The Starving Artist Challenge: Storyline

Set the scene: A young engaged couple trying to start their life by sharing their art.

Johnny Larson dreams of composing Broadway-worthy show tunes with the hopes of composing his own hit musical. For now, he has to scrape by, earning what Simoleons he can with his paintings. Sutton Miranda has beautiful visions that she must paint! The money and notoriety are only part of why she wants to be a world-class artist. She wants to share the beauty she sees in the ordinary, re-create the landscapes that move her, and bring the images that haunt her to life through painting and photography.

Will this couple survive the Sims 4 Starving Artist Challenge and be able to save up the money for their dream wedding, house, and family?

The Setup

Since the challenge is all about mastering creative skills, I used the Sims 4 Create a Sim to create Johnny and Sutton. I made sure both Sims had Personality Traits that would help them reach these goals. Johnny is a Creative, Music Lover, and Perfectionist Sim with the Muser Trait from the Musical Genius creative aspiration. Sutton is a Good, Perfectionist, and Creative Sim with the Muser Trait from the Painter Extraordinaire creative aspiration. 

After creating my Sims, I moved them into the Fern Park lot in Newcrest, bought two E.A.S.L easels, and decreased their money to 100 Simoleons. Time to start the Sim 4 Starving Artist challenge and earn that Bonus by not using any cheats (plus, take a look at their names!).

The Beginning of the Sims 4 Starving Artist Challenge

Johnny and Sutton both went straight to work, each painting a Small Classic Painting. Unfortunately, these each cost 50 Simoleons, which broke the bank. Johnny made 48 Simoleons on his first painting and wasn’t able to begin his second until Sutton sold her painting for 64 Simoleons. This got the ball rolling. 

The couple painted throughout the day until their needs were begging for attention. They snuck into a nearby Spa to freshen up in the facilities for free and then harvested Strawberries and Mushrooms near their lot to fill up their bellies for the night.

When they got back to their lot, it was time to figure out sleeping arrangements. The cheapest tent available is the Easy Camper Tent from the Outdoor Retreat Game Pack, which costs 420 Simoleons, while the cheapest sleeping bag is the Under the Stars Bedroll Sleeping Bag from the Horse Ranch Expansion Pack, which costs 140 Simoleons. The duo ended the first day with 240 Simoleons and could only buy one sleeping bag, so they took turns sleeping and painting throughout their first night.

Day two of the Sims 4 Starving Artist Challenge began with 358 Simoleons. They painted the entire day together to earn their money and hone their skills, gradually earning fame at the same time. By the end of the day, Sutton became a one-star celebrity! 

They started the third day with 1,018 Simoleons and Johnny had a little accident, so he snuck back into the Spa to clean up. Right now, the young engaged couple is really wishing they had their own bathroom. 

Saving up the Simoleons

My first question was, what are these Sims saving up for? At what point do they spend their money? Building a house is expensive, even if it is small. 

For now, I decided to start with outdoor items that they can use later in life for fun with their artsy kids. I started with a cheap patio set, a trash can, and the Nature’s Relief Bush from Horse Ranch for their restroom. Hopefully, there won’t be any more accidents.

I also upgraded their solo sleeping bag to the tent I was eyeing earlier, so they could both get their rest. After settling in, they discovered that their lot was, luckily, near a community area with grills, so they could start to grill up what food they could afford.

Creative Roadblocks

By the fourth day, they had earned 2,413 in Simoleons from using the Sell to Collector interaction on the easel. It rained for the first time, which was not great for morale and both Sims eventually ended up Burned Out.

That day, both Johnny and Sutton sold their first masterpieces, so they started the next day with 7,291 Simoleons. It’s finally time to build a little!

After building a house with a bathroom, kitchen, dining area, living space, and bedroom area (to be fair, everything except for the bathroom was still technically one room) they were left with 61 Simoleons. Johnny, then, painted a new painting while Sutton made grilled cheese, leaving them at 1 Simoleon.

The artistic duo are both at Level 7 of the Painting Skill, so they can make their money back in no time…hopefully.

At this point in the Sims 4 Starving Artist Challenge, I’m ready to start focusing on their aspirations and other creative skills. I’m also kind of wishing I made one of these Sims a Kleptomaniac. Is it bad to say stealing a guitar or violin might make things a little easier for Johnny? Oh well. With around 3,500 Simoleons saved up, Johnny set up a desk with a computer and a Violin, and is ready to start his journey to Broadway.

Perfect Painters

The eighth day was a big day for the Miranda-Larson household, starting out with 3,505 Simoleons in savings. Both Johnny and Sutton reached Level 10 of the Painting Skill. Thank goodness, too, because it turns out Sutton is pregnant!  

Now that Johnny and Sutton have mastered the Painting Skill, they are creating high-quality art and even a handful of masterpieces, which are making them big bucks. Not to mention, Sutton became a Rising Star and bought her first camera to start her Photography Skill journey. For the next few days, the couple decides to focus on increasing their new creative skills and earning money. 

On day 11, Baby Lloyd Miranda-Larson is born! The new family starts the day with 15,500 Simoleons, but it’s time to expand the house to fit the new baby. I expanded to the second floor, adding two full bedrooms and a bathroom. The family of three was left with 925 Simoleons.

The next day, new dad Johnny focused on his musical dream by practicing violin and writing music. He levels up twice in his aspiration. Sutton works on her photography by snapping some cute baby pics, but it looks like she may need some more practice.

Leveling Up

The challenge really kicked it into high gear at this point of the Sims 4 Starving Artist Challenge. Johnny spent too much time practicing violin and lost his celebrity status. Lloyd is a handful, appliances keep breaking, and Sutton and Johnny are exhausted. In the midst of all of this, Sutton realized she’s a Gloomy person.

