A wise post that must be shared

"Why Artists Should (Not) Be Paid For Their Art"

Why is it okay for someone to find the job that they've always wanted unless it's art?
Oh there are so many people who think like "pretty boy" in this post. It was written in 2010. This kind of behavior against art based jobs has been going on for years before, too. A very smart question is asked in the linked post:
“Why should one small segment of the population have their work devalued so much that they are forced to struggle?” 

That's a great question. Why do the hard off artists supposedly do a better job on their work than someone who's been properly compensated? Why are the artists who have to manage their time between a 40-60hr a week job expected to be able to create much at all? Why is artwork of any kind the only job that this is expected to be okay?

Edit: Sep 18
I goofed. Didn't at all say what prompted this post when I wrote it.

Someone had tried to convince me that my prices, which are equal to what many other digital artists around my skill work for, were still too expensive.
Yeah. I guess things are too expensive when you're trying to get something for free. It's worse than what he was thinking though; it's not just the picture I'd have worked on, it's my time that's being paid for.

So like the earlier bit: Why is it that artwork is one of the only jobs that it's expected to be alright to not pay someone for their time? I miswrote earlier, saying that it's the "only" one, some retailers do this happily since they won't be caught or actually stopped.


And the freelancers trying to do graphics or any other work for companies have it even harder than my own problems. Especially with all the nonsense that some of those groups will hide behind to pretend they never owed a cent once the work is actually done.

It's a mess all around and it will be until something is changed. Dunno when or how but it will happen sometime. Let's just hope it's beneficial to both sides of the equation.