November 29, 2007
-
I've been spending some time trolling the "creative gigs" section of craigslist looking for a part-time or flexible supplement to my- well, let's face it- nonexistent income. A lot of times it's severely frustrating because either a.) there's nothing out there worth following up on or b.) people with a perfectly adequate cash flow want an artist to be their "intern" or do work pro-bono to add to their "portfolio" just so they can save a dime. Music labels or marketing firms pose under the guise of being an upstart to get free talent, that kind of crap. Really pisses me off, because it undercuts the whole principle that artists and designers are craftspeople with skills worth paying for. I mean, you wouldn't try to hire a plumber to fix your toilet, and then try to tell him that you can't pay him, but the incredible experience of unclogging your shitter will look great on his resume? Would you??
If so, then you deserve to have your bathroom explode. In turn, lots of disgruntled artists post snarky replies railing against the kind of disrespect that's going on. It's kinda hostile out there, which adds to the already present suckage, but it's the truth- nobody with skills, talent, and training should work for cheap or free, pretty much.
So. I've kinda had an emotional day, but I did come across this one ad tonight which nearly made me lose it, and for completely the opposite reason stated above. Woman in Southie (that's South Boston to the rest of you) has a little table she'd like painted for her disabled 3-year old daughter. She doesn't get a whole lot into what the drama with the kiddo is, but does go on about some pretty design ideas her little one might like- flowers, butterflies, teacups, the works- and offers a modest fee, or maybe barter, maybe pay for the supplies. She just wants something nice for her kid, and it's clear they don't have a whole lot to spare. She shouldn't even have to suggest it, you know? But she's still offering payment, which is at least respectful, and it would be a really nice thing for some artist to do for her.
Because this would definitely be a nice thing to do for free.
Comments (3)
I hate people that don't want to pay for a service. Or want a damn discount on everything.
Peoples is mixed up. What a nice post.
People don't value the thought behind anything at all. I haven't seen all the ads, but I suspect if somebody were asking for simple labor, they'd offer some kind of payment, like if they wanted you to repaint their crown moulding. But if they want you to do something creative, suddenly they're giving you a chance to express yourself, so that in and of itself should be reward enough, right? Umm, no.
Aw that's awesome. I should cruise craigslist sometime. I like doing things like that for people when I can. It makes me feel like a good human.