Why Artists Should (Not) Be Paid for Their Artwork
Garcon a la Pipe by Picasso - Sold for $137.5 Million
“Oh after you mop the floor and clean the barn, can you finish the Sistine chapel in your spare time?” Contributed by my Facebook Friend Ross Fletcher
I woke up feeling quite feisty this morning. Nothing makes me spit nails more than the idea that some people under-value the work of artists.
Last night I was at a Blog World Expo party in Las Vegas. I met a pretty boy from a social media company who asked about my blog. I told him that I help artists make a living doing what they love with art.
Pretty boy replied, “Artists shouldn’t be paid for their art. Getting paid prevents them from creating really good stuff.”
Drew and Maria June 17, 2000
I thought back to the artsy photographers I hired for my wedding day. They were more expensive than your average wedding photographer, but they gave me something wonderful: stunning photos of the most important day of my life!
I can’t even entertain the thought that being paid makes your work less good. That’s the biggest load of crap I’ve ever heard.
I asked him, “If they don’t get paid, who feeds their families and pays for their supplies?”
“They should work another job,” he said, rather smugly.
I want to make three points about Art, Contribution and Money with this article:
- Your art is a CONTRIBUTION to society. It brings joy, it solves problems, and it makes this world a better place.
- Being paid ALLOWS you to make that contribution to society.
- Your contribution expands in relation to the amount of time you put into it. More hours = expanded contribution to this world with your God-given talent.
We live in a money-based society. That won’t change anytime soon – so those of you who say “money isn’t important” get over it!
I almost punched pretty boy in the face when he said to me, “Artists are better off working a job they hate and then painting in their spare time.”
This is the problem I have with that:
a.) No one should work a job they hate. You were put on this earth with talents and you are meant to do that which you are good at and what you love!
b.) The world is missing out on your contribution. The less an artist creates, the less they grow. It requires hours upon hours to hone your craft.
If you are at a “real job” for 40-50 hours a week, doing what you hate, and then you have to come home and be a parent, and mow the lawn, and feed your kids, when will you create art?
I have friends who regret living most of their lives working in an office job and only creating a few paintings a year because that’s all there was time for. Think of how much their talent would have improved, how much they could have shared, had they created all day instead!
“Soooooo”, I asked the pretty boy, my blood getting hot with frustration, “do you get paid for YOUR work?”
Of course, the answer was yes. “Does getting paid make your work less good?” I asked. “Well, no” he said. “That’s different.”
Yeah, I thought so.
This topic drives me insane. Why should one small segment of the population have their work devalued so much that they are forced to struggle? Should interior designers also not be paid, and should musicians play for free and should the guy who artistically installs my decorative bathroom tile do it for nothing?
And an even better question is this: why should my plumber be paid more than an artist?!
Drew Brophy has been a working artist since he was a teenager. He’s always “Lived by the Paintbrush.”
When he was in his twenties, he painted surfboards for a living. A lot of them. So many that he’s become known in the surf industry as the artist who changed the way that surfboards were painted.
He says that painting 10-15 surfboards a day helped him to get really good and to develop a very strong style of his own. His style is now well recognized and many people try to emulate it and attribute their artwork to being inspired by Drew.
If Drew had been working in another field and only painting in his spare time, he would have been wasting his talent.
Drew paints what he wants, and he loves doing it. When someone commissions a painting, it’s because they love his style. It’s a beautiful way to put art into the world and be able to live a good life.
Charging for his artwork allows him to make people happy with his art. Without payment, he wouldn’t have the time, because he’d have to pay the bills by working on something else. And there’s only so much time in the day.
Though he hardly paints surfboards anymore, occasionally he will. These paintings BRING GREAT JOY TO PEOPLE. When they see their very own Drew Brophy surfboard painting for the first time, their eyes light up!
One happy surfer boy!
(The picture to the left is from a thank you card that ten year old Spencer wrote, thanking Drew for his painted surfboard – he is proud to be seen with it!)
Charging for your artwork enables you to make a contribution to the world with your art. It allows you to develop your style and to get better and better at what you do.
Most of my friends are creative people. The rare few that don’t care about being paid are either supported by a family member or have another career that they really enjoy.
We live in a money based society. That isn’t going to change right now. It costs money to eat, put your kid in sports, to have a home. We most likely won’t see that change in our lifetime.
As long as we are stuck in a money based system, I find it an outright insult to all hardworking artists to say they shouldn’t be paid for what they do.
It’s just a crazy notion that this one, single profession should work for free! (While everyone else gets paid…)
What do you think?
Similar Posts:
- The Artists Pain: Quoting and Negotiating Prices (A.K.A. the “BRO Deal”)
- How to Make Sure Your Art is Remembered Like Picassos
- Are you Selling or are you Making a Contribution? It’s all in your head.
Tags: Artists should be paid, Artwork, contribution, money based society
Years ago, I built an insulated bubble for the sole purpose of protecting myself from unevolved neanderthals, pretty as they may be, from destroying my ideas about art, money, making a living and doing what I love.
I knew people like this existed…but I was on a mission to make sure that this unfortunate, outdated species never made their way into my psyche (which is also a good reason for avoiding most galleries, art schools, and other ancient relics of civilization).
In fact, because there isn’t a single ounce of my being that believes in this antiquated notion…I’ve been able to create more than art, I’ve been able to create my dream job, a thriving business, employment for others, a loyal following, money to pay the bills, have a nice home, see the world, help less fortunate, and live the life I envisioned.
Bottom line…all those experiences enrich me, fuel my creativity, and help me to make the most of what I’ve been given.
Unapologetically, I make money and I want every artist I know to understand exactly what you espouse here:
money=freedom=creativity=ongoing contributions to society.
Great post Maria. Have a wonderful weekend.
Wow, your comment said it BETTER than my entire article! Thank you! I am a huge fan of yours, and it’s an honor.
I esp. love that you wrote this: money=freedom=creativity=ongoing contributions to society
Thanks, Chandra.
You are just the BEST Maria.
And in no way does anything I say say it better (you’re so funny!!)…I’m just so happy to get to chime in on what you write because you are doing such great work to help so many artists!
I have such great LOVE & RESPECT for you and Drew and I just get so excited about the positive impact you’re both making.
At least in my experience, the greatest lessons seem to come from the most annoying experiences
You are true leaders and I am honored to have you as friends.
Well said! Living a dream life is contagious and how can that not help other people?
money=freedom=creativity=ongoing contributions to society
I LOVE THIS.
I think pretty boy is supremely lucky you have such good self-restraint because he really had a good thrashing coming to him (if only that would actually change something).
The world is such a better place with artists in it! It would be even better if more people could earn a living doing what they LOVE and helping to support others doing the same. It always feels better buying something great from an individual than from a big corporate store.
Keep up the good fight Maria!
Maria, I am breathing fire here.
As an artist who makes some of her money from her art and some of her money from doing other work she enjoys, I’d love to give Pretty Boy an earful.
Where in the name of heaven did he get such ridiculous ideas?! What is wrong with people!?
Clearly this person has never been creative a day in their life. A job you hate only drains your creative energy, leaving you zapped and unproductive at the end of the day.
I want to reach through time and space and shake this guy – hard. I admire your restraint – I don’t know if I could have done the same.
Wow- fabulous article. The business side of the equation has always been the weak point for artists – either because they were embarrassed about making money or because they just didn’t know how.
The “Starving Artist” is generally the short-lived artist.
Keep in touch!
L
I could just scream at these people. I hate to say it, but I can’t believe how many artists I come across that feel the same way. The few blogs I have written have been about helping artists market their art with the social media tools available. I can’t believe how many of their comments back are about not wanting to be pushy or salesy. It drives me crazy. I’m working on a blog now titled, “I Don’t Understand Artists and I am One.” How are we going to get other people to value what we do, when we’re working against ourselves. I value my work. I value what I do for a living and I am confident to know that not everyone can do it. I’m not going to apologize ever to the fact someone needs to pay me to enjoy my art on a daily bases in their home. Well done Maria!! And good for you for not knocking his block off.
I so agree with you as to why some artist feel uneasy at wanting to sell their art as we artist are a special breed of people and I feel the world should pay us a special thanks for contributing to society with our special talents.
Kenneth c Young
Yes I agree with you about these artist (or any salesperson for that matter) who feel that they are been pushy just because they are trying to market their merchandise.
People have to realize that salespeople are a very important part of what makes the material world turn. Just think if there was not a salesperson who came for example to our nearest Home Depot we probably would not be able to purchase supplies to build or renovate our house. So art is no different as there is a need and a want for art in the home. If it makes a person feel good to look at then maybe we would not need so much anti-depression medication that is out there.
Kenneth c Young
Great post! For FREE resources and information on the business of art, guidelines, articles etc. see our website. We also have a professional practices blog for artists. We are all about the DIY artist who determines their own art career.
Part of what frustrates me about this kind of thing is the way that pretty boy thinks that because he’s perhaps studied a little art history and has an opinion on aesthetics and some dime-store psych theories that he understands how artists are motivated. How the hell would someone who is not an artist have any idea what motivates an artist? Why should any of us pay any attention to people who have opinions on our lives based on no personal experience?
From one of my favorite Six Questions interviews: “No one cares about what you think, unless you do what you think. No one cares what you do, unless you think about what you do. No one ever really cares what you say.”
http://www.kickerstudio.com/blog/2009/05/six-questions-from-kicker-jack-schulze/
Also, let me just say that your first mistake may have been talking to someone who works for a social media company. I’ve never met one that didn’t remind me of a snake oil salesman.
Maria,
Fantastic! Thank you for your advocacy. We are not the exception.
You pay for what you get and great art deserves to be paid for. Excellent example about your wedding photographer. You got something unique and creative. This stuff requires money.
I needed to hear this today. I’m working really hard to get to that place where I can support my family solely through my artwork. I have the cubicle “day job” to pay bills and feed us; and then hit the studio after the kids go down to sleep. I get quality time with my wife on the weekends. I’m sacrificing a lot to make this art thing happen. It gets frustrating and defeating to not see the sales. But, I’m hopeful. I’m hopeful that the hard work will lead to the blessing of getting to make art as my full-time job.