Over the following days, the couple focused on their skills. Sutton took her first outstanding photograph, and Johnny leveled up to Violin Skill Level 8! At this level, he can finally write songs and make more aspiration progress. Unfortunately, he started to burn out, so it took days for Johnny to write his first song.

Lloyd aged up to a toddler and then immediately glitched into a child. Womp womp. 

By day 16, the family had 28,000 Simoleons, so it was time to renovate! After some renovations, the lot had increased to a total of 50,349 Simoleons. 

Sutton purchased some photography books to focus on her new craft and attended a skill class, which raised her Photography Skill Level to 3. While this is going on, Johnny’s Indoor Lifestyle is making him tense, and he is refusing to write music.

Trouble in Painters’ Paradise

The couple was fracturing at this point. Even after a 1,000 Simoleon Cupid’s Corner Counseling session, they despise each other. How can they add to their family if they can’t even be near each other? 

After four days, Johnny finally finished writing his first musical song and sent it off to the publishers to start earning royalties. Lloyd began his creative journey as a child and also started contributing to the family by selling his art. Sutton had an emotional meltdown, and Johnny burnt out again. These artists are struggling. 

The couple decided to take some time off from parenting and creating to go on a date. Yes, the date was to a nearby vending machine, but still. They spent the night rekindling their romance, leading to Sutton eating for two! 

The next day, Sutton maxed out her Photography Skill, and Johnny maxed out his Violin Skill. Sutton also completed the Painter Extraordinaire aspiration. Baby Hart was born a few days later, and Johnny completed the Musical Genius aspiration. This means I’ve completed two of the Sims 4 Starving Artist challenge goals by the 23rd day!

Make Room for the Baby

A growing family requires more space, so the Larson-Mirandas spent their hard-earned Simoleons to renovate again. The house is now up to a total value of 69,000 Simoleons, and each kid has their own room. The family also got a makeover to match their upgraded lifestyle. 

By the time Lloyd is a teen and Hart is a toddler, Sutton and Johnny have decided to give their relationship one more try or call off the wedding. Surprisingly, over the next few days, the couple eloped immediately to get married!

They couldn’t afford the wedding they always dreamed of, but that didn’t matter to them anymore. They finally realized their love for each other.

41 Days Later

Lloyd reached Painting Skill Level 4 by being mentored by his artistic parents and sold his first painting to a collector. Shortly afterwards, Johnny unexpectedly died from laughter while mentoring his son! He was reborn into a different family and will no longer be on this journey. 

By day 35, the house was finally up to 100,000 Simoleons, and Lloyd maxed out his Painting Skill. Just one more goal to go!

Hart completed the creative aspiration as a child, earning her the Creatively Gifted Trait as a teen. With the additional advantage of being mentored by her highly skilled family, she quickly mastered the Painting Skill. 

Day 41, Challenge complete! I think? Hart achieved Level 10 of the Painting Skill! All four goals have been met, with the bonuses too!

The Sims 4 Starving Artist Challenge: Lessons Learned

Overall, I’d say this challenge was fun and definitely challenging. I knew I was a fan of cheating to refill needs, but the Sim 4 Starving Artist Challenge really showed me how much I usually rely on cheats in the Sims 4. Honestly, this made it all the more fun because I felt like when I was a kid and didn’t know how to use cheat codes! 

Once there was a newborn in the mix, it was hard to keep everyone fed and ensure needs were met. Adding a second child was difficult, but having a teen as another caretaker for the baby helped. 

The Sim 4 Starving Artist Challenge required a good amount of effort to balance the various Sims’ moods. Gaining and losing celebrity status throughout the challenge impacted Sutton and Johnny’s moods, sometimes making them too sad to work on their craft or their relationship with each other.  

These tense, sad, or angry moods prevented them from having successful romantic conversations and altogether stalled the baby-making process for the second kid. This extended the amount of time it took to complete the challenge, because the children had to both be teenagers to access new creative skills, like painting.

My Play Through

Let’s be honest, there were some issues to take into consideration for my play through of the Sims 4 Starving Artist Challenge.

Lloyd aged up from a toddler to a child instantly. A glitch in the Sims 4 that impacted the timeline. Johnny kept getting the tense moodlet from his Indoor Lifestyle, but he was always indoors, so I’m thinking that could have been a small glitch that ended up impacting the overall timeline. And, of course, Johnny died before I completed the challenge. He did complete his aspiration and maxed out the Painting and Violin Skills at least.

Do these disqualify me? Let me know what you think.

How to Complete the Sims 4 Starving Artist Challenge

For your play through of Simone’s the Sims 4 Starving Artist Challenge, I have a few tips:

• Mentor, mentor, mentor. Once you have a Sim in your household with a high enough skill level to mentor other Sims, use the Mentor in Painting interaction to help other Sims quickly raise their skill level.

• Family Recipe meals are vital to boost your Sims moods and needs. Using Family Recipes with Special Touches like Motive-ating, which pauses the decrease of a random need, Low Maintenance, which slows down how quickly needs decrease for Toddlers and Children, and Moodlet Booster, which increases the duration of Happy and Inspired moodlets, will give your Sims advantages throughout the challenge.
• Choose Personality Traits for the better or worse. Personality Traits in the Sims 4 can harm or help your Sim in this challenge. Sims are born with/created, earn, and can use aspiration points to purchase Personality Traits. Traits like Perfectionist, Practice Makes Perfect, Creative Visionary, Super Mentor, and more helped the Larson-Miranda household complete the challenge.

What do you think about Simone’s the Sims 4 Starving Artist Challenge? Was there anything you’d do differently? Let us know below!