Standing up for Talent
Thursday, September 16, 2010 at 5:11AM Every day on my way home I drive by a sign that says, "Despite the high cost of living, it's still popular."
I always want to throw something at and/or through it. Like, fuck off, pithy sign, because there's living and then there's living, y'know? I don't consider myself overpaid at all - I haven't had a raise in 2 years, my job doesn't come with insurance benefits or any other perks - and I am still living paycheck to paycheck. Our house is small and falling apart, our car is making strange and expensive-sounding noises. Yes, I only work 4 days a week, but if I worked five I would have to pay for more daycare, so I wouldn't really be that much further ahead.
(Also, I would develop a facial tic and a drug problem fairly quickly, but that's a whole other thing.)
I know that I am lucky that we're fed and clothed and can occasionally afford to go out to a movie. But today, I had an interview for a job - essentially, MY job, except in a different location and with hopefully less yelling - that, at the top of it's pay range, pays twenty percent less than my current mediocre salary. At the TOP of the pay range. As in, that is the most you could ever hope to make at that job, ever.
I actually went to university with the interviewer (cringe), and I must not have hidden my reaction to his salary statement very well, because he was a little apologetic. It's a tough market in the creative field right now, he said. People are taking huge pay cuts just to keep their jobs. You're actually the only person who applied for this position who wasn't, um, "under-employed". 
This is the amazing painting Michele sent me, which I keep meaning to get framed, but I think it fits in just fine anyway.
All of those things are true, and all of those things suck great big hairy donkey balls. You know who I blame?
The internet.
I'm rather conflicted about it, as you can imagine. I mean, I heart the interwebs. Sites like ODesk and 99Designs and CrowdSpring are fantastic. You can work from home, you can build your portfolio. But it devalues the work that graphic designers, web designers, and writers do. Why would a company pay a design firm thousands of dollars for a logo or brand, when they can run a contest and have talented graphic artists falling all over themselves trying to win a couple hundred bucks? Why would someone hire a writer if they can find one who will email them articles for literally pennies? Sure, you'll build your portfolio up; and then they'll move on to the next person that's willing to work for peanuts.
And I don't really 
This was designed and sent to me by Stacey of ArtSnark's Artifacts. It says "Brains: They're not just for breakfast",and I adore it. (Click the pic to see more of her creations - she has fabulous drawings)know, as writers or artists or web designers, where we should draw the line. I mean, it is a tough economy, we do need to make money. But my first blog makeover - which was AWESOME and took the better part of a week - cost me literally fifty bucks. I felt like a criminal paying that little, but at the same time, I didn't want to spend hundreds of dollars on something that is essentially a hobby. Most of us blog or post our web comics with no expectation of being paid. We do it for a sense of community, to hone our crafts, to shout into the void. We gift our talents to the world because it makes us feel good.
I've done illustrations for people who are friends, or when I traded fairly, or both. I did a super-librarian and a digital librarian drawing for Michele, in exchange for a gorgeous painting of hers. Sometimes bloggers send gifts showcasing their talents, just because they can. I don't consider that the same thing, though. I consider that just a natural outcome of being part of a community.
So I don't know what the answer is. I think that under-valueing artistic endeavours behind the guise of a "tough economy" is bunk. I think that selling yourself short because you believe someone else will do a better job for less is ridiculous. I think that the free accessibility to peoples talents that the internet affords, will continue to devalue those talents, unless people start holding out for what they're truly worth.
Though that might mean that a lot of people start getting paid to blog.
Now that would be living.
Keely | 38 Comments
Reader Comments (38)
I agree that "professional" art should not be free. There are ways for artists to be compensated, while still making art free for the masses. Think of museums. I pay $5 to get into the museum (a relatively small fee to see some amazing works) but that's because the people who have purchased this art are choosing to share it. Not because the artist put it out there for nothing.
As for companies, I think it depends on their intent. If the intent is to give up and coming folks a shot, then small compensation is ok. That should not take the place of staff writers and artists, who put out your regular work. I have hope that when the economy gets better, companies will be back to hiring a regular staff for their artistic needs.
I know how you feel. I am "underemployed" too, but it doesnt make it any easier. Life's so hard, but its the little things that seem to be saving us.
Kate
www.idreamloudly.com
I still think I got the best of that bargain though the painting looks especially nice right there. Now, I wish I had finished the sides.
If I could afford it I would do nothing but creative things all day long. Sad to say it won't pay the rent. So I work. Thankfully I work at something I love but I had to go back to school and get into an enormous amount of student loan debt to do it. How does that work?
I'm not even sure where I am going with this. I agree artist do not and have never gotten paid what they are worth. I think bartering is wonderful but won't pay the rent. I get a lot of enjoyment out of the super librarian drawing and promote your work whenever I can. BTW, the people from OCLC (biggest library consortium in the world) loves your work. We should talk about that a little more.
Don't take the new job unless it is the perfect fit for you, no matter the salary.
I completely GET this post. I've written for pennies. I found a 'job' that will pay me a few more pennies than the last. But do I really want to sell my 'creative work' for zip? (Lets not go over labeling here, I'm writing articles on bikes and riverfront camping, and car insurance; it's not exactly exciting stuff.) The things I love to do, writing creatively, aren't paying. I wrote a bunch or articles, got my own column, all for zilch and the place closed up shop.
I'm qualified to open Juice Boxes. Where are those jobs at?