I am not an artist. I make my living at an office job. What I do at said office job, however, is sell art. Also, I am not appalled at the social media marketer’s position on art and artists. I just consider people like him an opportunity to change minds. With people like him, you have to speak in numbers and ridiculously convoluted business-speak to get through to them, and–if all else fails–you can point out their small-mindedness and have a good laugh in their face for ignoring not only the enriching experience of art but also the potentially lucrative investment and market. Even big guns like Amazon.com are dipping their toes deeper into the art market. Ignoring the art world just makes him and others like him look really stupid.
Kudos to you for being able to keep your cool. I certainly have never heard anything so absurd in my life. Hopefully that guy’ll read your blog and know you are talking about him…although he may be too much of a narcissist to even make the connection. Thank you for being a voice for all of us that are painting for a bigger purpose AND trying to make a living at it. ~ S L Donaldson
Maria, I just think you were conversing with a particularly stupid person.
I really don’t think there’s a major body of people who think that artists shouldn’t get paid.
The real problem is that our laissez faire, free market society doesn’t have any good systems for allocating the money that gets paid to people contributing to the arts.
A dead artist’s estate might get zillions, while working artists get nothing.
A movie star in big studio films gets $20 million for a single film while hundreds of thousands of creative filmmakers & actors can’t even pay their rent.
Record companies and the like skim off the bulk of moneys paid for their artists’ work.
Etc.
Very few people are dumb enough to say artists shouldn’t be able to make a living at their art. The real problem is the many people who countenance an economy which makes sure they can’t.
I so agree as the true artist is special and should be paid dearly for his work and never should have to starve either. There certainly is not the proper advertising for art as most advertisements make art to be some kind of hobby for the week end.
Kenneth c Young
Maria,
Frankly, this guy sounds to me like a professional “heat merchant”. That’s someone who figures out your hot buttons, says or does something outrageous to start a fire, then fans the flames and stands back to watch you burn. It’s how he gets his rush. I have known or worked for a couple of these guys and have a pretty good radar for them by now.
You got a really good post off of him, clarified some interesting thoughts for yourself and others, so now just picture him getting too close to his own accelerants and goin’ up – WHOOSH! GONE! (grin)
Chris B—
Boy did you hit it on the head. Very insightful. And you gave Maria some very sound advice.
Sounds like the kind of guy that would want me to do a portrait shoot for him and his fiancée for free because it would “look great in my portfolio” or “I’d really get some great exposure from it” Please….
Seriously, a couple hours after I read this I got a call asking for some free work and because your post instantly popped into my head I stuck to my guns and politely said “sure, if you get your funding I can make you the best deal I can but I can’t do it for free.” I’m absolutely ok with volunteering for a worthy cause every now and again but not for a major business that I know is profitable.
Thanks for the encouragement and inspiration.
I can tell you two things about this guy. 1. He has never worked with any level of seriousness with the creative process. 2. He knows nothing about how inspiration, motivation, or work progresses for those of us right brainers who work as serious artist.
I have made my full time living from my artwork for the last 15+ years and I charge a pretty penny for what I do. I do not give it away and I have been more productive and produced better work than I ever have in my life. Being paid for my work has made this possible.
I used to teach art in the public school and hated it. I used to work in a factory sharpening drill bits and hated it. I was once a baby photographer for a photography studio and hated it. When I got home from those jobs I was spent. There was nothing left to create with. I just wanted to take a shower and call it a day.
I have learned two things about finances as they relate to artwork. 1. If it has any value or collectable quality to it at all someone is going to make money off of it. (the artist might as well get a share of it) 2. If the artist does not value his/her work, nobody else will either.
This guy is one of those people who open their mouths and let words come out without having any factual base in reality or actual experience with the subject he pretends to understand.
I am sure that he heard in some sociology course somewhere that ‘being paid for a job makes a person cut corners to get to the paycheck faster.’ For sure there are people in every field who are like that. That does not apply to those who excel in any field. To rise to the top and produce quality work day after day you have to be able to bring it to the table and you can’t do that by cutting corners.
Quality attracts collectors, if you cut corners in any aspect of your artwork for a paycheck you will never attract the serious collectors who will pay a fair price for your work. Those who do cut corners never “Make it” and if they do by accident get there they don’t stay there for any length of time.
My 2 cents,
Ray Cover
Full time engraver
How on earth would anybody be ‘better off’ working at a job they hate? Is it some lame old notion that an artist should be depressed, moody and suffering to be inspired? If you watch the news, depressed moody people working in jobs they hate go on shooting sprees and don’t do any painting in their spare time. What a doofus.
After reading these comments, I googled “jfk quotes artist” because I remembered reading one once. It seems that the prettyboy is no JFK.
I would encourage anyone to read a bit of what the president had to say about us, and what he felt.
I spent a lifetime working jobs that would be nobody’s first pick. After work I was never able to shift gears into a mindset condusive to creating. I wondered , sometimes out loud, what a man could create if he had the time and money. Last year I retired and now I’m spending some of my time finally finding out.
I like beautiful thing around me and I buy some from time to time. But I love the souls of creative people and wish there were more that I could do to be supportive. More people need to appreciate the people who bring beauty.
Prettyboy is an ass.
First, in the interest of full disclosure, I wish to state that I was directed to this article by Celesta Krantz, a delightful lady whom I have known and admired for more years than would be gallant to mention.
- – - – -
Excellent sentiment, milady! Certainly, your humble servant, this wordsmith here, doesn’t get paid for doing what he loves … but that doesn’t mean I don’t think that I should. I believe I write a decent stick, and should be compensated for it.
Skull-sweat is still sweat.
Great Post! I posted it one of my FB pages, because I think the message needs to be said – again and again and again until it sinks in – more than the messages we hear about how art is a hobby, or should only be done for love, and nothing else. This idea that an artist should be poor or not think of money is so frustrating! And not just ingrained outside the art community, but inside as well.
i have some things to add, especially given, my “art” is writing and not all the same rules apply. yet they do. anyway, i will add later, as i am sure i will be sharing this post again & again (via email list and on twitter).
for now, this is one of my top fav 5 posts of yours. ever.
immense gratitude,
annie
Maria,
You look stunning in your wedding dress–pretty as a picture postcard. and, by the way, your latest post ain’t too bad either.
Well, let’s just say I am sure glad I wasn’t with you at the expo. Otherwise, I would have given young Adolf a piece of my friggin’ mind.
Reading your post made me happy, gave me slurred speech, and I want the whole world to know, say no to drrrrrugggs.
Oops…sorry…but I just could not resist. Hope that cheers you up.
Well your article on Why Artists Should (Not) Be Paid For Their Artwork also makes me want to Spit Up Nails or something else.what do these people think that we artists should be on the sidewalk begging for coins to help support our art and when these foolish people do want to buy our art they just want to insult us by paying nothing for our talented craft.
Just remember most of us artist are self thought and the type of art that I do cannot even be found in no community college in my area. Another thing that really bugs me is the way governments promote Art as if it were some kind of hobby when the Arts are serious business and should be promoted as such.
Hay people (Salute The Artist) for our great contribution to society.
Kenneth
If an artist can make a wonderful living creating beautiful paintings for fantastic people who love their work…that is a perfect world to me!!
Now, now folks, let’s try to be balanced and objective here.
Don’t jump me, I am just trying to play the devil’s advocate.
Groucho does have a point, you know.
If you read about the life of artists and art history…
Well, let’s just say critics have argued that some of the
best art works have been created by artists who went crazy
and died penniless in an open gutter.
Indeed, this is true. We wrongly assume that all artists are the same and can achieve their goals only through financial support.
In fact, some of the most moving objects of art have been created by artists in their moody blues.
Some of the best art has been created by artists who were diseased, distressed, poor, desperate and even insane.
Look at the life of Van Gogh, Shelley, Keats, and so many others.
Robert Frost and Leo Tolstoy suffered from troubled marriages and frequent bouts of melancholia. Emily Dickinson was a spinster and most of her fame was achieved posthumously, if even.
Why assume all artists need our support? If ignorance is bliss, it is folly to be wise. What say? Some artists have achieved creative breakthrough after being abandoned by their lady love, after losing a job, being reprimanded and even a punch in the kisser.
I am not condoning or glorifying only makinge the point that just as art is a complex process, so is the artistic personality. There may be a grey area that can be difficult to comprehend as well. Comprendo?
How dare we assume that one size fits all?
Since I happened to see Maria’s post early yesterday, I was excited to come back to read other responses.
Archen – I like that you presented the other side of the coin. It’s important to consider what got us here as we work to change the future.
Lack of money does not a better artist make.
However, I believe that adversity does (as you pointed out from a historical perspective)…and that can come in all shapes and forms.
As someone who has faced maybe more than my fair share of tragic losses, I can say for certain that is what compells me to create. It’s my way to communicate and cope. I don’t create for money, but if someone wants what I’ve created, then they have to pay for it.
That’s why the motivation behind the creation is so important, too.
I believe most artists use their art to communicate and many times, to cope with some of life’s painful experiences. Accepting payment for the end product in no way debases the emotion and creativity that went into making it.
And to go a step further, the artists from previous periods did not have the means to communicate on a global level like we do.
They had to wait for others to share their stories. And honestly, that’s the true legacy…not just the body of work they created, but the person behind it; the story of their lives.
Now we have the ability to tell our stories in real time. We don’t have to wait until we’re dead and hope that somebody else can share our tales of triumph and tragedy. Not to mention, if the work resonates at all with anyone; somebody, someday will make money from it.
So, I say why not us? Why not now? Share you stories. Share the life you live that is intrinsically part of the art you make. Because that’s where the real value lies. AND that’s worth getting paid for.
Oops!! Archan – not Archen.
Sorry about my misspelling that I caught right after submitting!!
I worked for 15 plus years in action sports designing for the man. I hated it because my drive was too far, and I was too tired at the end of the day to paint my own work. I was downsized 3 years ago like the rest of you out there. I decided the hit the ground running with my own company. I taught myself how to build my own site, and take care of finance. It is very hard to make money now, but the more I push myself I keep getting “word of mouth” work because I do my best. Life is too short to work at a job you hate. The more you develop into your own style the more you will be sought out and talked about. If you don’t charge enough people will assume your work is not a good investment…. Thanks!
Great article Maria, If I was there Pretty Boy would have received a dropped kick TO THE FACE! I agree with everything you said in this article 100%. Im in college right now trying to set myself up for the future studying something i love and the artwork that you and your husband have inspired me to do is a way i try to make some extra money. When I get paid for something its a huge boost of confidence and pushes me to try new things and better my work each time. UGH I can’t believe that pretty boy….
