CULTURE/SOCIETY and ENTERTAINMENT: Are You Seeking an Artist? Do So at Your Own Peril!

This is from the blog of my my old comic book club buddy, Fuad1138. I don't think he'll mind me reprinting it. - OlderMusicGeek

RE: Are you seeking an artist...?

Reply to: gigs-227511919@craigslist.org
Date: 2006-10-29, 8:46PM EST

I have a Question for advertisers who are, "seeking artists".

Let me ask you...How many artists do you know?
Have you met many people, personally, who are capable of performing the tasks you need accomplished? Do you know a dozen? Five? Two? ANY...?

Do you think it is common to find someone with a combination of natural ability, training AND working experience in the art field?
...Someone who can give you the produce you need, with any degree of quality and professionalism?

We're not too common, are we? Not easy to find, huh?

Let me give you a clue, for free! ; There are three times as many neuro-surgeons in the world than there are professional artists.
There are almost twice as many tenured college professors.
There are approximately 12 times as many certified auto mechanics, and up to 400 times as many people working as professionals in the IT field.

So, let me ask... if you had an anneurism, would you ask a neuro-surgeon to operate on it with the payment of "having his work shown"?
Would you barter for a university education by telling the professor that he could display your PHD in his portfolio?
Would you try to have your fuel injection system rebuilt for $20, by promising that you'd give him a ride a couple of times afterward?

Precisely what the hell is wrong with you people?
We professional artists are just that- professionals. It's a career, if not more. (A calling, to most.) It's a finely honed skill, which, most would argue, needs to be based first upon an innate talent that the vast majority never possess to begin with.

So why do you continue to ask us to do work for little or nothing?

If our work isn't worth anything, why do you need it so badly?

A few T-Shirts is not payment.
Neither is the chance to have people see our work displayed at some auto show somewhere. Nor is it free copies of your silly magazine, full credit on your indie film, or anything else of the like.
Payment is payment.

Have some respect for our craft, and stop treating us like hobbyists. This is not something we do on Sunday afternoons to kill time before the game. This is our career. Treat it as such, for christ's sake.

You want to pay in T-Shirts? Try cruising the local high-school's art class.

Just remember... you get what you pay for.

(I apologize to everyone for this rant. It had to be done. Soul-cleansing vents, and all that.)

This is in or around truth, universal. No -- it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interest.

Compensation: Take this to heart, and your compensation will be a slightly less ignorant existence.