I'm a writer. I write everything that encompasses fiction to opinion essays. I
have been published many times and have been told I write well. The only
thing is I have never been paid for anything that I have written that has been
published. I have a friend who always asks, “Are you getting paid for it."
And I say “No. I'm not." And he says "Then why do you do it?" To answer
his and possibly your question is because if I always held out for money I
may have never had anything published. It's called "Paying your dues."
(Working for free). And you need to build up a portfolio and this is the way
to do it. A lot of places may not take a chance on seeing your work without
being published. Most publications ask for a query letter with published
clips (a letter informing them of you, what you write and what you are
sending them along with samples of your published writings). It is also
called Exposure and without exposure you may not become established.
Exposure is just as important as getting paid. Yes, we artists would like to
make some kind of living from our art but hopefully the money will come
later.
I also do Character and Cartoon voices. Again people
have told me I am good but that and a quarter still won't buy me a cup of
coffee. Some people have given me a chance and that's another thing we
artists need, someone to believe in us to give us that chance, any chance to
get ourselves out there. If not then we may never get discovered.
From gallery owners to other fellow artists themselves, most of them are
clicky. If you are not a friend of the gallery owner and/or not in their little
circle they pretty much won't give you the time of day, much less a show in
their gallery. It seems that they usually will give their friends a show over
someone who is not a friend but I could be wrong about that. Some gallery
owners don't care about the artists and their art but only how much money
they can make off of them. From the percentage they take if you sell
something to the entrance fees to enter a show, it still costs the artists more
money then they already have and then you have to price accordingly to try
and make your expenses back. You are lucky if you break even. Now it gets even more expensive. They want you to send slides of your artwork you are entering in their show. More money to get slides made. Now you can use cd/dvd. I think that it is very unfair to ask for all of this and then take a high percentage of what they sell of yours and some galleries make the artists pay either half or all for their own reception. Now I know why some artists are discouraged from being artists. It doesn't pay.
A lot of artists look at other artists as "amateurs" which I learned is not an
obscene word but still has the negative stigma attached to it. We all have to
be a nobody before we can become a somebody and we all have to start
somewhere. So instead of looking down on your fellow up and coming
artists who are starting out just like you did why not help them out with
positive words of encouragement? Maybe they will want to continue to
pursue their artistic endeavors instead of 1etting your insecurities get to you
as if they were going to take your job away from you.
Art centers, galleries and even art supply stores are not very supportive of
other artists and their events. I was at an art school in N.J. and I had fliers
out for a figure drawing marathon I was doing. I had the fliers where the life
drawing class was going on. The lady who was in charge asked me whose
fliers they were and I told her they were mine. She took them away anyway
instead of leaving them there, where I needed them, so other artists could see
them. I am sure you know of other places that have done this and it is sad
when other artists don't even care about other artists enough to support them
and their creative endeavors.
I am listed with the New Jersey Film Commission as a P.A. (production
Assistant). A production assistant is a glorified gofer, go for this, go for that.
etc,... You are hired to do all the grunt work such as getting coffee and
lunch to lugging all the equipment as well as using your own car. I would
have liked to make some kind of living that way but what they pay is a joke.
I got a call for a company that did the Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City
and the gig was for about a week to two weeks. I was going to be traveling
two to two and half hours there, working 12 or more hours a day and then
driving back home another two to two and a half hours for a week to two
weeks and all I was going to be paid was a hundred bucks a day and not even a hotel room. What's wrong with this picture? These multithousand, million, billion dollar
production companies have all this money and they want you to jump
through hoops for more work then what they are willing to pay you. Sorry, I
am worth more then that especially the mileage and the wear and tear on my
car alone. I did P.A. on one movie where the pay was lousy. It was supposed
to be 50 bucks for the whole weekend but was upped to 75 after it was
finished but it was 10 minutes away from my house, I was fed well and I met
and worked with different types of interesting people. That wasn't bad. I
would not mind doing gigs like that part time but not when the money is less
then the time to have to put in it.
I support the arts by putting on art events that I think, would be very much
needed and welcomed such as my figure model marathons and open studio
Life drawing workshops. I am looking to start an independent monthly film
series as well. Great ideas are just that but if no one gives you a chance,
there's that word again, then no one is going to know about it and that is sad.
We all need an outlet for artistic expression and sometimes we do need the
help of others in order for that expression to visualize. We need to support and encourage creativity not stifle or discourage it. We also need to drop the attitudes and egos. One thing is for certain. Just because you’re an artist doesn’t mean you are open-minded but I am sure you knew that already.
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