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Making Art and Making a Living: Adventures in Funding a Creative Life
Daily Rituals author Mason Currey weaves together delightful, illuminating stories and reflections about how famous artists, writers, musicians, and filmmakers throughout history have managed to successfully (or not) support a creative life.
Many of us are drawn to a life in the arts but daunted by how to balance that ambition with the very real need to pay rent and put food on the table. It is impossible to become an accomplished painter, composer, or novelist without spending time experimenting, making false starts, absorbing criticism, reading, talking, and moping about the house. All this time must be purchased, one way or another. Is the history of art and ideas just a history of rich kids?
The answer, of course, is no. William Carlos Williams was a family doctor. Franz Kafka was an insurance man, as were Charles Ives and Wallace Stevens. Grace Hartigan temped. James Joyce mooched off his brother; Christopher Isherwood ingratiated himself with a wealthy uncle. Virginia Woolf and Louisa May Alcott were determined to make their writing pay no matter what. And their material circumstances had an impact on all of their creative outputs.
From family money to jobs to colorful schemes, Mason Currey, author of the acclaimed Daily Rituals, explores both the well-worn and unlikely paths forward for the up-and-coming artist. Making Art and Making a Living is an entertaining and thought-provoking examination of the collision of creative ambitions with real-world necessities and of the messy, glorious, torturous compromises that gifted individuals have patched together when facing the eternal dilemma of an artistic life.
Many of us are drawn to a life in the arts but daunted by how to balance that ambition with the very real need to pay rent and put food on the table. It is impossible to become an accomplished painter, composer, or novelist without spending time experimenting, making false starts, absorbing criticism, reading, talking, and moping about the house. All this time must be purchased, one way or another. Is the history of art and ideas just a history of rich kids?
The answer, of course, is no. William Carlos Williams was a family doctor. Franz Kafka was an insurance man, as were Charles Ives and Wallace Stevens. Grace Hartigan temped. James Joyce mooched off his brother; Christopher Isherwood ingratiated himself with a wealthy uncle. Virginia Woolf and Louisa May Alcott were determined to make their writing pay no matter what. And their material circumstances had an impact on all of their creative outputs.
From family money to jobs to colorful schemes, Mason Currey, author of the acclaimed Daily Rituals, explores both the well-worn and unlikely paths forward for the up-and-coming artist. Making Art and Making a Living is an entertaining and thought-provoking examination of the collision of creative ambitions with real-world necessities and of the messy, glorious, torturous compromises that gifted individuals have patched together when facing the eternal dilemma of an artistic life.
240 pages, Hardcover
Published March 31, 2026
About the author
Mason Currey
6 books357 followersMason Currey is the author of the Daily Rituals books—Daily Rituals: How Artists Work (2013) and Daily Rituals: Women at Work (2019)—featuring brief profiles of the day-to-day work lives of more than 300 brilliant minds. His next book, Making Art and Making a Living, comes out on March 31, 2026.
Currey lives in Los Angeles and writes Subtle Maneuvers, a twice-monthly newsletter on the creative process.
Currey lives in Los Angeles and writes Subtle Maneuvers, a twice-monthly newsletter on the creative process.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
January 3, 2026
This is not a how-to book on funding your creative life. Rather, it is a compendium of ways artists over the centuries have done so. The author covers everything from having rich parents to a side hustle as a stripper. Vonnegut worked in PR, many writers and poets worked in Insurance. Jeff Koons hawked memberships at MOMA. Some scored grants and endowments (when such investments from the government existed). Others married well (meaning their spouse's work supported them). The point is, they did what they could until they sold enough of their work to subsist, at least for a while.
It's depressing how difficult it can be to make a living as an artist. As someone who worked full-time and tried (and often failed) to squeeze in time for creativity, I certainly relate. There are no answers in this book. Despite that, many of the stories are interesting, and the author does an excellent job recounting them and adding his perspective.
My thanks to the author, @MasonCurrey, @CeladonBooks, and #NetGalley for early access to the ebook for review purposes. Publication date: 31 March 2026.
It's depressing how difficult it can be to make a living as an artist. As someone who worked full-time and tried (and often failed) to squeeze in time for creativity, I certainly relate. There are no answers in this book. Despite that, many of the stories are interesting, and the author does an excellent job recounting them and adding his perspective.
My thanks to the author, @MasonCurrey, @CeladonBooks, and #NetGalley for early access to the ebook for review purposes. Publication date: 31 March 2026.