Great work Maria!
Maria, Once again a direct hit at one of the myths about being an artist. I’m equal parts artist, educator and entrepreneur as most artists have to be to make art, educate the thinking public (pretty boy appears to be outside this group) and run a business. I am a peaceful, principled person but I have to say I want to at least mentally slap every pretty boy out there. It’s bad enough when it comes from strangers. My own family of origin was dismayed when I quit my corporate job to make art the core of my life. My own experience and having heard many similar stories for years prompted me to title my book “My Real Job is Being An Artist: What You Should Know Before You Quit Your Day Job (Or Get One).” As thanks for supporting the cause of artists, I’ll send you a copy when it’s published – and you can give it to someone who can use it to make money and kick the sand of success in every in pretty boy’s face..
Ms De Wal:
(Assuming “Ms;” forgive me if I am wrong.) Actually, I thought a much better use for the book would be to turn Pretty Boy over her knee and spank him like his mother should have. He sounds like the kind of spoiled, whiny brat who snivels when his handkerchief is not folded exactly the way he wants it.
But, of course, I have frequently been accused of being, shall we say, “direct” in my attempts at behavioral modification of the unenlightened.
– Nighthawk –
There is something really wrong about a society that doesn’t see value in art or the work of an artist. I stopped conversing with people who put me below the minimum wage worker. As if my education, my efforts, my time, all of my contemplations, are worth less than someone who microwaves a cheeseburger and hands it out a window. (Which is also a fine occupation if that is what you are good at. ) My mother-in-law doesn’t understand what I do. Last time she was over at my house she looked in my fridge to see how full it was. I’m so happy that it was packed with a variety of awesome things. She’s really fat. I bet her mouth was watering at all of the tasty delights my last art paycheck paid for.
We each have “X” amount of time, energy and money. As an artist, I can choose to spend those priceless commodities on creating art,love and success or I can choose to argue with people whom are poorly educated and disgruntled at life.
Being empathetic of people who think being miserable is a necessary evil is a much higher ground than adding to their cauldron of anger. Confronting and defending simple kicks theirs and your defense mechanisms in overdrive and acts as a distraction from our path.
Kill them with kindness, show them there is another way and move on. Feeding into his ego issues will just strengthen your attachment with ego.
Knowing you as a friend like I do Maria, I know that your intention is to share success ,creative ideas and art…..right?…So does getting flustered bring you closer or further from this goal? If your intention was to “win” the argument so you feel better, does that bring you closer or further?
We all let ourselves get caught up in this sort of thing, as you know, I can be a sap and take things to heart too much. But part of success is avoiding unnecessary obstacles.
Very well said!
Preach it Maria! Holy crap these are awesome words! Though I don’t paint that much, when I do paint… I can proudly say, Drew inspired.
Yes, but….
some of the most beautiful works of art have been created by artists suffering in abject poverty. They were never paid and never attained fame even after death. Posthumous fame is only for the lucky few.
Vincent Van Gogh’s art was sublime, but read about his life. He was able to survive only due to the generosity of his brother Theo. Theo believed in his younger brother’s genius when nobody did and everybody considered him insane or ignored him. Read all about it.
It is a true story and one with lessons to be learned. Do all artists deserve to be paid? What happens to an artist once he or she becomes a financial success? Do all artists react in the same way? I think not. For some, creature comforts can inspire even more art. For others, that may spell the death of art.
For example, the artist may decide to give up art and pursue wine, woman and song, as the saying goes. Or the artist may find another hobby and decide to pursue another interest. Thus, the artist is complex. We must be careful about making assumptions.
The question of paying an artist for his/her work is thus frtought with risk. In this case, it is not an absolute truth; it is a relative truth. Some of the finest artistic creations have been produced because the artist was suffering from poverty and other hardships. Think about it, please, before you jump to conclusions. Cheers to your life. Thanks.
Right on Maria! Thanks for posting this. I wish more people would think the same way you do. It’s important and I’m always amazed that people will pay doctors and mechanics without question but when it comes to art they feel that it is negotiable.
Great read Maria, Of course people with sad lives will put down someone that is allowed to follow there dreams and do what they love as a living. Thats right a living. Most people just get buy and few really make a lot of money in the art world. The key is loving what you do so during the tough times you continue to work and create because you have to get it out of you head and into some design. Not because you think it is going to bring millions. In time if you do continue with a little luck and a lot of markerting a time will come when an artist work is in demand and even collected. As this time evolves, it is important I believe to remember three reasons to work and create. First it is important to pay you bills and create a lifestyle that empowers your art. Money is indeed needed to advance in the world. So clients provide ideas that you can accept or send to another artist. Second , to paint for yourself ideas that are yours alone and as time goes by even more beautiful..these will one day be the collectable art that is wanted by business, galleries and private collectors . Prints and other items can be made of each design and later sold. And Third is the reason that makes a lot of artist smile deep inside, and that is to give art as a present or donation to help others. It also brings a smile to the receiver and a gift that last for many generations .
Solid blog post Earthlings! The bottom line? Plumber, Surfer, Interior Designer, Geek (dat be me), Artist or whatever – Do what you love 100% and it will take care of you because odds are that if you put your heart and soul into your passion, people will appreciate it and pay for it…handsomely.
Now Go!
This idea that artists somehow don’t deserve to be paid is an odd and debilitating idea that seems to crop up far too often. I think many artists have (and still do) contribute to and believe it with the notion of getting paid=selling out. Personally I think this is a juvenile idea which does not hold up to scrutiny. I try and politely re-educated people I meet who show signs of this nasty mind-infection. Selling=able to hone skills and bring more beauty/inspiration/challenges/ideas to the world and to a wider audience.
If you let the market influence your choice of artwork then that could restrict you and you could miss out doing your best, or most original, work. But if you ignore the current market then you might not sell, or might not sell in your lifetime. So the answer is to do some work where you see there’s market demand but a gap in the supply i.e. think like a business person to maximize your return and get your bills paid. Then do some work you have no restrictions on your imagination but the drive for the work comes from within you; in this case you may produce work that has never been seen before – it could stimulate it’s own demand.
In the fashion world a designer will have a catwalk collection that is impractical and just for expressing ideas and getting attention; then they have a diffusion range with is commercial for selling in normal high street shops.
Yes, all artists DESERVE to be paid. Some artists may make better art when they are struggling because this is what pushes them. Some artists may lose their focus once they start selling their art because they stop trying new things. Some artists may need limits to come up with big ideas. And some artists may even think they don’t deserve to make money from their art. However, in no way does this mean an artist should not get paid for his or her work.
Just because some artists have made incredible work while starving doesn’t mean they would have lost any of their genius had they been eating three meals a day. Vincent Van Gogh’s work may have been even more sublime had he been able to live from his art. You only have to think of Miro, Picasso, Dali, Dubuffet, Calder, Duchamp, the list goes on and on. They made some of their best work after having achieved a high level of recognition and support.
Maria,
Couldn’t agree more. It never ceases to amaze me how much people disrespect artists. I unfortunately am in one of those positions where I am working a job I basically hate to pay the bills and wonder on a daily basis how much better of an artist I could be if I could focus most of my time on my art.
Your articles help inspire me to keep working on breaking the chains that bind me. Just knowing there are people who understand what artists go threw is a tremendous boost.
Thanks so much and keep the blogs coming.
Rusty
I Totally agree, I have upgraded my Art Tremendously, with all the tip’s from Both Drew and Maria. I know how Humiliating it is when someone say’s my Art Cost’s to much, but they think its Beautifull.
Never de-value your art in the eyes of others.
Once they take that first impression, it will always be an uphill struggle to be taken more seriously.
Your art can have a sense of humor of course, and you might not be in the least bit pompous, but you should never sell yourself short in terms of what you do (assuming you believe in what you do).
I am so sorry to be getting to this late. It is tough talking to ignorance. I don’t know if I would have been so nice!
Well to all those people who are still under the rock when it comes to anyone thinking artist shouldn’t be paid for their because it may take away from their creativity then maybe those same people should work for their employer for free as that is a good way for them to keep their minds of wanting to buy the material things of this world.
Sounds like that is what is happening when these people say that an artist can be more creative when he/she is not been paid for their work. Well I think these very same people better turn over the rock and see the light as been paid for something we love doing give us much more creativity.(Makes us feel good for contributing to society with our special talents).
Kenneth c Young
Aloha
My Tutu-Grandma would say to this Pretty boy, “Who You”?
The idea of an artist suffering for his art is a view held by popular culture because it seems more romantice to be a genius who is misunderstood by society, only after the fact, realizing that he was a brilliant intellectual whose art was cutting-edge. Historically speaking, a majority of artists got compensated for their expertise. It was considered a profession.
I am fortunate to be able to do my art nearly full time and I have to say that I have developed greatly because of it. I know that if a had a “normal” job on top of being an artist, I would not have the energy or time to create and develop my art in a significant way. There would not be enough consistent interaction with the creative process.
Thanks for this post. It is good to see that there are people out there who still value art.
This article had so much PASSION! Wow!
The big qualifying statement though for this to be totally on point is this: You must have more than a desire to be a paid artist.
Big difference.
a lot of talented artist always say this i need to find a good job then ill do my thing after. After a few years they waste in the comfort zone (regular office job) and quiting the art life. The reason why they choose the office job and quite being and artist is they had a bad experience
Being an Artist is a big gamble in life and struggle both financially and success but if you get lucky for your hard work the worth of a successful artist life is priceless .
Art–>Sell–>Sustain–>Art—>Sell–>Sustain
I could barely make it to the end of this post because my blood pressure was reaching a boiling point from “pretty boy’s” ridiculous remarks.
You laid it out clearly and well: artists have every right to make a living from our art. We deserve to be paid, and paid well, for the valuable contribution we make.
Great article… =)
I learned the value of the time to create in ’09 when i was laid off for an entire year from my 9 to 5 job. It wasn’t really until i was hired back that i realized this. I dont hate my job either. I design commercial signs for a fairly large company who has clientele that can afford interesting and creative stuff.
In my time off… i started doing wire sculptures and finally got that blank and made my first surfboard. I built up a creative momentum that has been fighting to remain now that i’m back to 9 tp 5, taking care of the 2 young kids, keeping house, etc…
TIME IS PRECIOUS!!! To be able to use my time to create under my own guise and make a living is a dream.
