Alright. This is going to come off as a rant, though it absolutely isn’t the intention of the piece...
…here’s the punchline: you have to pay artists!
There is a common misconception in our world that creatives don’t always need to be paid. Today, I want to refute that concept with the exception of a few, very rare instances wherein an artist would accept a job without traditional pay…
Here we go!
If you have a great idea for something and don’t have money, don’t contact an artist unless you are fully prepared to give them a hefty percentage of whatever you make in the future. Oh…and they may still say no because they need to prioritize paying work. If you are lucky enough to find someone who does accept…worship them and provide them with any type of support they need.
If you are friends with an artist, they may choose to draw you sometimes. That does not mean that they will draw your idea on command. They may make things for you as gifts out of the goodness of their own hearts…but asking them for free things you concept or hoping for a discount will not score you points.
If you are at an art event and art is for sale, sometimes (depending on the artist) it may be okay to take a picture with an art piece. This does not mean taking a full-frame shot of just the work and reproducing it later in a badly printed form. You’re only using it digitally? You’re still using it. You’re sharing it. Send some money to the artist.
You found a perfect background for your meme, but it happens to be someone’s work? Pay them for the use. Do not just up the contrast and say it’s yours. This is not and never will be okay.
You Googled and found a picture you like and decide to print it for yourself. Look closer and find out who created it. Do not simply print it out and use it. That is stealing even if it is for personal use. Also - shame on your if you work for a company that does this for its advertising. SHAME!
Many creative professionals go to school for four years (oftentimes more) just like other disciplines, but most of the time make much less than people in other fields. Please respect them. You would think it was absurd if they asked for carpentry work for free. You would scoff at the idea that they should get groceries on the house. You would be terrified of the idea of someone asking for rent for nothing. Don’t do the exact same thing to artists.
Okay…now for a more light and fluffy section. I understand that not all of you can afford to buy the Mona Lisa, but here are 10 actionable things you CAN do to support artists:
1. Buy Them a Coffee - Platforms like Kofi, Patreon etc are great options for donating “what you can” to an artist’s efforts. Maybe you like watching them stream? Pay them. Maybe you are into talking to them at conventions? Send them a buck. It adds up and they appreciate it.
2. Share and Credit Their Work - Artists do not mind if you share their work…just make sure when you do that you share with their tags / information so that it might turn into paid work. Signal boosting is always awesome. Also - sometimes that one heart or thumbs up is the only positive feedback they get…so please, engage and appreciate!
3. Buy Prints - In an ideal world, we would all have enough money to own original works of art, but since that isn’t often the case, consider a print. Some people are purely digital these days anyway, but for those who aren’t, prints are high-quality pieces that you can cherish in your own home. Typically, a print will cost you on the high end, $50 or less.
4. Help Them - No money? No problem! Do you have spare time? Help an artist table at an event. Better yet, simply ask them what you can do to help them reach their goals. 99% of the time, they will not take you up on this option, but the fact that you asked will mean a lot to them.
5. Trade With Them - I want to underscore that this is not an absolute…but if you need something and you have a skill you think that a particular artist may need help with, you can propose an equitable trade. Some trades I have accepted are kickboxing lessons and hair cuts in exchange for photography. I am very open to trades as long as the people offering them are okay with making sure the costs align.
6. Save Up - Okay, this one is going to be unpopular. Save and buy art. Think about it…you buy things every. single. day. If you really want a piece by a certain artist, save up and buy it. Art generally costs way less than a diamond ring, and people save up for those all the time.
7. Broaden Your Idea of Art - Art is not just visual. Art is made with words, bodies and everything in between. Dancers work tirelessly for their art. Writers stay up late crafting the perfect sentence. Art is everywhere. Generally, if you are enjoying something, a performance, an image, a book…it doesn’t matter, just understand that whatever you are experiencing was provided to you by an artist. And please…be thankful to them.
8. Take No for an Answer - This pretty much applies across the board. If you sense hesitation or receive an outright no from an artist in response to your request, don’t push them or make them feel guilty for setting a boundary. Just…don’t.
9. Get Out There - Go to actual art events. There are literally thousands of performances and gallery openings happening in each and every town…go. Just show up and be there for the artists who put their souls on display for public judgement.
10. Buy the Right Gifts - I’m going to end on what, on the surface, may seem a petty note. But, it isn’t. If you want to buy an artist an art-specific gift, make sure it is one they want. For instance, do not buy a sketchbook without knowing the artist’s preferred paper weight. Do not buy them pastels if they are an artist that prefers pencils. This will just result in a case of present face (watch this video to understand) and dust collection.
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Remember people! As Sailor Moon says…well, actually, she doesn’t…but I’m sure she would…
“Appreciate and elevate your local artists or I’ll punish you!”