April 16, 2026
How do artists make their money, or survive to eat? When I was writing poetry all the time and telling people I was a poet, it was another way to express that I didn't work. But I did work at a bookstore and a record store while writing poetry. My existence is not that interesting compared to others like Jean-Luc Godard, Van Gogh, and Chantal Akerman, but still, that is a nagging question, and Mason Currey does a great job of listing various artists of all stripes and how they lived while making their art/work.
December 11, 2025
A lively exploration of how artists throughout history managed to support themselves while crafting their paintings, photographs, poetry, novels, music, and beyond.
Thank you Mason Currey, Net Galley and Celadon Books for the arc. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
Thank you Mason Currey, Net Galley and Celadon Books for the arc. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
November 30, 2025
Making Art and Making a Living by Mason Currey is a delightful romp through the history of artists and how they supported themselves while creating their paintings, photographs, poetry, novels, music, and more. I thoroughly enjoyed it and plan to look for other books by Currie.
March 16, 2026
Thank you to Macmillan Audio, NetGallery, and Mason Currey for the privilege of listening to this audiobook.
Through every struggling artists story, perfectly laid out in Making Art and Making a Living, there is a loud voice of hope. We don’t know HOW we are going to make the art we want, but we know we WILL.
In this book, learning all the ways that visual artists, writers and musicians made it work through family money, plots and schemes, day jobs, side jobs, and closely related creative jobs is really inspiring and I can’t wait to get a physical copy of this book to keep in my studio for when I need an extra book of inspiration!
A little personal note on this review: Right in the middle of listening to this book, I received a denial for an artist creation grant I’ve been waiting 4 months for. Although I was devastated, I had comfort in knowing that i will always find a way, just like every creative that had lived before me.
Through every struggling artists story, perfectly laid out in Making Art and Making a Living, there is a loud voice of hope. We don’t know HOW we are going to make the art we want, but we know we WILL.
In this book, learning all the ways that visual artists, writers and musicians made it work through family money, plots and schemes, day jobs, side jobs, and closely related creative jobs is really inspiring and I can’t wait to get a physical copy of this book to keep in my studio for when I need an extra book of inspiration!
A little personal note on this review: Right in the middle of listening to this book, I received a denial for an artist creation grant I’ve been waiting 4 months for. Although I was devastated, I had comfort in knowing that i will always find a way, just like every creative that had lived before me.
May 21, 2026
Loved, loved, loved. I would gift or recommend this to any artist friend of mine. It's funny, inspiring, and encouraging to any artist who (as blurbed in a review on the back) "anyone who as ever fretted that they are not a 'real' artist because they don't pay their bills with their art." I loved the structure of small vignettes rather than "tips" or "tricks." Currey draws no judgment and chooses no favorites: he simply presents the reader with stories of real lives. This is a manual of how to (and how not to) live as an artist.
May 17, 2026
at first, it was the opposite of what i had imagined it to be (my fault), but then it slowly unraveled. paradoxically, this book made me both hope-less and hope-ful. as always, i am grateful to Mason Currey for his research and his thoughts.
May 11, 2026
I love a good art history or artist history, so Making Art and Making a Living provided both and offered a very unique perspective at the same time.
Author Mason Currey, a struggling artist himself in the field of writing, decided to take a look at art history from this perspective of how the artist made money to survive and make their art. This was not a how to guide, but more a look at the various careers side hustles different artists have been engaged in in order to practice their craft.
Currey organizes writing by types of jobs and provides a variety of different artists in different fields from writers, musicians, filmmakers, and classical artists who worked a day job in order to create the masterpieces we love. I found this very easy to listen and follow along with, even though he jumped around and told many stories for different artists. The writing flowed well and the storytelling was engaging.
The audiobook was narrated by Adam Verner, who had a fun and playful reading style. He brought a lot of levity to the history and made it feel like it was a friend telling you the story of their friend in the art biz making a living. I enjoyed his narration style and found it to be very enjoyable.
Author Mason Currey, a struggling artist himself in the field of writing, decided to take a look at art history from this perspective of how the artist made money to survive and make their art. This was not a how to guide, but more a look at the various careers side hustles different artists have been engaged in in order to practice their craft.
Currey organizes writing by types of jobs and provides a variety of different artists in different fields from writers, musicians, filmmakers, and classical artists who worked a day job in order to create the masterpieces we love. I found this very easy to listen and follow along with, even though he jumped around and told many stories for different artists. The writing flowed well and the storytelling was engaging.