There are plenty of “pretty boy” characters out there who have plenty to say about what is and isn’t art, how it should be created and consumed, etc… What i hear is “blahblahblahblah…”
All i want to do is live, love, create, share, and smile. =)
Dear Dean,
Regarding the aforementioned chapel; the Pope treated Michael Angelo like the hired help. He was the greatest artsian of his age yet
artisans were indentured servents as far as the clients were concerned. The story of the conflect between these two giant intellects
makes fascinating reading.
The idiot you you spoke with falls under the heading of an old artist joke, When art critics get together they talkk about form, meaning, content, style and relevancy, etc. When ARTITS’ get together they talk about where your can buy the cheapest paint thinner.
The first time you tried to create art you were an artits
and it would have been so validating if you sold it at the school fair
Pass it on to the kids…………Tom T.C. Canterbury
forgive the typos i type lousy tc
I was wondering how many artist out there don’t bat an eye at the thought of Illegal downloading or sharing a song created by an artist. Song writers don’t get paid for there song in one lump sum like say a painter. There songs are paid in little bits and pieces. As Maria says we derive pleasure from those two minute moments we here them and sometimes all day. Is a dollar a song too much to ask for those moments. Just a thought.
Hi Mark,
No – a buck a song is not too much to ask. But based on the current statistics and historical trend with regards to music sales, I would get used to touring and making a living via live concerts and merchandise sales and look to expand your opportunities in music licensing for soundtracks, commercials, etc. Some might call this selling out, but….nah! It’s making an honest living sharing your canvas with the planet through diverse channels.
Think of live concerts, point of presence merchandise and licensed “jingles” as your medium to reach a larger audience. Putting a CD on a shelf or website will not simply sell itself. Consumers will only make a purchse if they connect the value proposition to the product, and they’ll only make this connection through the experience. A slight catch-22 between Giving and Selling, but based on every study and research I’ve done, if the question is – Which should come first, the Chicken or the Egg; and the Chicken is a free download, concet for charity, or a copy of Tab/Sheet music, then the answer is simple – The Chicken. The audience response will dictate whether or not there will be any Eggs.
Those artists embracing this methodolgy and approach to touching as many humans as possible through combined promotional efforts and engaging marketing are enjoying the best Scrambled Eggs on earth!
Enjoy your breakfast,
M. Story
PS – to all artists, I’m not saying give your stuff away; just put yourself out there with diligence and purpose, and use every available opportunity to you to make valuable long term connections with your audience. They will support you long term and breakfast will be catered every day.
Additional Tidbit Reading
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Corps_v._Apple_Computer
As to this statement …PS – to all artists, I’m not saying give your stuff away; just put yourself out there with diligence and purpose, and use every available opportunity to you to make valuable long term connections with your audience. They will support you long term and breakfast will be catered every day.
Additional Tidbit Reading
The problem and is selling your work for less then what it is worth just to get your name out there to the world might also give the impression that you think your work is not worth it’s full value. You know the old saying it is a lot easier to drop the price on something but trying to raise that price well (GOOD LUCK) as you will run into a hard uphill climb.
Kenneth c Young
I’m reading a great article on this topic written on ArtBusiness.com, and I found it so well explained that I had share a little bit with you:
“…art schools dismiss the art business by intimating that making art is pure while making money is not, making art is a “calling” while other professions are not (oh really?), that selling art is not only irrelevant, but it debases the experience of being an artist.
One fact the schools rarely seem to mention, however, is that if you can’t make money making art, you have to STOP making art. (That’s not something the art schools have to worry about, though. They already have your money.”
Read the rest of the article here: http://www.artbusiness.com/wannafame.html
Classic Maria!
Support the “Starving Artist” while accepting his excessive tuition fee, right? Hey, wait – maybe we should start our own school for artists by artists. Now there’s a concept. Derrr.
My viewpoint remains the same: Do what you love and the money will follow. Success, financially and otherwise, is a bi-product of doing what you’re most passionate about. Emmerse, get you hands dirty, ask questions, make mistakes, gather your humility and who, what and how you are. Never give up and never stop learning.
The person writing this article is being a bit of a brat, but with some fair points. There is a VERY useful book called ART/WORK (http://www.amazon.com/ART-WORK-Everything-Pursue-Career/dp/1416572333/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342203360&sr=8-1&keywords=art%2Fwork) that walks you through how to do all these things (and how not to get screwed over). It’s written by a gallerist (preferred title of gallery owner) and an art lawyer and covers all the bases.
They liken going gallery to gallery with your portfolio asking to be represented to walking into a bar and saying to each person there “will you marry me?”. Since artists often stay with galleries longer than with spouses this isn’t such a bad analogy.
I stand completely behind doing what you love, as well as not underselling oneself.
As an emerging artist, it has been very difficult for me to not sell my art for a lower price just to move it. I feel like the value of art overall is brought down by too many artists under-pricing their work. The ‘starving artist’ image can become a stigma for some.
What do I think? I think it’d be nice if the guy saw this blog entry and there were lots of people calling him for what he is – a flaming douchebag.
Hi Mr. Taylor,
We see you’ve decided to excercise your free speech rights. How intelligent of you. I looked at your blog, read your in-depth profile (Booze, Art, Music..and Booze) and even wasted a few minutes deciding which of your pieces I could appreciate.
The “Fembot” painting was pretty cool, although I wouldn’t buy it.
..What do I think? I think everyone should take a look at your art and tell you what they think. I mean, it’s not terrible stuff, but it’s not for me.
Eye of the beholder man.. eye of the beholder.
I’m not asking you to like or appreciate my art, and I’m not sure where you got the idea that I was. I’ve never heard of you before in my life, so I have no idea if your opinions on art mean anything. I’m just saying that the remarks discussed in the original post were offensive, self-serving, simple-minded and arrogant.
No idea why that got your back up, unless they’re your remarks.
Oop Bret – my bad man. I jumped the gun and thought you were referring to me when it appears you weren’t. Sorry man. Damn ego gets in da way of everything aye?
Carry on..nothing to see here.
Cheers
No worries.
Mr. Brett, Just to be clear, who are you insulting?
Mark, assuming you’re talking to me (my last name is Taylor, not Brett), maybe this will help: I’ve seen 70-odd posts bashing the guy who sparked the whole “Why Artists Should (Not) Be Paid for Their Artwork” post by saying that artists shouldn’t be paid for their work, but should get a real job to pay their bills. The same guy who’s been called an “unevolved neanderthal”, “particularly stupid”, a “doofus”, an “ass”, an “idiot”, “juvenile”, “ignorant”, “young Adolf”, a “spoiled, whiny brat”, and threatened with a kick to the face.
That’s who I’m talking about. I kind of assumed when I first posted that it would be obvious who I was referring to, since he was the one I thought everybody was talking about. Is that not the case?
yep, that’s the case. You are correct and I was out of line in thinking your were referring to my post that was initially just a couple above yours. I concur with your sentiment on the “Original” EEEEEEdiot.
Hope all is going well with you and your art endeavors to the fullest. I hope we now have a mutually respectful accord at a minimum. Again, my apologies for my oversight in responding to your intial post Bret.
Let me know if there is anything I can ever do for you regarding marketing and web design.
No harm done, Mike. A simple misunderstanding. Sorry ’bout all the confusion, and all the best to you.
Bret, sorry for the extra “T”. I also thought you were referring to one of the follow up posts and not the original blog. My mistake, no need for a reply post.
Who cares what all the “pretty boys” like this one says anyway? It’s just his dopey opinion and I do not care about it, or any body else who thinks like this.
This misguided thinking is rapidly changing anyway now that we artists can promote ourselves more effectively.
..Wow!….I can not believe what the pretty guy said…..Maria this post really helps to understand how important is to get pay in order to stay motivated and do better our daly work. xoxo
Hey Folks, For more info on the business of art, GYST Ink has an Artist Manual for artists on everything related to the business of art and professional practices. We also have over 500 pages of FREE information for artists on the website.
We also have software for artists to keep track of everything in their art lives, but the resources on the web are free.
I also write articles for the Huffington Post on business issues for artists, so if there is something that you can’t find, let me know.
Maria, feel free to add it to your blog list.
Thankyou .. i loved those points they are sooo good and for me to remember for myself also .. Thankyou for another great post.
Thanks, Belinda! So glad to have you here on my blog!
I think it is also important to realize that you don’t have to make a living at art to create great art. Some people produce better work if they are not worried about making an income from it. The stress of having enough to raise a family can be too much for some and inhibit their creativity.
Just saying… that it is okay to make money other ways as well.. that you are no less of an artist if you do so.
I love your blog Maria!
Thats exactly right Nicole. Its taken me along time to get my head around one of the points you brought up of telling myself its ok to get paid its allows me to continue in my work and create more!
I dont know where i got it in my head that i didnt deserve that .. but for me that one has been a biggy …
Great article and I think we definitely have to educate society…so that the starving artist scenario is not something people just accept. I don’t know why the “artist” which comes from “artisan”…is not considered a job just like any other…if not more special in many ways…bizarre!
Pretty boy needs to walk a mile in a working artists’ shoes. (visual artist). He sounds like a freshmen giving his first essay on art history, where in the same essay the topic of “selling out” also appears. Pretty boy not only sounds ignorant, but also cliché.
There are few rules about how you must be paid for your art. Some seem to give it away in trade for building a brand and marketing then selling in another medium. For example, painting murals for little or nothing to gain name recognition then selling prints or multiples to make a living.
It can and does often inhibit creativity if an artists is paid for a technique he/she must repeat over and over to continue making a living. It can be very difficult to move away from the income and style and grow in another direction and still be paid. It takes an incredible strength to reinvent yourself without the income, “doing what you love.” If you are successful for a time then go for an American dream (buy a home) then have your income halted because you are exploring a in new direction. The money and income may not come for some time. Will you loose your home before the new style is accepted and the money comes? It’s never easy.
I am always annoyed and angered by the low value placed on art. I believe it’s ignorance and part of our misguided culture and education.
Great topic! Thanks for sharing. I was just having a conversation today with someone about how I think colleges should offer courses for artists to learn how to market their art. It should be a requirement. I’m totally left in the dark about knowing how to market my artwork after paying for tuition and art supplies, etc. I have learned more about it from your blog and other art licensing related sites. Also, I resent those people that I heard back in college about “selling out” if you try to license your artwork/get paid for your artwork.
Christine, thanks for the comment!
