These NYC artists turned studio scraps into gallery art. Here’s how they afford to keep creating in the city.

The Nose to Tail exhibition ran from June through July at Equity Gallery in the Lower East Side.

Yao Zu Lu The Nose to Tail exhibition in NYC highlighted art made from scraps never meant to see a gallery.

Five artists discussed the financial realities of sustaining an artistic practice in New York City.

From cheap materials and multiple jobs to affordable studios and housing, here's how they do it.

"Let nothing go to waste" has taken on a literal meaning for these New York City artists.

As the cost of living is a big challenge for many New Yorkers, artists from a recent thrifty art show talked to Business Insider about how they have found ways to adapt to rising prices while continuing their creative pursuits — including using scraps of their work that were never meant to be seen on the walls of an art gallery.

This was the thesis of the Nose to Tail exhibition, curated by New York natives Patricia Fabricant and Jeanne Heifetz and featuring eleven artists living in the city.

Its title refers to the culinary practice of using every edible part of an animal, both to reduce waste and honor its life.

"As inflation ticks ever higher and resources more precious," the group show featured artworks "sourced from studio process by-products, down-time doodles, and happy accidents," according to the exhibition description.

Business Insider has covered how other artists are working to make ends meet throughout our Cost of the City series, reporting on how people can afford to live in one of the most expensive cities in the country.

How has your experience living and affording New York City been? What challenges have you faced and how have you adapted? If you are open to talking to a reporter about your experience, reach out to [email protected] or fill out this form so we can contact you.

The show ran at Equity Gallery in the Lower East Side from June to July and showcased a range of art forms, from paintings to metalwork and music videos.

Here's how five New York City artists turned studio scraps into finished works — and what it means to sustain a creative practice in an increasingly unaffordable city .

Gabrielle Shelton: When business sustains the art Yao Zu Lu Gabrielle Shelton, 53, originally from Los Angeles, has been living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn , for 31 years.