Art and Creativity: We LOVE What You Do! (But we just don't want to PAY for it...)

Most forms of creativity-- be it art, music, writing or some other field-- tends to involve "sales" at some point in the process.

After all-- unless we're pure hobbyists-- we have to get our art in front of people; we have to find venues for our music; we have to find publishers for our manuscripts... and then we have to persuade someone that we should be fairly compensated for our efforts.

The Nature of the "Starving Artist"

Few of us have gone through life without running into the term "Starving Artist." Or musician. Or actor. Or writer.

But is that a myth or a real thing? And how did it come about?

Sadly, I know very few artists and creatives who are making anything that resembles a "comfortable living" from their creativity. Many are "just scraping by" and even more hold jobs doing something else, purely to pay the bills and cost of staying alive.

One of the things I share in common with most of my fellow creatives is that I just really don't like sales. And I especially don't like selling myself. 

One of the reasons we decided to create the Red Dragonfly as a straight "commission gallery" is that we strongly felt that the artists we promote should have to "do retail." And-- when we took over the gallery in 2016-- it was fairly clear that part of the reason for its prior decline towards demise was precisely that it had tried to exist as a cooperative.

Something For Nothing

Having spent many years as a struggling writer, I discovered early on that writing tends to be a fairly exploitative field. 

Many a time did I come across an editor who would assure me that my article (or other contribution) was "excellent," but that would be followed up with the inevitable phrase "Unfortunately, we can't actually PAY contributors at the moment, but this will look great on your resume!" 

Of course, we all know that you can't actually pay for groceries or electricity with that, but many neophyte creatives find themselves in such situations. In the case of musicians, gigs are offered "for the exposure." 

In the case of artists, the "something for nothing" trap often comes in the form of cooperative galleries that are quick to charge a monthly participation fee, but does very little for the artist in return... the only thing that really matters is that the artist pays the monthly "rent" and works at the gallery one or more times a week. And when the artist balks, the response is usually "Yeah, but your work is in a gallery!"

It becomes problematic because just like everyone else, artists to have to eat.

How To Deal With This Issue

Part of the reason artists and creatives often get trapped in these patterns is because we haven't taken adequate time to put a value on what we do. Seasoned artists have less of an issue with giving themselves away for free than newcomers who tend to be eager to get their work seen.

The main piece of advice we give to artists at the gallery is "Your work has value." 

Maybe that sounds obvious, but surprisingly many young hopefuls have done very little to assess what "fair value" is for their work. Some err on the high side, but many err on the side of practically giving things away. The thing to keep in mind here is that you're trying to build a reputation and following... and that you will not "represent" well if you're too generous.

Some artists tell us that they are really "not in it for the money" and that can be fair enough. However, you should be able to at least cover the replacement cost of art supplies, as well as earn a contribution towards your basic living, even if your art cannot wholly support itself.

Thank you for reading! Red Dragonfly is a proud member of the @sndbox creative initiative.

The Red Dragonfly is an independent alternative art gallery located in Port Townsend, WA; showcasing edgy and unique contemporary art & handmade crafts by local and worldwide artists. All images are our own, unless otherwise credited. Where applicable, artist images used with permission.