RE: Marketing your work: There are a lot of resources out there that can show you how, and most are free. I’m glad you’re reading blogs, etc. That’s where you’ll get your best ideas.
Re: SELLING OUT: Most people don’t know what that means.
It means to do something that goes against your personal values. SO, for an artist, selling out could mean not selling art to companies/people who do things they don’t believe in.
In our case with Drew’s art, he believes in making people happy with his art, so he loves to see it on kid’s boogie boards and men’s t-shirts.
For some, that is not a good use for their art. They would only want it to be in the hands of the wealthy – people who can afford original art.
It’s all a personal choice. Selling out is doing what you don’t believe in, just for money.
I need to write a blog post on this!
Yeah, while in college, certain students and certain art instructors would refer to selling out as betraying your art and the art community. I can think of a few instructors who resented some well-known artists who made a career from either art instruction materials and/or licensing their artwork. They basically thought that those artists were the worst artists in the world. I think they might have been jealous of those artists. It’s like you are no longer viewed as an artist by those types of people who would say things like that in college. I do a lot of storybook themed artwork and in college one of my instructors asked me if I experienced any problems in my art classes for doing storybook themed work. It often is not regarded as being serious enough for the art world. And one of my instructors hated the word, “cute” as a way to describe artwork. That was like an insult to her.
Christine and other readers,
I have a series of article on marketing your work as well as over 500 pages of professional practices information on the GYST/Getting Your Sh*t Together website. http://www.gyst-ink.com (scroll down to the resources link)
I have been teaching a professional practices class at CalArts for ten years, as well as workshops in the city of LA, and across the country. Wrote my own materials as nothing was out there then. Sharing it all on our site. (We also have software and publications)
Also, check out GYST Radio and other projects we do.
I really love this! I have a daughter,lives and breaths art. She is trying to start to sell some of her work. She is asked by friends and people she knows to draw for them all the time. I find it amazing that they obj and ahh over her work and ask to have it. She use to give it away but finally relized how much time she puts in so she started charging. The ohh and ahh changed to “are you kidding, I can find better and cheaper art on e bay.”. Initially she was stunned but quickly decided she would smile and say”. Go ahead but does my time have any value.”. That usual gets no response just a funny look. She proudly informs people she does not work for free as anything else in life takes hard work and is not free. She is twelve.
Your daughter is learning important life lessons right now – how to deal with people, how to value her work, how to keep creating. You must be very proud!
I am amazed at how she has put things into perspective. She has watched many adults close to her and thrives on reading the bios of artists. Her strength and vision is surpassed her age and surprises me everyday. I am lucky to have such a gift in my life and find I learn from her. She has gotten me back into my art.
Joyce,
I want to meet your daughter!!! She is an impressive role model for artists!
Just to comment on the whole pricing issue. I am a painter and talk to many artists that finally got fed up with the whole devalued art thing with their work in galleries. So they just put up prices across the board with the result of an increase in sales not long after.This is something I have heard numerous times having worked in picture framing and gallery world 40+ years. Interesting isn’t it?
While I don’t believe it’s as simple as that. I do believe too many of us will listen to the guy telling you to give it away and undervalue ourselves. Who will tell you to raise your prices? What have you got to lose?
I absolutely love this article. Now that I have read it I understand now I definitely am selling myself short!
Yes, I can (and do) charge for my work. The question is are there enough people who are going to pay for me to make a decent living? So far, the answer is no.
It sucks to have a talent that’s basically worth nothing in this world. Often I want to say I’m not doing it anymore; the world doesn’t deserve to have art. I’ve often wondered what would happen if artists of all categories world-wide decided to go ‘on strike’ for a couple of months. Perhaps it would become a lot clearer what our contributions, including economic, truly are.
Dear Karen,
Thanks for your comment, and yes, wow, what would happen if:
ARTISTS WENT ON STRIKE!!!!!
So much would not get done. Clothing lines wouldn’t be made, graphic arts would be undone, walls would be bare, everything would become bland, boring, pathetic.
I’m sorry you’re having trouble getting paid what you’re worth. Maybe you should try another route…not sure what, but try a new method of marketing your art that you haven’t tried yet.
It is my vision that all artists are given the means to create, that they are paid well for their contributions, and that they keep on doing that which they are meant to do – make art.
Well said, but I would have been awful tempted to dot his eye for him anyway.
Drew inspired all of my drawing growing up.. and is till my favorite artist out there. Talked with him once at Surf Expo 2000-01 somewhere in there, was a super nice fellow.
For a strike there is usually a Union and dues, etc. Anybody up for joining or creating a visual arts union?
[...] Every now and again the Big Sell Out Question emerges, and I’ve written about it before, on a different topic, as well as on the question of Should an Artist be Paid for their Work? [...]
I’m guessing pretty boy can’t draw a crooked line. %-)
Fuming with you Maria… are the best engineered & built cars free ? Are the most beautifully designed homes free ?
Let’s change “Pretty Boy”‘s name to ignorant dumbass boy.
Wow, you really started a fire storm with this post! That’s awesome.
I’d like to comment on the point you, and others, make about art in the educational field. It has been my experience, (7 years of schooling resulting in a MFA in Computer Arts & 11+ years teaching as a Professor of Digital Arts) that yes, there is a lack of business and real world application in the fine arts educational fields. However, I have to wonder if this is not due to the division of the arts into very obvious and distict fields and the mission statements associated with the schools which offer these degrees.
For example, schools that offer Graphic Design typically focus on creating a strong portfolio centered around the advertisement and marketing industry. Schools that offer more traditional educations in the fine arts often focus on gallery display and recognition as a venue to finical success. Photography schools focus their students on a field of photography and fashion schools focus on fashion shows. I think it is very important fro potential students to research and understand the art school and the art field that they are entering before making a commitment. (I know I sure wish I had done a little more research and understood what I was getting/paying for in a college education.)
What I’m saying is that I think many of the educational programs in the arts are based on traditional models and need updated with cross curriculum study and marketing techniques. It is not entirely their fault as the educational industry as a whole is slow to change.The opportunity for marketing your work is quickly becoming a Internet based field where art can be marketed in so many outlets its more then a bit overwhelming.
Both the educational field and the students need to become more aware of the importance of learning and treating art as a business.
So, thanks for the post Maria. Keep getting people stirred up and talking because that is exactly what this field needs!
(PS. Did you know art used to be considered one of the sciences? And that artist’s were often paid by the amount of gold and precious materials they used in their work, not necessarily by their skill?)
Can I pls. have pretty boys name & address so I can send him all my bills and request a monthly check to put food on the table?? Pls!
I worked many, many years in banking only creating a handful of paintings per year. I resigned last year and have created 80+ paintings since and I feel that I’m only warming up! I have seen my work improve drastically and my vision clearer of what I want paint. However, due to financial obligations I will be forced to go back the a FT job outside of art, the thought alone is depressing. So, if he wants to pay my bills, make my day! I don’t work for free!! I work for passion!
I just found your website and read several of your articles. You’re amazing! Keep up the good work, I cannot thank you enough.
Thanks, Peter, I’m so glad you found my site! Appreciate the kind words!
I agree artists should be paid, of course. Unfortunately, what I dislike is how it’s become a business. Art shouldn’t be a business first, and too many people do it for money these days. The reason, I believe, is that you can get into art with almost no education (which is why these kinds of people shy away from being doctors – education and time is required) and just jump into copying and pasting photos that you took with a camera you just bought and calling it art. I realize this is their own right, but it’s annoying to me when these people do it just to make money, not because they love what they’re doing. If you’re going to make art, it should be an emotional expression of something other than greed.
Zachary,
Thanks for your comment!
Some artists do it for just the love. Some want to do it full time, which requires that they get paid. (You can’t pay the rent on love alone!)
In my husband’s case, his art supports our family. If he didn’t get paid, our son would be sleeping in the back seat of our car!
I don’t ‘think it’s greedy to want to be paid for your work. I’m not sure what you do for a living, but I’ll bet you get a paycheck. Otherwise you wouldn’t be doing it.
Just a thought!
There are different kinds of what we generally call art and different reasons for making it. Some are purely product without any more intrinsic thought behind it. As long as it’s well made, the maker deserves to be paid like any other skilled tradesman. I agree that people who find ways to churn out a mediocre and soulless product by cannibalizing others’ efforts are detrimental to everyone else.
It’s also sadly true that we are a rather backwards society that doesn’t know anymore how to value or what to do with anything that isn’t simply a product. .
Artists, as perceived by our society, do nothing but make the equivalent of assembly-line factory products because we are a materialistic society totally devoid of any significant inner life. Money is its only value and objective. Unlike, say, the Balinese, where art of all sorts is embedded in their life and culture, beyond mere product. Traditional artists there get paid for their work and are respected for it and many people make commercial art that is very fine and worthy, too. It is possible to have both, we’re just not that advanced yet. We still look at art in the service of the soul as either a luxury or as silly and pointless.
.
Have we progressed? NO. We are wasting time with the same old arguments trying to validate ourselves in a society that considers the amount in a paycheque or the bank sufficient enough to garner respect no matter what one does even to the destruction of the landscape or our water.We were all meant to work with our hands, create beauty and at the same time put food on the table from our labours. Live the joy of life , do no harm and share that beauty with others. Simple. Don’t expect this society to appreciate art, as they were not taught it at an early age, only that money is king.
Sometimes I need to evaluate and remind myself why I do it. It’s just too easy to get stuck in validation mode for too long.
I do believe these attitudes will change, especially now that more people are waking up to all the other things that need to change, too. Meanwhile, indeed, just do what you do and never mind the rest.
I’m older now. I remember a dic uttering “sellout” to me once when trying
to run a creative business. Later, he did the same thing ( yup, right out
of Hollywood Shuffle). If an artist hits a consumer market and they buy
and like his stuff- fine and dandy. As mentioned, I might loathe it, but I’m
the one who who is irrelevant to that artist’s life. It’s like playing the
penny slot machines or the Million buck payoff, it’s all a gamble.
Art for me is exploration of the world and the self ( what I aspire to anyway). Every time I’m on the precipice of being High fallutin’ snobbish,
I’d meet an unassuming artist who astounds me ( keeps me humble).
I’m (like everyone else) passing through this world. I thank all the
struggling artists ( and they do struggle) that enriched my life on this
planet with the fruits of the artistic language.
My favorite whacked out people.