The audiobook was narrated by Adam Verner, who had a fun and playful reading style. He brought a lot of levity to the history and made it feel like it was a friend telling you the story of their friend in the art biz making a living. I enjoyed his narration style and found it to be very enjoyable.
April 6, 2026
Making Art and Making A Living: Adventures in Funding a Creative Life by Mason Currey is an energetic, thought-provoking exploration that posits the question: How do aspiring artists fund their actual lives? The author dives into the lives of different artists (Charles Baudelaire, Virginia Woolf, Jack London, etc.) from writers, musicians, to painters, filmmakers, and various other artists to show their survival skills. Some of these artists were able to create their art and afford their lifestyles because their families had money. But other impoverished artists had to be a bit more inventive when it came to making a living. They had to come up with schemes; some worked day jobs or had actual patrons.
"One approach to the problem of making art and making a living is to work a series of "horrible little jobs," as Octavia Butler called them, and do your real work in your own time. This is the classic day-job strategy: to sell your time but not your mind, to give as little of yourself as you have to give to your employer and save as much of yourself as you can for your art. But the trade-offs, as we've seen, are low pay, exhausting work, lack of stability, and a different kind of brain drain, the kind that comes from continually performing labor that does not draw upon your intellectual capacity or in any way validate your existence as a person of creativity, judgment, and skill."
Do artists have to struggle to produce amazing art, or can there be a balance between the art and supporting themselves? Making Art and Making a Living is a riveting, compelling, and fascinating book that I truly enjoyed reading. It’s a story told through detailed letters, journal entries, and min-biographies that offers a unique perspective on the artists’ journey of resourcefulness and very realistic efforts to fund and sustain their creative lives. A captivating book that is extremely relatable for today’s audience regardless of what creative niche you might be pursuing. A huge thank you to Celadon Books for the advanced edition of this wonderful book.
"One approach to the problem of making art and making a living is to work a series of "horrible little jobs," as Octavia Butler called them, and do your real work in your own time. This is the classic day-job strategy: to sell your time but not your mind, to give as little of yourself as you have to give to your employer and save as much of yourself as you can for your art. But the trade-offs, as we've seen, are low pay, exhausting work, lack of stability, and a different kind of brain drain, the kind that comes from continually performing labor that does not draw upon your intellectual capacity or in any way validate your existence as a person of creativity, judgment, and skill."
Do artists have to struggle to produce amazing art, or can there be a balance between the art and supporting themselves? Making Art and Making a Living is a riveting, compelling, and fascinating book that I truly enjoyed reading. It’s a story told through detailed letters, journal entries, and min-biographies that offers a unique perspective on the artists’ journey of resourcefulness and very realistic efforts to fund and sustain their creative lives. A captivating book that is extremely relatable for today’s audience regardless of what creative niche you might be pursuing. A huge thank you to Celadon Books for the advanced edition of this wonderful book.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
3.75 stars
A niche collection for the curious. Instead of glorifying famous creative figures in history, Making Art and Making a Living turns its focus to a more tedious, often unspoken, question: how did these artists actually support themselves while creating lasting masterpieces? As someone navigating my own balance between a full-time job and self-initiated creative work, the book’s thesis drew me in immediately. I found much of what Mason Currey gathers here eye-opening, demystifying the stereotype of artists and their 'pure' devotion to craft; it’s oddly comforting to realize how many creators before us wrestled with the same tension between creative pursuit and financial survival.
For general readers, the details of how these figures earned a living may feel somewhat insignificant — interesting, but not essential — the kind of knowledge that might surface only during a high-level trivia night. This book's curated lens doesn’t spend much time exploring the work itself, or other major milestones in each artist’s life, so it helps to come in already familiar with general Western art history.
Overall, Making Art and Making a Living is a strong source of comfort and quiet inspiration for creatives, offering a clear view into how others handled the unglamorous realities of money and survival within a capitalist society. Mason Currey presents his research in clear, straightforward sections that make the material easy to move through. Not a must-read (could've worked just as well as a long-form essay rather than a full-length book), and definitely not an 'advice' book with clear strategies for action (as much as its title might suggest otherwise), but a thoughtful and worthwhile supplementary material for the right audience.
