This episode is a real and raw episode for me. Today I found out about the death of an artist I once knew who led a tragic life and was literally starving due to anorexia. He once told me "It's more important that you have a good life than that your art is successful. Having a good life is what creates a foundation for the art" Unfortunately he wasn't able to follow his own advice, but I have built my entire life around it.

As an artist, self care is paramount. You are a highly sensitive instrument that needs to be nurtured. Making sure you eat healthily, have enough sleep, have the support you need for your feelings, have people to live your life with, and that you shield yourself from overstimulation is unbelievably important. YOU matter!

The starving artist myth is pervasive in Western Culture and has had such a detrimental effect on artists. It held me back for 20 years! However, there are some extremely key lessons to be learned from one particular "starving artist" story.

When Vincent Van Gogh was alive, his brother Theo supported him financially. Theo was an art dealer, so Vincent would send him his paintings to sell and accompany them with letters. Theo was unable to sell the paintings, so they accumulated in his home. Vincent died suddenly, the Theo died six months later. This left Theo's wife Johanna alone in Paris with a one year old baby and hundreds of worthless Van Gogh paintings. She organized several exhibitions, inviting people and begging them to buy the paintings, but nobody wanted them. Desperate, she suddenly realized she had another asset. She took Vincent's letters and published them in a book called "The Life of Vincent". It was an overnight success. Suddenly everyone wanted to read the story of this artist named Vincent. Then, they wanted to buy the painting. Johanna's publishing of Vincent's story is the only reason we even know about his art today. Ironically, the tragic "starving" artist's story created a $16 Billion collection of art. Stories Sell.

The starving artist's story is about overcoming difficulty to create. That's obvious - but when you break it down it's about overcoming adversity to become a new person (the Hero's Journey by Joseph Campbell) and the magic of creativity. We can add in a positive impact on the world and turn this story from tragic to triumphant.

If you can follow these three steps, you can step from the "starving" artist mode into the successful one:

1. Take good care of your physical, emotional and artistic needs.

2. Be honest about why you make your art

3. Put your art out in the world and ask what people gain from it so you can hear it in their own words

If you can do that, then you have the basis for crafting the best marketing story ever:

1. Overcoming Adversity

2. The Magic of Creativity

3. Positive Impact on the world.

It's irresistible and magnetic. Once you've got that story, it's just a numbers game of getting it out to as many people as possible. Stories sell, especially this kind.

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