To the fellas jealous of their Art Friends

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rarebyn's avatar
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DISCLAIMER: This is only me telling my story, I don't know if it rings true for other artists as well.

I get a lot of people telling me they're jealous, and that they wish they could draw.
HOWEVER, WISHERS BEWARE!! You're not only signing up for a luxurious life of creation.

To the fellas jealous of their Art Friends... Know that your entire career is focused on a masochism. When you make a piece, you will be LUCKY if it turns out anything like you expected. And when it actually does, that glory lasts for only a day before you return to seeing its every flaw. You need to LOVE the struggle, and the only reason you're not an artist is likely because you don't. Have you tried to draw something and then thought, "Ugh, this is horrible!" "Why am I doing this? I'll never be good!" - these thoughts are NOT UNIQUE TO YOU!! Artists of every level feel the same way, except they just keep burning through it and keep coming back for more.

To the fellas jealous of their Art Friends... Stop expecting freebies. It's as if people think that art is some gift bestowed by the gods, and therefore it needs to be shared to the world for the greater good. NOPE! I cannot count the times when my friends expect me to do them a favor for nothing but a "Thanks! Wow this looks great!" in return. I do not ask you to clean my house, to mow my lawn, to do my dishes. I don't ask you to do my taxes, to fix my plumbing, to look at my computer. I don't ask you to do what you do for a living as a service to me for free, so please, if you need something, either pay me or give me something back. If I want to do something for fun on my free time, I will do it for me, not for you.

To the fellas jealous of their Art Friends... When people actually start paying you, expect to be devalued all the time. "Wow, $80 for a drawing? Why so much?" DAWG, SHUTTUP, I'M CUTTIN' YOU A DEAL! I get people coming in making over 100k a year complaining about paying over $100 for a drawing. Let me break it down to you. A rendered drawing can take hours, if not days. You're saying you want to pay me $40, for 8-10 hours of work? Would YOU work 8-10 hours for $40? Also, please, stop asking for the world. "I want a super detailed poster illustration of my 5 characters fighting robots in the rain... $150?". Dude, listen, all I want is a fucking haircut but I can't afford that making $5 an hour.

So please, if you're jealous of your art friend, remember that whatever really great piece of work they just made, it was an incredible internal struggle, and will continue to be for every piece after. Remember to stop expecting free work, and if they DO privilege you with free art, pay them back with a drink or a favor, they will remember you for a lifetime. Remember when commissioning an artist, to think about the time it might take you to do a piece like that, and multiply those hours by a fair wage. If you wouldn't work for $6 an hour, don't do it to others, ESPECIALLY if you value their work and their time.

O w O out,
Peace. <3
© 2014 - 2024 rarebyn
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Kaiapi's avatar
This is so very true!  I avoid sharing too much of my art in real life because when people are reminded I like to draw I start getting asked to do favours for them. I don't even have enough time for me, let alone doing work for them. I'm not an exceptionally good artist either, so it's a struggle for me everytime, but it's a struggle I want to do for myself, not for others.