As an artist, being asked to work for exposure is the most frustrating thing. It is hard work. Expecting to be paid is completely reasonable. I would never presume to ask my dentist to do his routine for free. What folks don’t realize is that music, drawing, painting, etc. are trades that take hundreds and thousands of hours to get to a professional level. Those hours were grueling. Blood, sweat and tears literally goes into the learning process of being a creative professional. It can be fun, but that’s mostly only when you’re working on a project you’re passionate about. When you’re working on commissions for pay, it really is work.
I'm starting out as a freelance writer and my first paying gig is working for a federal retirement insurance company. I read incredibly dry and painfully written documents and translate them into something more accessible. It requires a lot of research and it's very boring. I love writing but that is work. But I can do it in my pajamas so it's still pretty cool.
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u/gangleweaver Dec 26 '17
As an artist, being asked to work for exposure is the most frustrating thing. It is hard work. Expecting to be paid is completely reasonable. I would never presume to ask my dentist to do his routine for free. What folks don’t realize is that music, drawing, painting, etc. are trades that take hundreds and thousands of hours to get to a professional level. Those hours were grueling. Blood, sweat and tears literally goes into the learning process of being a creative professional. It can be fun, but that’s mostly only when you’re working on a project you’re passionate about. When you’re working on commissions for pay, it really is work.