Howard Fine Book Club: What Real Artists Don’t Starve Can Teach Actors About “Back-Up” Jobs
By Claire Frost, Marketing Manager at Howard Fine Acting Studio
Let’s face it - no matter how passionate, talented, or driven you are as an actor, chances are at some point you’ve wondered if you need a “back-up” job.
We’ve all been there. That stomach-sinking moment when the gigging slows down, and you find yourself eyeing a casual admin role or café shift just to keep the rent paid. It can feel like betrayal, like stepping off the sacred path of the Artist. But what if it’s not?
I’ve recently been diving into Real Artists Don’t Starve by Jeff Goins, and one of the biggest takeaways for actors? Real artistry doesn’t require full-time performance to be legitimate.
I’ve sat down with this idea and started unpacking the shame that can creep in around side gigs, day jobs, and “non-creative” work, and it hit close to home.
“I Thought I Had Let Acting Down”
Before I became the Marketing Manager here at Howard Fine, I spent over a decade working in corporate and creative agencies, all while trying to reconcile the fact that I had trained as an actor.
I went to drama school. I had the dream. I booked some professional gigs. But like so many of us, I hit some walls, big ones. I started to believe I had failed, or worse, that I had betrayed the craft.
It felt like everyone else had a key to the party and I was stuck outside, face pressed against the glass. So I turned away. I threw myself into “real jobs” and somewhere in that mix, I fell into marketing.
It started in a small theatre company where everyone wore multiple hats, and marketing landed in my lap. What surprised me was that I didn’t hate it, in fact, I loved it. It was storytelling, psychology, communication - all the same muscles I’d developed as an actor, just flexed differently.
And the more I embraced it, the more it gave back.
Why the “Back-Up” Job Narrative Is Outdated
Goins argues that the myth of the starving artist is just that - a myth. And it’s one that’s long overdue for retirement, especially in an industry like ours where flexibility, resilience, and range are everything.
At Howard Fine Acting Studio, we regularly see students juggling hospitality jobs, freelance gigs, teaching, therapy work, personal training, and more. And these jobs often become sources of insight, empathy, and material for their acting.
In today’s world, being a multi-hyphenate is the new normal.
Find a “Back-Up” That Builds You Up
Here’s the twist: what if your “back-up” job didn’t pull you away from acting, but instead fed it?
What if, like me, you found joy and creativity in another field - and let that co-exist with your work as a performer? What if you embraced the broader identity of being a creative professional?
Let’s Change the Narrative
Actors are not less-than for holding other jobs. In fact, those jobs might just be the key to longevity, depth, and sustainability in this wild career.
So whether you’re pulling coffees, freelancing in design, or managing social media for a small business, own it. Let it teach you something. Let it support your art instead of feeling like it’s stealing from it.
Because you can be an actor and something else. And that doesn’t make you less of an artist - it might just make you more of one.
Did you know?
81% of Australian artists rely on income from outside the arts to support themselves.
→ Australia Council for the Arts, “Making Art Work” report (2017)
The average Australian artist earns $18,000 annually from their creative practice.
→ Most supplement their income with teaching, admin, or unrelated work.Only 1 in 5 working actors in the U.S. earn a living solely from acting.
→ Bureau of Labor Statistics (US), SAG-AFTRA reports
Harrison Ford
Before Star Wars made him a household name, he worked as a carpenter to support his family. He even built cabinets for George Lucas - which is how he landed the Han Solo role.
Viola Davis
Took on multiple “survival jobs” including working in security and customer service before finding consistent acting work.
Rachel McAdams
Worked at McDonald’s for years before landing her breakout role in The Notebook.
Danny DeVito
Trained as a hairdresser, and worked at his sister’s salon while taking acting classes.
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Worked as a waiter and usher for years while pursuing acting, and was still paying off student loans well after winning an Oscar.
Gillian Anderson
Worked as a cleaner and in waitressing jobs while trying to break into theatre in New York.
Want more?
Brad Pitt
🛎️ Dressed as a chicken to promote a fast food restaurant (El Pollo Loco)
🚚 Also worked as a limousine driver for strippers and a fridge delivery guyWhoopi Goldberg
⚰️ Worked as a mortuary cosmetologist (yes, she did makeup on the deceased)
🧹 Also cleaned houses to pay the bills while pursuing acting.Jon Hamm
👨🏫 Was a high school drama teacher — one of his students was Ellie Kemper, who later starred with him on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
Melissa McCarthy
👚 Worked as a costume designer and in retail (L.A. shops, plus some fashion gigs) before breaking into comedy.
Chris Pratt
🍤 Worked as a waiter at Bubba Gump Shrimp in Maui
🛠️ Also spent time living in a van and working as a discount ticket salesman.Jennifer Aniston
📞 Worked as a telemarketer, sold timeshares, and waited tables before landing Friends.
Channing Tatum
💃 Was a stripper (yes, that’s what inspired Magic Mike)
🧺 Also worked as a construction worker, mortgage broker, and fashion model.
Evangeline Lilly
✈️ Worked as a flight attendant and a mechanic before booking Lost.
Danny Trejo
👷♂️ Was a drug counsellor for youth in L.A. before becoming an actor, he landed his first role while on set with a client.
Hugh Jackman
🎪 Was a clown for children’s parties, earning about $50 a gig
📞 Also worked as a phone operator and PE teacher before studying acting full-time.Margot Robbie
🥪 Made subway sandwiches at Subway
📞 Also worked in telemarketing in Melbourne before her break on Neighbours.Steve Buscemi
🚒 Was a New York firefighter before acting full-time — and returned to help at Ground Zero after 9/11.
Lucy Liu
🧽 Worked multiple odd jobs, including massage therapist, while studying and auditioning.
Let’s drive this point home!
Most actors had to juggle unpredictable creative work with very regular jobs.
A “side hustle” didn’t stop them - and in some cases, it gave them the life experience that enriched their acting.
You’re in very good company if you’re balancing auditions with admin, retail, teaching, or temping.