Omg wow,I don’t know why people r like that,they act like they are entitled to free work like if its a privilege to work for them for free,I am an artist I draw paint do graphic design I also make things like costumes,and book up shoes,I’m also a licensed cosmetology and makeup artist but people still think that not paying me is ok,I’m so tired of that to the point where I try not to tell people or share what I can do cause I’m scared of being taken advantage of
Well as for the pretty boy he has to crawl out from under that rock as we are artist and people and dam well deserve to be paid what we and our art are worth or even more because we have a talent that most do not have.
So pretty boy either come out and see the light or crawl back under your rock..
Kenneth C Young
I agree, Maria.
I work a full-time job which I don’t necessarily hate, but it certainly takes most of my energy. Coming home to kids and other responsibilities and *then* trying to do my art is difficult when I already feel spent.
If I may reinterpret what Pretty Boy is saying it goes something like this: “Let’s have only one percent of our artists producing something, and let them achieve only one percent of their full potential.” In other words, if we as a society collectively appreciate the arts, then we need to embrace and support the arts. Given a capitalistic society where money is central, how else can we really substantively support the arts?
Back to my situation. I come up with ideas all the time, but never have the time to experiment or try to achieve them. I went to an art crawl the other day full of inspiration, mixed with frustration – because I know I will not be able to follow through on much of that inspiration. Now, I’m not looking for others to advise me on how I should be making changes in my life, I’m fully aware of the changes I need to make. This is just my present situation and I profoundly feel it. And I don’t even have to hate my job to feel it. That is my point.
But some “artists” make such awful “art” no one wants it. Then what? Pay them for wishing they were good artists?
What about great artisist who are horrible at marketing?
Maybe this is a nonissue.
What Is Good Art! That is a question that is very hard to answer as what may be considered as good art to one person may be awful to someone else. As they say ” It’s in the eye of the beholder”
Kenneth
What is good art – that’s a great question, and I have the simple answer: It’s anything that someone wants, finds joy from, wants to buy, or gaze at. No one can determine what is “good” or not, unless they are speaking from a technical standpoint. From a creative standpoint, any piece of art is going to be loved by some, hated by others. It doesn’t really matter what “good” means – all that matters is if someone loves it enough to want it.
One person previously mentioned that some artists work is awful and should we pay for them wishing there are is good. But I guess that person was using her own assumption to what good art is. That same art piece may give all that you have mentioned.
To tell you the truth I do not know how a technical standpoint could even enter the picture when it comes to art.
Kenneth
Well said! If you get down to the basics, you can thank an artist or craftsman for every man made item on this planet. From me ”the weekend warrior” that hopes to be able to support the family from sales of my art all the way up to the the person that designed pretty boy’s favorite car. Even his iPod, TV, furniture and kitchen appliances. Someone was paid very well for it’s design. Even large corporations know that the look and feel of a product has a direct impact on it’s success or failure. Someone had to be artistically inclined enough to accomplish the desired look.
However, this isn’t the reason for my reply. I can blow off people like him without thought. The people that piss me off are the artist that become to good to associate with their peers. The ones that see upcoming artist and/or long time artists that aren’t in the same income bracket, aren’t galleried or didn’t spend 6 years in college learning their craft as not worthy. These are the people I wish to share a few choice words with at any time.
Yes, I’d like to be well recognized and know I will. Yes, I’d like to make a great income from my art. No, I don’t care if my art never sees a gallery. I’d prefer it not!
Even worse… You get a bit of success and recognition then these people come speak to you as if you’ve been friends for years. To these people my reply is always the same…. Come talk to me when you have fallen off your high horse and remember where you came from.
Many thanks to you and Drew for keeping it real! Outside of Drew’s talents, his approach on life and his willingness to give back is why I’m a huge fan. Maria, many thanks to you for supporting rising artists and sharing your marketing skills.
That,s why I feel we artist should not be playing around with our art as per giving discounts and the like. We artists are very important people who have a very important gift as art does involve just about every facet of life.
Kenneth
[...] Why Artists Should Not Be Paid [...]
I juggled many random jobs (substitute teaching, tutoring, shiatsu massage, gymnastics coaching, weekend salesperson at Renaissance Fair (you know you’re in trouble when that actually supports you!), graphic design jobs, etc. for years and didn’t get very far with my art. I got the one piece I was able to really finish in a year sold to a collector, so I knew the quality was there, but I had no time. If I’d done a regular 9-5 I would have had even less time, and it would have been less flexible and I would have been miserable.
Then I ended up marrying a computer programmer so I suddenly didn’t have to worry about rent and food. Suddenly my art started to take off because I actually had time to do it. It still doesn’t approach paying for anyone to live on, but at least with just tutoring art it pays for itself.
I do installation art a fair bit. One interesting thing- if I do it for a non art event (like the Treasure Island Music Festival) I get paid for both materials and time. If I do it for an ART event, no way.
I think we have belabored this enough.
The issue is a non issue for those who refuse to allow it and demand a fair price for the work. I see it as ignorance nothing less. If the public is ignorant generally that is an issue for our culture and educational system to solve. To be an artist having survived the hammering of our society and educational system into adulthood proves there is an inner strength that will carry you very far.
The beauty of my paintings can convert only those willing and able to see. We can all complain and bemoan that so many don’t have a clue but it is what it is for now. Until recently the role and of creativity has been downplayed and given lip service only.
Run don’t walk from the negative people in your life.
“The beauty of my paintings can convert only those willing and able to see.”—David
WOW! That is straight out of ‘The Kings New Cloths’ fable isn’t it?
Anyway, I have had more than one buyer make a statement that if “you keep your prices low, I’ll keep coming back”. At the time your giddy that someone is actually buying your work, but later, months or years later, it eats at you.
This is a discipline, nothing less. It demands all your time and your FULL attention. Like the spokes on a wheel, each facet must be mastered and to make great art. The spokes need to converge at precisely the same time and in the exact same place which is not easy to do. People ask me what they should do to learn to paint, I tell the serious student, ” learn the tools to forget the tools”, “oh and by the way, it will take at least 10 years”. (jaws drop)
So, when I get someone who wants to buy a painting that gives me the comment “keep your prices low”, what do I do? Well I don’t haul-off and punch them, all though I would like to. I just smile and take the money because, I need supplies, I need to pay utilities, property tax…I buy all my clothes used so thats not a problem but it would really be great if I didn’t have to eat.
My point:
Art buyers have gotten used to paying high dollar for crap. Now that the art buy and sell carousel has ground to a halt, they are stuck looking at that $250,000.00 greasy-box-with-a-chicken-bone-at-the-bottom-of-it installation. That’s a hard lesson, one that we all are involved in one way or another.
The Fix?
Make the absolute best art you can. The public needs elevated beyond the mediocre. It will take time but they will again learn to appreciate the solid craft and imagination and sill each work of art possesses. The age of mediocrity that rained money down on the art poser is over. Do not continue to believe that rolling naked on a canvas while covered in paint is worth anything….it is not! We do not need more of, ‘The Kings New Cloths’. We need real, and tangible. We need craft and skill. Making great art defies the cadence of today’s instant everything. If you get out to try and push it faster you will blindly steering it over a cliff.
I am getting really tired of hearing, “Do what you love and the money will follow.” If it is following, it has definitely lost the lead draft and gone at least one lap down. (forgive the NASCAR analogy)
Don’t take this wrong…I have not seen your work,
But just because you love NASCAR that does not mean you should get behind the wheel and race. A bit of talent is prerequisite.
TDK – All the talent in the world will not help keep you from having to do the 10 years of work as I’m sure you know. Talent is just the beginning and surely helps but talent is pretty common.
That ’10 years’ is craft, talent is either there in the beginning or not. It is however the difference in the end.
I realize this is an emotional minefield. Everyone wants to be an ‘Artist’ the fact is there are no more artist’s, they are all dead. (well except for Brittany Spears, apparently SHE is an artist, along with the rest of dregs of the MTV crowd).
I am not an “Artist” I have been painting for more than ten years and have made hundreds of paintings and thousands of sketches…etc, and I HAVE NEVER MADE ART! I just believe (and have been told) I have some talent, and that keeps me trying, If I had no talent I would have quit long ago.
Everyone gets rabid when they here someone say they have less or no talent, it’s natural. But you wouldn’t say Rembrandt Van Ryn was a duff-us if he said ” He could tell by a mans sketches if he were born to be an artist or a bricklayer”…which he did say.
As I said…I am not an “Artist”, I simply want to be.
I have been devoted to this discipline for over a decade…literally blood, sweat and tears. I’m not going to debate it, i’m tired of explaining this to an endless line “artists”. like Pez from a dispenser.
So, if you want to fight take it to Youtube, or Yahoo, there you find many in another long line of more ‘talented’ people then I.
Everyone wants to be an artist? Ask a class of first graders, “who is an artist? They all raise their hands. Ask a class of fifth graders the same question and you will be lucky to get one.
I respectfully disagree. Artists are simply born? We are all dead if all artists are dead. While talent has undeniable value, I don’t believe talent is enough and practicing the, “craft” will make the difference not talent. There are many talented but without steady focused exercise of that talent, it becomes wasted talent. Keep working. Your talent will only grow when and while you work and it will languish if you do not.
With some small talent and after over 40 years at it, I can state that I’m an,”artist.” I live and breath it every day. The blood sweat and tears is just part of it, some times it’s harder to bear than others.
There are many more talented but not more devoted. Sharpening my, “craft” skills if you will, continually. Without practice any talent is wasted. It’s a lifestyle and lifelong pursuit fortunately not like an athlete where the talent and practice can last only so long. Many bandy the word, “artist” about too easily with no respect or awareness of the effort, sacrifice and commitment it requires especially in our society. Yes, they want to be called an artist but without the effort or sacrifices. Putting it out there is difficult. I opens you up to all sorts of critique. Again part of the gig. Making use of talent is what matters nothing other. Some will appreciate what you produce some will not.
I agree but there are many more artists than there are folks who can afford to buy original art, and it’s getting worse as income inequality rises. I live in an affluent area and am often part of group shows where basically nothing sells off the walls except for the few artists who have spend many years developing patrons among the 1%. To be recognized on talent and quality alone, you have to be part of the 1/10 of 1% of artists as this is how many actually make a living from their work, and some of these are marketing machines, with poor quality, repetitive work, that has found a niche among the unsophisticated. Think Kinkade. He was a marketing machine for trite repetitive work. His work will be worth nothing in the coming years, despite all the snow globes he sold. I have created many hundreds of works while having a “day job” that was decent, and now I can retire in comfort while continuing my art activities. The upside was not catering to anyone’s desires but mine in the work.