***This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!***
A niche collection for the curious. Instead of glorifying famous creative figures in history, Making Art and Making a Living turns its focus to a more tedious, often unspoken, question: how did these artists actually support themselves while creating lasting masterpieces? As someone navigating my own balance between a full-time job and self-initiated creative work, the book’s thesis drew me in immediately. I found much of what Mason Currey gathers here eye-opening, demystifying the stereotype of artists and their 'pure' devotion to craft; it’s oddly comforting to realize how many creators before us wrestled with the same tension between creative pursuit and financial survival.
For general readers, the details of how these figures earned a living may feel somewhat insignificant — interesting, but not essential — the kind of knowledge that might surface only during a high-level trivia night. This book's curated lens doesn’t spend much time exploring the work itself, or other major milestones in each artist’s life, so it helps to come in already familiar with general Western art history.
Overall, Making Art and Making a Living is a strong source of comfort and quiet inspiration for creatives, offering a clear view into how others handled the unglamorous realities of money and survival within a capitalist society. Mason Currey presents his research in clear, straightforward sections that make the material easy to move through. Not a must-read (could've worked just as well as a long-form essay rather than a full-length book), and definitely not an 'advice' book with clear strategies for action (as much as its title might suggest otherwise), but a thoughtful and worthwhile supplementary material for the right audience.
***This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!***
Want to Read
December 18, 2025Mason Currey’s Making Art and Making a Living is an insightful and practical exploration of the often-overlooked financial realities of creative work. Known for his previous book Daily Rituals, Currey once again blends research with real-life stories, this time focusing on how artists, writers, and other creatives sustain themselves financially while pursuing their passions.
The book is structured around candid interviews and case studies, offering a wide range of strategies—from traditional patronage and grants to modern approaches like crowdfunding and teaching. Currey doesn’t romanticize the struggle; instead, he provides a nuanced look at the compromises and ingenuity required to balance art and livelihood. What makes this book compelling is its honesty: it acknowledges that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution, and success often involves a mix of persistence, adaptability, and luck.
Strengths:
Rich, diverse examples of real creatives navigating financial challenges.
Practical advice without sugarcoating the difficulties.
Engaging, conversational tone that makes complex topics accessible.
Potential Drawbacks:
While inspiring, some readers may find the lack of a clear “roadmap” frustrating; the book emphasizes individuality over prescriptive steps.
Focuses primarily on Western creative economies, which might feel less relevant globally.
Verdict:
If you’re an artist or creative professional—or simply curious about the intersection of art and money—this book is both illuminating and reassuring. It reminds readers that making a living from art is possible, but rarely straightforward, and offers a wealth of ideas for navigating that journey.
The book is structured around candid interviews and case studies, offering a wide range of strategies—from traditional patronage and grants to modern approaches like crowdfunding and teaching. Currey doesn’t romanticize the struggle; instead, he provides a nuanced look at the compromises and ingenuity required to balance art and livelihood. What makes this book compelling is its honesty: it acknowledges that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution, and success often involves a mix of persistence, adaptability, and luck.
Strengths:
Rich, diverse examples of real creatives navigating financial challenges.
Practical advice without sugarcoating the difficulties.
Engaging, conversational tone that makes complex topics accessible.
Potential Drawbacks:
While inspiring, some readers may find the lack of a clear “roadmap” frustrating; the book emphasizes individuality over prescriptive steps.
Focuses primarily on Western creative economies, which might feel less relevant globally.
Verdict:
If you’re an artist or creative professional—or simply curious about the intersection of art and money—this book is both illuminating and reassuring. It reminds readers that making a living from art is possible, but rarely straightforward, and offers a wealth of ideas for navigating that journey.
April 1, 2026
Making Art and Making a Living: Adventures in Funding a Creative Life is an interesting behind-the-scenes glimpse into the lives of a variety of famous artists and how they supported themselves – or didn’t support themselves – and the impact it had on the quality and output of their artistic endeavors. And often on their family and friends. Some of the facts revealed are surprising: individuals that seem wild and reckless are in fact very disciplined while some that seemed solemn and serene and serious were actually more lethargic than anything. Some treated art like a job but produced amazing work; others insisted the mere idea of working a “normal” job would ruin their talent.
Kind of a tell-all, gossipy look at famous artists, writers, musicians, and filmmakers throughout history. Probably a little bit shocking to those readers not of an artistic nature themselves, but endlessly intriguing and fascinating.