Good luck in finding something that pays you what you ARE worth. You have talent. make them pay you for it!
I can so relate! Every time I tell my husband I might have a new client the first words out of his mouth are "Are you going to charge what you're worth, or what you think the person will pay?" I definitely under charge for my work; but to get even the small freelance work I get, I have to. :(
Man, I love this. Especially the first two sentences.
I think your exchange with Michele is an example of what I love most about the blogosphere. You're two talented individuals who shared your talent with each other. It's like old-age bartering, except you're exchanging creativity instead of, y'know, salt pork and flour.
Great post - and not just because of the fantastic coffee cup! Thanks for the shout-out, by the way.
Wouldn't it be grand to do what we wanted for a living wage (sighs wistfully). Viva La Revolución!
Isn't capitalism grand? But maybe I shouldn't go there.
What I'm scared of is that the new "underemployed" will become the normal. That is so scary. When I interviewed for the job I have now and my boss said he wanted to hire good people and pay what they were worth I almost started crying right there. Thankfully I didn't because if I had I probably wouldn't have gotten the job.
Too many people give away their talents for free then complain they aren't making money. My dad always says, 'You can't sell what you give away for free'.
I have a really really hard time with people who get into blogging to make money. I mean, I know it has happened for some people, can happen, and will happen for some- but should that *really* be the whole reason?
I say no- but would I say no if I made enough money every month to pay the rent? I don't know the answer to that question, and it kind of bugs me.
I was just reading another blog written by someone who designs book covers and loves her job completely. It seems perfect, she has good pay, promotions, benefits and loves the people on her team. But all I could think about was how likely it is that her job will soon be obsolete (or demand greatly reduced) due to the advent of "readers" like iPad and Kindle. I'm somewhat of a book purist and traditionalist, yet I can't help coveting a Kindle (I've just been too stingy to fork over the money so far). There has to be a way to re-invent oneself, without sacrificing a good career. I'm still looking at ways to do that for myself. Unfortunately, sooner or later, we'll all probably need to do this.
My husband is a graphic designer and he is working tech support because there aren't any 'available' jobs. I feel so bad when I see him trying to do graphic work and sell his designs and his online comic. It is frustrating to be in the boat you described so perfectly. :) Great post.
Blogging probably wouldn't be as much fun if you had to do it for a wage. Doesn't the economy suck. My husband is currently working where he isn't getting paid what he's worth. Making half the money he was last year for the same job. This economy sucks monkey balls.
This is why people say "starving artists"
Oh, I know this too well.My husband is an artist and illustrator, and he fights this battle constantly. The biggest problem we've encountered is that it creates a self-fulfilling prophesy: the more people get used to paying pennies for work, the more they're only ever going to pay pennies. Sites like 99Designs are the overseas outsourcing of the creative industry. It's tough though, because you need to be able to pay the bills. That's part of why I'm stuck in a job I hate--because my husband has so many struggles as an artist getting what he's worth.
But even with the struggles, he's gotten to a point where he says "this is my rate, because this is what my work is worth." Lots of people aren't willing to pay it, and he has finally learned to just let those people go and focus on the ones who DO understand. It's hard though.
Well said.
Sad now. (Sigh.)
Now I know why, when I was fresh out of college, my dad said, "Just pick any career but one that relies on creative product. Anything else."
Oops. Sorry, Dad.
We feel you here, hubby is a web designer and pickings are slim.
But the reason I took the time to blab is that your code is broken in google reader. The pics and their captions are sprawled out in the middle of your post like zombie victims that haven't yet risen to join the ranks of their flesh-craving undead progenitors.
I hear you. I find myself having to literally write for nothing (not little, NOTHING) just so I can beef up my CV and hopefully find paying freelance jobs. I got yelled at for this by a writer friend who said if people do stuff for free than it's even harder to get paying jobs, but how else do you break into the industry and get your name out there? It's not like anyone is going to hire an unknown and pay her when they have experienced writers charging the same or just a little more.
I see both sides of the coin and find myself conflicted. Which is why I say: yes, it does SUCK.
Agreed - it's not fair. I tried SUPER hard to get you a job that would actually USE your talents properly. They gave me an admin assistant.
Sigh.
Do you think anybody would pay me for my food art? It took me over a year to find a job in roughly the same line of work I'd been doing before, and it's still a temp position. A well paid temp position, but still temp.
Dude, first off, this is one awesome post. Somehow you manage to get at this whole problem succintly and elegantly. And it reads like it's from the heart, which I know it is.
I was nodding my head as a read along. It is a real headscratcher, this issue. I do love your exchange with Michele--the annals of art are full of awesome swaps like that--and I don't think it undersells your stuff.
Maybe artists and creative types need a labor union. No kidding.
Very well put and very interesting. Wouldn't it be great if all writers and artists banded together and refused to sell out cheap, if we were paid what we were truly worth? and yet, it would never, could never happen. there will always be people out there willing to sell themselves cheaper, cutting you out of the market unless you agree to do the same. unless of course we could hunt them all down and chop their fingers off...
It's amazing how much people think we make. I make a modest living from blogging but it's the DH that pays the bills. I do consider this my job and i want to punch him in the nets when he calls it a hobby only because I've been a writer in some form or another since I was 14 and if someone's reading it and I'm dedicated to it, it's m job.
Especially since I don't do anything else. At all. I really should. I hate laundry.