Yes but unfortunately there are no more Sistine Chapels being painted today. There are millions of talented artists doing amazing work, but most of them earn their living somewhere else, the lucky few who derive all their income from art generally do other, more commercial work to subsidize the work they care about. The “celebrity artists” who become rich and famous by producing “high art” or “art for art’s sake”, the Christos and the Damien Hirsts, are absolutely dreadful and produce work that requires no skill and contains no beauty. To become one of these artists you don’t need years of study and practice, you need to have the right critic call you a genius, so then everyone else will pretend to admire your work lest they be called philistines.
My point is, I would love it if there were a lot of great artists making a decent living at their craft, and I lament the pitifully small budget for the NEA, and the hacks and charlatans who do get funding from it. But that’s not how it is, as is typical of a society in its decadent decline we no longer value truth and beauty, we value shock and offensiveness. Most of the prestigious galleries and contemporary museums in New York, San Francisco, and Chicago are full of garbage that would be unrecognizable as art 150 years ago. In any of them a person could sneak in, defecate in a corner, and they’d have to consult the curator as to whether it was part of the exhibit. The curator might even say yes!
You’re sooooo right!!! Anyone who craps in a canvas nowadays is considered an artist!!
Where do I line up to give Pretty Boy my contribution to his Waking the F Up slap up the side of the head? Though I doubt Trolls have the ability to understand the lesson.
I can draw but I’m not an artist, I like more to write but I’m not a writer – except at my work desk producing reports and letters etc. I snatch minutes to create when inspiration strikes and adapted my writing to poetry as mostly I can actually snatch enough time to finish a piece where even short stories could take months.
I just found this blog. Thank you, thank you, thank you for it! I’ve worked for a long time trying to make a living from my artwork, and it can be a real slog, and as it happens I do have a “real world” job that I do, unfortunately, hate, even though I’m good at it. I want more than anything to leave that job and make a good living from my talents. I can’t imagine coming home from a hard day’s grunt work, sitting down at a drawing board, putting in hard hours over a painting and NOT expect to make money at it. I DO expect it, thank you very much, and I deserve to! Thanks for sticking up for us “starving” artists! Much appreciated!
I am constantly asked to do long art projects for free, or about $100 per week. It’s disgusting. I did it for a short while to gain experience of creating detailed concepts for games and film etc. No more will I do this.
Wherever I look for work I see hundreds of artists from the developing world offering their services for about $5 per day. Being from the UK I can not compete with this. Money IS king – if we don’t contribute to the system we get arrested and become homeless. Money IS everything, whether we like it or not. No money, no life.
If people really believed money is not important they should donate all they have to charity or me, after all their money isn’t important to them. Of course no one will do this in reality as they will eventually realize that their money is EVERYTHING to them, as it is with the rest of the world. No money, no life. No money, no bills paid. No money, taken to court. No money, bankruptcy. No money, depression. No money, no friends. No money, no chance of independence and the ability to grow. Money IS everything, that’s why hollywood actors and top musicians/sports people love their jobs so much, because it makes them rich. They simply would not do those jobs for the love of it, otherwise they would be happy doing projects for indie companies, and happily leave their Hollywood jobs. That certainly won’t happen.
As long as we are told we need to pay for everything, we will have to pay for everything. The world is driven by money. It’s the reason why everyone get’s out of bed each day, to make as much money as they can. Not because we love money, but because we have no choice in the matter. No money, no life.
Artists are not classed in the same way as all other professionals. Their art is expected for free, or close to free. Artists shouldn’t have bills, shouldn’t have children, shouldn’t have a roof over their heads. Artists should provide all their work to who ever requires it, however long it takes to produce and however long it takes to develop the skills to become good at it.
This line of work has proved to be extremely disappointing and unrewarding.
Thank you, it took me many years of friends and family telling me I am good enough to charge for my work. The website is in the works as we speak but I will launch it soon.
Thanks again,
AD
Something just came to my mind – when I reading yours and “pretty boy’s” conversation: Michael Angelo was technically ‘paid’ for Sisteen Chapel. What I mean by that is that Angelo’s “art” was his sculptures and his ‘work’ was the Chapel (he hated it)
I’m afraid my spelling isn’t that great but the point I’m trying to make is that if artists work 40 hours a week on a job that isn’t related to their profession (i.e. a painter working in McDonalds or a musician working as a barista), then how is that person to develop the skills required for their art?
However, if an artist is working for money at a job that is similar to their profession (i.e. a musician working in a recording studio, a painter painting caricatures of tourists, a sculptor teaching classes, etc), then that person will eventually go on to create high art.
So if society required the contemporary Eva Cassidy, Da Vinci, Monet (my personal fave) to work at some soul crushing job in order to create high art – that society is kidding itself.
Also, I find it rather insulting to pawn off artists in jobs that they aren’t suited for. I remember trying to hire a person to work in a fast food outlet. I had dozens of CVs from people who only wanted the job for money. I know that sounds weird but there are people out there who love to cook and could get their step up into being the next Jamie Oliver/Ramsey through a fast food outlet. So those other people are really wasting my time, the customer’s time and their own time too.
Whatever happened to working in a job that you actually like?
Rant over.
I have been painting for almost 40 years, my first sale when I was 8. Vincent painted no matter what! Struggled hard. Goghan painted while working very hard physical jobs. And we all remember both. Both exceptional painters. We paint because we have to. We crave it! I do anyway. I am not wealthy, I paint for people who want everything for nothing. I have painted all sorts of things for people. I just recently a person ordered a large canvas they knew the cost of the canvas so they said to me that after you paint it since the canvas was so much, than you should just charge 50 or less for the work you do on the painting! Than I just finished a mural, with turkeys the husband wanted me to paint the turkeys head a little bluer, he called me 10 minutes later and told me not to worry about it, he took a magic marker to it! How do you handle those situations? That’s just a few things I deal with. I get that canvas thing a lot! What is wrong with people?
Kendra, I understand your frustration! I’ve had to deal with a lot of people who don’t get it. But, you can’t let this get you down. Instead, take charge of your business. YOU should be the one telling your clients how YOU Work. Take control of the transaction from the beginning. For example, when a client wanted to buy the canvas and only pay you $50, you say: “This is how I work; I will purchase the supplies that I want to work with. I have my preferred supplies. But first, I will give you a price quote. When you want me to start, I’ll get a 50% deposit from you. Then I’ll buy the supplies and when the painting is finished, your final balance is due when you pick it up.”
This way, you take control and use your own payment policies.
In the case of the man who made the turkey’s head bluer with a magic marker – I wouldn’t give any attention to that . Just let it go, don’t let it bother you. If you were charging more, he wouldn’t have done that!
All you have to do is change the way you handle your business financial transactions just a little, and everything will get easier for you.
I hope this helps!
forgot to put this in: things are going to change since I have found this site. Thank you so much for all the great information. We struggle with people all the time. A lot of people tell me that I will not be rich or famous until I’m dead! A lot of people! I need to have money to be able to create more! That’s why I charge! I also have to be able to eat have a place that’s comfortable to paint and gas to drive to locations and meetings. To pay taxs, wear clothes. I just don’t understand some people at all. Family say its because my thinking is different because I’m an artist. I think that maybe their thinking is the one that is different!
I really appreciate you taking the time to read and answer my questions and complaints. You are so right on about me not taking charge! Sorry I had so many complaints. Again thank you, you have cleared up my thinking on how I should react to my clients.
One does not have to be successfulllll to carry on.
But….one does need MONEY
It’s sad. Having a true artistic talent nowadays is worth as much as being able to palm a basketball!! My uncle was an art prodigy and grew up poor, and I’m also an artist (not gonna call myself a prodigy :p) who is blue collar. I been selling my art since I was in high school. In the 90′s, there was a growing interest in artists, but that changed in the 00′s and I saw this happen. People say I’m extremely talented, but I can’t work on what I love , unless I work for a magazine as an art director, or similar commercial things. I’ve been thinking of becoming a makeup artist, it’s basically the same technique as painting on a canvas, except a person’s face is your canvas. I’m trying here, even with being unemployed, in school, my mom with horrible kidney stones that make her shout in pain :’( and a sister who’s also sick, and having my food stamps taken away for unfair reasons, and I’m trying to be extremely positive and calm, and what I want, is to actually succeed at this…..I wish you all the best of luck, and I hope you succeed….There’s something to be done at the lack of art appreciation in these times…
i am an artist with exceptional skills. I’m not sure how much of that is talent, and how much of it is years of hard work. I teach art in public school in order to make a living. However, it drains me emotionally having to deal with “students” who do not give a rat’s rear end about art. When I get home I am too tired mentally to create. I do most of my work on weekends and summers.
Art will be purchased if people want it enough, just as with any other product. Art is a hard profession, and the reason behind artists complaining about not getting paid is because they expect people to pay for something that people don’t need, as in:
a) a product that serves only the artist’s own creative needs (pure self-expression – “fine art”)
b) a poor product (no matter how much artistic talent there is, if it isn’t channeled properly, it’s not marketable)
Artists should also ask themselves if design or applied arts really limit their creativity at all. Craft or creative work is in general is prostitution, but pure expressive art is closer to masturbation. Is your work really the kind that should be charged for? Does anything commercial fit your comfort zone?
I loved the article. I disagree with allot of the comments. Their are not millions of artists. I live in a city with a population of about 250,000 people. There are around 100 artists. However these 100 aren’t all the same, out of the 100 their are landscape artists, portrait artists, contemporary, abstract, people who use charcoal, graphite, ink, oil, water colors, spray paint, etc etc etc. There are only around 5-6 artists who operate within the same category/medium as me. 5 out of 250,000. More people will be diagnosed in my city of the same rare type of cancer. Art is affordable to 99% of the population.
Originals are more expensive but $50 for a limited edition print is not breaking the bank especially seeing as it lasts for hundreds of years.
People buy flat pack furniture with parts missing and replace them after a couple of years. People spend $100 on alcohol for a night out. Their are two types of people on this planet, those that admire you for your achievement/accomplishment/skill and those that are jealous. Unfortunately the vast majority are jealous.