I received an advance copy of Making Art and Making a Living: Adventures in Funding a Creative Life from Celadon Books via NetGalley. As usual, Celadon has published a unique and special book that is totally satisfying. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own.
Kind of a tell-all, gossipy look at famous artists, writers, musicians, and filmmakers throughout history. Probably a little bit shocking to those readers not of an artistic nature themselves, but endlessly intriguing and fascinating.
I received an advance copy of Making Art and Making a Living: Adventures in Funding a Creative Life from Celadon Books via NetGalley. As usual, Celadon has published a unique and special book that is totally satisfying. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own.
April 22, 2026
I suppose the subtitle, ‘Adventures in Funding a Creative Life,’ is accurate. However, I expected a blend of memoir and how-to instead of a rather dull and not super organized set of biographical essays. In short, many of the artists and writers we know and love made their living not from their creative endeavors but from wealthy parents, mooching, or odd jobs. I did enjoy the part about the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Art Project—that was delightful—but otherwise, no new ground broken here. And even then, it’s all over the place.
But is it art? At the end of the book, Currey expresses his frustration at ‘creating a container for these stories, and mak[ing] some kind of sense of them…especially as draft after draft of this book really did not cohere and my own personal finances—ironically or appropriately, I could never decide—threatened to implode from the ever-lengthening delay’ of three years over deadline. To me, that pretty much says it all. It’s one thing to be persistent, but it takes real courage to admit that what you’re doing isn’t working and start over with a new tack. Maybe he will in his next book, but I doubt I’ll be reading it.
Rounded up to two stars.
But is it art? At the end of the book, Currey expresses his frustration at ‘creating a container for these stories, and mak[ing] some kind of sense of them…especially as draft after draft of this book really did not cohere and my own personal finances—ironically or appropriately, I could never decide—threatened to implode from the ever-lengthening delay’ of three years over deadline. To me, that pretty much says it all. It’s one thing to be persistent, but it takes real courage to admit that what you’re doing isn’t working and start over with a new tack. Maybe he will in his next book, but I doubt I’ll be reading it.
Rounded up to two stars.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Great book! Mason Currey dives into the question of how artists survive financially. He gives anecdotes into the lives of myriad painters, composers, writers and other creatives - from Petrarch to Virginia Woolf to Fernando Pessoa to William Carlos Williams to many I'd never heard of but was happy to be introduced to. Some relied on patrons (Haydn for example), some begged their family members and friends for money, some had side jobs, many barely scraped by. Currey explores this question in depth, and from different angles. Is it better to have a day job that is similar to your passion? Or something that doesn't require much thought at all? I was entertained in many places - and also left amazed by how much people will endure in order to follow their muses. He ends with this: "...what I love about the artists in this book is their embrace of...possibility, of giving yourself permission, of staying true to your instincts..." (As opposed to the "kind of stingy, withholding, resentful energy that seems to be trending in our society..."). Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
What an entertaining and enjoyable romp through the ways great artists have made a living while trying to make their art!
As someone who is facing a similar kind of question, I found the premise of the book intriguing and I love the way Currey split things up into sections. It allowed the reader to explore everything from family money to patronage to day jobs to theft and schemes. I didn't know the history of many of the artists mentioned, so I appreciated this teaser about them; it made me want to learn more.
Currey clearly did SO much research and I liked how his voice came through. I felt like I was learning with a friend. Like Currey, what struck me most was how resilient these artists were and how close many of their greatest works were to never being made. It didn't leave me with practical answers for my own path, but rather the knowledge that there is no "right" way and what's most important is continuing to create by whatever means necessary.
Thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the chance to read this one!
As someone who is facing a similar kind of question, I found the premise of the book intriguing and I love the way Currey split things up into sections. It allowed the reader to explore everything from family money to patronage to day jobs to theft and schemes. I didn't know the history of many of the artists mentioned, so I appreciated this teaser about them; it made me want to learn more.
Currey clearly did SO much research and I liked how his voice came through. I felt like I was learning with a friend. Like Currey, what struck me most was how resilient these artists were and how close many of their greatest works were to never being made. It didn't leave me with practical answers for my own path, but rather the knowledge that there is no "right" way and what's most important is continuing to create by whatever means necessary.
Thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the chance to read this one!
