A-Z Blogging Challenge: C is for Creativity versus Cash

My theme: Writing and the business of writing.

Creativity and the art of making money are often deemed complete opposites: creativity is pure and beautiful, whereas cash is dirty and ugly. How could these two things possibly be connected?

But even writers have to eat.

In fact, one could say artists are the ultimate self-employed businessmen (and women). There are few professions where you rely so much just on yourself, and your creativity, to provide food and shelter for yourself. (Or shoes and handbags)

Contrary to what the populist opinion of today may say, many artists are excellent at making money. More surprisingly it’s often the lack of funds which spurs these artists on to make their art. Just look at my hero, Strindberg. As soon as he ran out of money (which he did frequently), he sat down and wrote another play. Apparently he didn’t even like writing plays, but did it because plays were quicker to write than novels and they were easier to market. When even his plays wouldn’t sell, he started painting oil canvases, which now fetch a pretty penny.

August Strindberg, the Swedish playwright

It could therefore be said that without the need for cash there would be much less creativity. Discuss…