Very thought-provoking post. I am an artist, and I’ve SOMETIMES (only sometimes) wondered that if I created something without the intent to sell, would it be that much different. I don’t think so: I enjoy it that much. Thank you for posting this. Enjoyed the read and now I’m a subscriber.
I don’t know if you’re born with the talent. I think everyone has it. Though some people use their minds differently are brought up differently and develop a different way of thinking.
Artist are not dead. Anyone who creates, invents is an artist. Without these creative people we would never evolve. You could mimic and quote from a book but it took creativity to write what is in it.
I’ve always loved art. I’d win every art award in primary school and high school. Then it came to my final years I had to decide what to study at uni. I come from a very strict family who were very much against the idea of getting a career in the arts. I was told I can’t be an artist and I can’t study art because I won’t ever make a living. So I did what my parents wanted and went into Law. I hated it. Part of me died thinking I couldn’t do nor spend my time evolving something I love. I studied different things at uni for 4.5 years, lived with depression and felt like I had wasted my youth.
All I want to do is create. It’s what makes me happy and gives me purpose. So this year I’ve decided to go and study art and teaching hand in hand. So I can always be around the very thing I love, while helping those around me discover what they love.
I am building an art studio while selling my own work to pay for my studies and suddenly I feel like my life is going in the correct direction. I finally feel like me. So if someone said to me being an artist isn’t a job. Or I shouldn’t get paid. I would tell them how it is, Would you tell a baker he’s not getting paid for the work he did making bread? No. Should an inventor not be paid for their ideas? No… With out artists there is no change, there is no creation and if they are too ignorant to understand that, they’re not worth your time.
It is very frustrating when big publications ask to ‘use’ my photos but say they have no budget for photography. What I tell them is that if I give my work away, I am establishing that my work has ‘no value’. That usually results in them suddenly coming up with at least a modest budget amount to offer! Thank you so much for sharing your vast experience with the rest of us artists.
Hi everyone. I Just wanted to share my experience on this thread. I have a BFA in painting and I also have a family with two beautiful children and a stay at home wife. I had to re-examine what was important in life when things got tight after my first child was born and discovered for myself that as important and talented as I think I was as an artist, I was an even better father and husband. By making that choice to be so, I spend long hours in a job that I don’t necessarily enjoy but over the years now pays very well. There was a painful period in my young life when I transitioned to becoming what I am, and I believe it occurs in every adults life when we have to step out of ourselves and let go of something that we love in order to do what we believe is right. For some of you out there, do not be afraid to work in other professions, have families, experience life and pain. You will grow into a better person. Thanks,
thank you for bringing an adult voice to this to try to balance out the child sense of entitlement.
Love your article and I wanted to hold the pretty boy while you punched him.
I have a lot of friends who are artistic and creative in so many ways. They paint, sculpt, draw, digital work, felt, sew, cross stitch and I write.
I’ve sadly seen a few of these talented folks have their production and even their desire to create diminish as they were forced to work jobs that they hated to make ends meet. What I learned from them and my own bouts with scraping by is this:
Not being paid to create what you love + working 40 hour job that you hate = depression = sharp decline in joyous artistic expression = the rest of the world misses out on what said artists could have created.
I am HAPPY to pay for art, I love it, I envy those who are talented and create it, and I feel that paying for it helps to show the artist how much I appreciate all that they do for my enjoyment.
I liked your comment on the fact that when a person is working at something they are not happy with verses been paid for working at our art to which we where meant to be to be doing in the first place.
Kennerth C Young
was wonderful to find your blog and this post, i’m an artist trying to make a living at my art and to read your words made me feel better, but i deal with this idea everyday and struggle to find a way to sell what i make by my own two hands on the sewing machine……
I believe artists SHOULD be paid for art Hello, my name is Jack Frazier. I own a website called Holllajack Clothing Company found and hollajack.com ( http://www.hollajack.com ). We are looking for REAL art to display on our website. We are not contacting every artist we see, just the ones that amaze us. We want to showcase art that wows people, and makes them ask “where did you get that”? Which is why we are contacting you. We hope you might be interested in sharing your designs with the rest of the world while making a commission that you set (we recommend $1-$5 because it adds to the total cost of the product). We are just starting out and you would be taking a chance on us….but we hope you take that chance. We hope you Holla, and can’t wait to see your other work!
Well said Maria! I heard you on blogtalk and am now a new fan and follower. LOVE what you guys are doing/writing/sharing!
I am an artist who has never accepted payment for my work. Why? Because I’m in the exact conundrum you specify – I work a soul-sucking job to cover my basic needs so my time spent developing my talent is limited. I never went to art school – just pure God-given talent. Yet not enough to charge others for it and feel like I’m in integrity because my work is just not good enough yet.
The clincher is that I am literally bombarded with requests from other amateur or pro artists whom I know to support them and their art through purchases and contributions to their cause. Why should I pay the way for other people to not have to work and make art all day when I do not have that luxury myself? I see so many self-proclaimed artists who behave as if the world owes them a living – even when their talent is still yet grossly undeveloped. Can you speak to this phenomenon?
I had a friend who as an artist did a sidewalk sale and one of his pieces sold for only $25. Some overweight and smug business type walked up to him, looked at his painting and asked: Is that your best price? My friend assured him it was not and then turned to him and replied, The $25 is YOUR best price. MY best price is $500.
I’ve always loved art, but when I was in middle school I had a bad experience with my art teacher. He would make me change my artwork to suit him and if I did not he gave me a failing grade. It hurt me to the point I stopped taking art. because I believe my vision was to be my own and my grade should not depend on pleasing him. I later took more art classes in college and again was in the same situation. I just up and quit. now the only art work I do is for and with my children.
Well Melissa I’m not sure what to think here. While I don’t believe there is only one way to make art at all, teaching it often comes down to teaching a technique only. I don’t think that is the best way to teach but maybe the only way your teacher knew to impart what they knew. Teaching is difficult. A good artist is not always a good teacher. I had teachers that painted on my work because they didn’t know a better way to explain what they were trying to teach. It really upset some of my fellow students to the point of tears. I was so hungry to learn I didn’t care, I was the student. My work at that point was trash anyway to me. You may need thicker skin. If you don’t like the teacher find another. You gave up too easily but it’s never too late to start again. Your not dead yet
My point is it had to be changed or I got a failing grade. He would want the content totally changed, to the point it was no longer my work or vision but his own. His ideas were crap in my opinion. One of the projects was to make a poster add for join a Yacht Club. He wanted to me put those cheap plastic flag banners all over the top. How cheap and cheesy is that it’s a yacht Club not a used car lot. Second project draw/sketch how we see ourselves, now how can he tell me to change that? It’s insulting plain and simple. Not trying to be rude but he’s a jerk. I didn’t give up I moved on and I’m happy with my family and art will always be in my life. My daughter shares the same love for it as I do and I can explain things to her and let her know art is truly your own vision and expression. Even if someone tells you it is horrible if you love it do it.
“Being an Artist is not just a job neither a career; It is a blessing which help to live life to the fullest potential” ~~~ Me
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INTERESTING, I think your pretty boy thinks that if artists are a) unfulfilled in their work that they will produce better artwork b) unhappiness produces better work and c)that if the public like and buy your work it is not good – something in all this, but at the end of the day, it is up to the artist to a) VALUE what he/she produces aesthetically and emotionally and to put in as much into every piece – of course, not possible! We artists ALL produce pieces which are not FINE art but may appeal elsewhere as viable, accessible, beautiful pieces
Your pretty boy seems like a real dirtbag, but of course we don’t have his side of the story, nonetheless, I’m sure if I heard it from him, I would’ve punched him in the face til I made sure his nose would never look the same. Anyhow, if we applied his idea, we should start by hanging politicians who rob us, put dirty police officers who abuse their powers in front of firing squads, and give the profit of companies to the employees intead of the employer. But we live in an insane world where the few powerful get to torture the rest like ants. Fuck our lives, I don’t want to create art, human beings depress me and take my inspiration away, why would I want to inspire those who make me grieve!?
I TOTALLY agree with you. Wonderful post, Maria!
Well said; If I could hug you I would – You made me feel better today after months of feeling numb. I have done a lot of commissions; been ripped off; people who want you to work for next to nothing; it makes you feel worthless and can be soul destroying without the support. The encouragement is there for me to keep going but I work so damned hard as well as caring for my 3 children; earning very little money and I feel a burden. I sometimes think I should get a low paid job just to make finances easier; but then I would have no time to learn; paint and draw; and above all be who I am. I cannot stop wanting to create new work; I love the work of other artists and I myself would be very very unhappy in a world that had no art. So, I also want to know WHY ? WHY are artists undervalued. It has to change.
Maria – AWESOME article. I think people like “pretty boy” are the same people that make fun of or scoff at anyone that is different, or things and people they don’t understand. Small minds… and as unevolved as this thinking is, there are those people out there that think art and beauty is not essential. To survival? Perhaps not on the basest level … but to thrive and grow? Absolutely!! I am one of those that spent years in an office producing four and five paintings a year; not anymore. I took a leap of faith and it certainly has cost me financially, but I wouldn’t trade the evolution of my art, the learning curve and quality of life for anything! Happiness is… doing what you love!!!
Hi Maria,
I just want to thank you for your postings. I, too, have been living by my paintbrush since I was a teenager and I can’t tell you how much your writings affect me emotionally. I, too, came from a horribly abusive background (and from Santa Cruz, to boot). The old childhood tapes pop up alot. You are such an inspiration and sweetheart. You give all us former street kids a good shot of self esteem. Your blog has really hit home. I start off my day reading your articles just to keep the art and money train going. You and Drew have become incredibly important in my life. Peace & Good Times- A.V. Apostle
“Pretty boy” comments do not bother me. They used to when I was new. I disagree with him for all the reasons you mentioned in your fab post, but it doesn’t bother me that he disagrees. I think I would more easily be able to get my point across to him when I am not angry AND I can also keep my blood pressure at a healthy level. If he doesn’t agree, then I quit wasting time thinking about it.
I by no means create enough art to support myself, but I have sold a few pieces, and I am happy that I did. Besides, I would rather buy things from other creative people who make stuff by hand rather than paying for something mass produced.
Wow, you hit the nail on the head….you said exactly what I’ve been thinking. I, too, find it an extreme insult for anyone to suggest an artist shouldn’t be paid. Great post!
AMEN!
Just getting started, officially. Your articles are priceless, never learned this stuff in school.