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Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Making Art and Making a Living looks through history to explore how various artists funded their creative endeavors. From inheritances to stripping, Currey lays out a compelling argument that for those with the need to create they will stop at nothing to make sure they can do it. I was inspired to snag this book because my eldest daughter would love to be an artist but has resigned herself to a different major in college that will fund her ability to buy art supplies. It is a shame that art; whether it is painting, sculpting, writing...etc., isn't highly valued enough to sustain an income. Currey begs the question of how much this world misses by stifling people's creativity with the need to survive.
A relatively short audiobook, I liked narrator Adam Verner's approach. This is an academic-like book, but it didn't sound academic. I found it easy to listen to, easy to speed up or slow down, and well edited.
Thank you to Celadon Books and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copy.
A relatively short audiobook, I liked narrator Adam Verner's approach. This is an academic-like book, but it didn't sound academic. I found it easy to listen to, easy to speed up or slow down, and well edited.
Thank you to Celadon Books and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copy.
April 4, 2026
First, let me thank Celadon Books for the ARC of Making Art and Making a Living: Adventures in Funding a Creative Life!
I love this book! Being a lover of all things artistic and creative, I very much looked forward to reading this book and I was not disappointed. The narrative is pitch-perfect and so compelling that it's truly hard to put this book down. (I know we hear this all the time, but this is truly the case!) These type of books can take a wrong turn quickly and become dry reading, though perhaps still informative, but Mason Currey's writing keeps the material fresh and his transitions from one section to the next is smooth as he details the triumphs and heartbreaks of various creative people struggle and prevail as they pursued financing their artistic careers.
Love this book and highly recommend it to anyone who's an art fan of any stripe or an artist needing inspiration, because it's the challenge of every creative until their talent bears fruit!
I love this book! Being a lover of all things artistic and creative, I very much looked forward to reading this book and I was not disappointed. The narrative is pitch-perfect and so compelling that it's truly hard to put this book down. (I know we hear this all the time, but this is truly the case!) These type of books can take a wrong turn quickly and become dry reading, though perhaps still informative, but Mason Currey's writing keeps the material fresh and his transitions from one section to the next is smooth as he details the triumphs and heartbreaks of various creative people struggle and prevail as they pursued financing their artistic careers.
Love this book and highly recommend it to anyone who's an art fan of any stripe or an artist needing inspiration, because it's the challenge of every creative until their talent bears fruit!
April 10, 2026
I went into Making Art and Making a Living blindly, and so it surprised me. I expected a how-to manual of sorts, talking about how to make money from what you create. But, in acutality, it is a book about the ways other artists have done so.
I enjoyed the wide range of examples - from wealthy families funding the endeavor to stripping for money. And, the artists were varied as well. We learned about the author Kurt Vonnegt and his work in PR. Writers who worked day jobs selling insurance. The sculptor and painter, Jeff Koons, worked for the world-renowned art museum MOMA.
I have a talented friend who is a starving artist, and while we see art everywhere -- like the covers of the books we read -- she sees no viable avenues to create a living doing what she loves. The book won't provide her answers, but maybe it will encourage her to keep trying. I will be passing my book to her in hopes that she does.
Thank you @CeladonBooks for my #gifted copy!
I enjoyed the wide range of examples - from wealthy families funding the endeavor to stripping for money. And, the artists were varied as well. We learned about the author Kurt Vonnegt and his work in PR. Writers who worked day jobs selling insurance. The sculptor and painter, Jeff Koons, worked for the world-renowned art museum MOMA.
I have a talented friend who is a starving artist, and while we see art everywhere -- like the covers of the books we read -- she sees no viable avenues to create a living doing what she loves. The book won't provide her answers, but maybe it will encourage her to keep trying. I will be passing my book to her in hopes that she does.
Thank you @CeladonBooks for my #gifted copy!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Making Art and Making a Living: Adventures in Funding a Creative Life
by Mason Currey
Audiobook narrated by Adam Verner
Non-fiction/art history
Have you ever been curious about how artists live? Creating works of art takes time and effort, often with no immediate financial payoff. Then, what do they do to finance their creations? The answers are, of course, as many as artists are. Different artists (writers, painters, filmmakers, and sculptors) chose different paths, some begrudgingly and some complacently. This book can entertain our curiosity. It's a fun romp into artists lives. While it may not be earth shattering new information, it can make you feel closer to the artists - they are all human after all.
An advance copy of this book was provided courtesy of NetGalley and Macmillan Audio. Opinions stated herein are my own. Thank you!
by Mason Currey
Audiobook narrated by Adam Verner
Non-fiction/art history
Have you ever been curious about how artists live? Creating works of art takes time and effort, often with no immediate financial payoff. Then, what do they do to finance their creations? The answers are, of course, as many as artists are. Different artists (writers, painters, filmmakers, and sculptors) chose different paths, some begrudgingly and some complacently. This book can entertain our curiosity. It's a fun romp into artists lives. While it may not be earth shattering new information, it can make you feel closer to the artists - they are all human after all.
An advance copy of this book was provided courtesy of NetGalley and Macmillan Audio. Opinions stated herein are my own. Thank you!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This book isn't about how to become an artist. It is mostly about artists past history and how the hustle through life and how they made a living. How the author wrote about each artist on how their life was life intriguing. I like how the author did some digging on each artists life because these information isn't easy to have a grab onto this history of past lives of artists. I like how he explained how cezanne's life and how to make a living through allowance. Allowance is more like an inheritance. Each artists in the book had an odd job and a double life. The book doesn't tell you how to become an artist but give you examples of past artist and how the approach things. Plus what they have experience in their life so you don't have to make the same mistakes they have done.
An advance copy of this book was provided by publishing company Celadon Books
An advance copy of this book was provided by publishing company Celadon Books
April 27, 2026
This isn’t a “here’s how to succeed” kind of book. It doesn’t hand you a plan or pretend there’s a clean path. What it does (and does well) is lay out the truth: that artists have ALWAYS been figuring it out as they go. Patronage, side jobs, unstable income, reinventing yourself over and over again -- what worked for one person failed for another, and what worked once didn’t always last. But (for me at least) that’s the comforting part: There isn’t one right way to build a creative life, and there never has been.
I really appreciated getting to learn about the masters of old (whether they considered themselves masters or not) and discover they suffered the same uncertainties we do today. If you’re someone who feels pulled toward creating but also feels that fear of failure in the background, this book doesn’t erase that fear, but it does make you feel less alone in it.
I really appreciated getting to learn about the masters of old (whether they considered themselves masters or not) and discover they suffered the same uncertainties we do today. If you’re someone who feels pulled toward creating but also feels that fear of failure in the background, this book doesn’t erase that fear, but it does make you feel less alone in it.
May 11, 2026
Making Art and Making a Living explores how artists over the centuries have funded their lives until such point that their art itself becomes profitable. For some, that point did not even occur during their lifetime.
From inheritance to mooching to stripping to theft, Currey makes the point that those who are compelled to create will find a way to do it. There is a wide range of lively and fascinating stories about how artists have found a way to create and still eat. I learned more about familiar artists and discovered artists who were new to me and, in doing so, gained an appreciation for the determination and resilience shown by all of them. The Belgian filmmaker Chantal Akerman stole money from a porno playhouse. The poet Alexander Pope engaged in an early form of subscription service and crowdfunding. Vincent Van Gogh was entirely propped up financially by his brother Theo.
It's sad that the arts are being even further defunded (as well as the sciences, education and social programs). Imagine the cultural riches that would result if there were once again a program like the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Art Project of the 1930s. Without art, literature, music, photography and film, we all lose.
Thank you to Celadon Books for an Advance Reading Copy.
From inheritance to mooching to stripping to theft, Currey makes the point that those who are compelled to create will find a way to do it. There is a wide range of lively and fascinating stories about how artists have found a way to create and still eat. I learned more about familiar artists and discovered artists who were new to me and, in doing so, gained an appreciation for the determination and resilience shown by all of them. The Belgian filmmaker Chantal Akerman stole money from a porno playhouse. The poet Alexander Pope engaged in an early form of subscription service and crowdfunding. Vincent Van Gogh was entirely propped up financially by his brother Theo.
It's sad that the arts are being even further defunded (as well as the sciences, education and social programs). Imagine the cultural riches that would result if there were once again a program like the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Art Project of the 1930s. Without art, literature, music, photography and film, we all lose.
Thank you to Celadon Books for an Advance Reading Copy.
May 18, 2026
I’m calling this book a bedside thriller for artists. Because the stories Mason Currey tells about famous artists from history are thrillingly relatable for creatives and they're full of exciting twists and turns. The best part is that he is constantly pointing out how their brilliant works could not have been made without money. They of course needed some actual printed currency to get by! And Currey tells how money did or did not come in, and what the artists did about it. I love reading pages from it at the end of the day, because Currey weaves such great stories and also because he makes me feel less stupid for not having figured out how to make millions from my work. I love his “Rituals” books, and this new book is another fantastic classic. If you are not already a subscriber to his Substack, Subtle Maneuvers, go see if you don’t love his posts. He’s putting out gold there.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I found this book very surprising, in a great way!
I had expected it to be more of a manual on how fund an art career. However, I was happy to find out this was not the case. The book gathers stories from a diverse group of creatives (visual artists, photographers, writers, poets, etc.) and examines how they have funded their creative lives.
I had also expected the book to be serious and directive. It was not. It was humorous and exploratory! I loved learning the many daring, nefarious, enchanting, and unorthodox ways each artist used to live and create.
I listened to the audiobook. The narrator (Adam Verner) did a fantastic job bringing the stories to life. It was a pleasure to listen to.
I had expected it to be more of a manual on how fund an art career. However, I was happy to find out this was not the case. The book gathers stories from a diverse group of creatives (visual artists, photographers, writers, poets, etc.) and examines how they have funded their creative lives.
I had also expected the book to be serious and directive. It was not. It was humorous and exploratory! I loved learning the many daring, nefarious, enchanting, and unorthodox ways each artist used to live and create.
I listened to the audiobook. The narrator (Adam Verner) did a fantastic job bringing the stories to life. It was a pleasure to listen to.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I devoured my advanced reader copy of Mason Currey’s “Making Art and Making a Living”. Similar to his “Daily Rituals” books, this new book creates a window into the creative process by showing you how artists and writers throughout the ages navigated day jobs, patrons, and a bounty of financial woes and missteps. Hilarious schemes, side hustles, and a fair amount of mooching abound. There’s even a few game show appearances just to keep afloat. As someone who has always had a day job with an art practice on the side, I couldn’t get enough of these stories. Don’t expect a how-to guide on making a living as an artist, instead prepare to be inspired by the “wealth” of creativity artists have applied to their own day-to-day lives to keep making their work.
April 5, 2026
You know how, after walking through an art gallery, you say: Man, I wanna do that? But when?
This book shows you how others find the time to create art, whether it's writing, painting, whatever.
Some of the keys:
- Find a job that doesn't use all of your brain; leave some for later
- Marry later, not early. It's ok to live in squalor, but don't force your family to, too.
- Marry rich
- Don't expect to make money from your side passion
- Success may come later. Like, after you're dead.
Currey writes brisk, well-researched stories. I'm glad I read this book.
Tom Sakell
https://www.harborsights.com/essays
This book shows you how others find the time to create art, whether it's writing, painting, whatever.
Some of the keys:
- Find a job that doesn't use all of your brain; leave some for later
- Marry later, not early. It's ok to live in squalor, but don't force your family to, too.
- Marry rich
- Don't expect to make money from your side passion
- Success may come later. Like, after you're dead.
Currey writes brisk, well-researched stories. I'm glad I read this book.
Tom Sakell
https://www.harborsights.com/essays
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Review of ARC received from NetGalley : I listened to the audiobook version of Making Art and Making a Living Adventures in Funding a Creative Life by Mason Currey, but I did not finish it. I am primarily a fiction reader/listener but I also enjoy some nonfiction and love to paint so this sounded promising. It was simply too dry for me, I found myself rewinding to try to retain the information but I gave up at 46% through. The writing made sense and the narrator spoke clearly and the production quality was good. The book/audiobook was just not for me.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This book delves into the realty of impoverished artists, that if the artist is paid it is the art that usually pays the price, I thought it was very poignant. I have thoroughly enjoyed this alternative art history book as it covers the mentality that an artist goes into with the money/art choices. As someone who often reads psychological studies and enjoys a stroll through an art museum this book was a dopamine hit. I wish my art history class had this book.
Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
May 6, 2026
I thought from the title that this book would be about being an artist and when you are ready to start selling your work, how do you do it? I didn't read what the book was about. I did appreciate learning about how artists from the 1700's - 1900's made money so they fund their creative lives. Currey budgeted 18 months to write the book and it took him over 53. I do appreciate all the info in the book about artist's stuggles. I like the art direction of the book cover. After I read this book, now I am very aware about how artists fund their creative lives.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This book shares how some of the famous artists we know and love today truly made their living since any artist knows it’s such a struggle to make a living as an artist. This book was so cool and was broken into sections and talked about so many great artists. I learned so much and now I know I’m not the only one ensuring a miserable day job. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
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