Don’t Starve by Jeff Goins.
This is a very interesting read and very informative as far as learning more about the Muppets and Jim Henson.
Readers learn a little about what decisions Henson made along the way. Although this book is an interesting read and entertaining, we are not sure that it will be incredibly helpful to aspiring artists. That really remains to be seen. Most likely this will depend upon the takeaway that each reader gets from this book.
One of the biggest concerns we have is the mention several times of a certain board that is used to delve into the occult. The illustration is not needed and it takes it out of the realm of being “Christian Friendly”.
We give Make Art Make Money four stars. We could not give it all five stars because we just don’t feel that the lessons the author is trying to teach are readily apparent.
As a biographical book, this is a good read. As an artistic “how to” book, it comes close but doesn’t quite make it. As a business book, it is helpful but misses the mark slightly.
We suggest this book would make a fair companion book with Real Artists Don’t Starve by Jeff Goins.
July 24, 2019
Very unhealthy beliefs in this book
I couldn't finish this book, because the author is not just obsessed with Henson to a degree which I find a little creepy, but she's basically praising him for his unhealthy way he handled his work ethic. The guy was a.true workaholic, and he literally worked him self to death. And she's praising him, and silently shaming anyone who doesn't work this hard in the subtext. This *crush it* method of achieving your dreams is not a sustainable way to do, specifically if one becomes sick from a lack of sleep or poor nutrition. Sure, it may have provided results for Henson and even Disney. But they both died at very early ages from chronic illnesses, and they are only two examples. What about the others millions of talented people who worked them selves to the grave but with our a famous legacy to showcase?
I couldn't finish this book, because the author is not just obsessed with Henson to a degree which I find a little creepy, but she's basically praising him for his unhealthy way he handled his work ethic. The guy was a.true workaholic, and he literally worked him self to death. And she's praising him, and silently shaming anyone who doesn't work this hard in the subtext. This *crush it* method of achieving your dreams is not a sustainable way to do, specifically if one becomes sick from a lack of sleep or poor nutrition. Sure, it may have provided results for Henson and even Disney. But they both died at very early ages from chronic illnesses, and they are only two examples. What about the others millions of talented people who worked them selves to the grave but with our a famous legacy to showcase?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews