To those who think art should be cheap

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Please, please, PLEASE stop complaining about adopts/art commissions being 'overpriced'. If you have nothing good to say then don't say anything at all. Don't comment. Don't note. If you want to know why you should stop complaining then read below and at least try your best to understand.

I know there are other artists who have lower commission prices in comparison, however please don't bully me (and other artists) into doing the same or accuse me of ripping off clients of their money.

I am fully aware it can't be helped deviantART already made itself a reputation that it is where you can find cheap artists to commission, BUT that doesn't mean you have the right to demand others within the community to be cheap too. Sadly enough most of those 'cheap artists' are talented people whose work aren't given enough credit that they deserve (when they should be having an annual fee of around $50,000 that professional artists earn). You have to understand that majority of artists who commission online use what they earn to support themselves in real life. We have lives too! Complaining about their prices make them feel undeserving to be paid higher. It's nearly as bad saying artists don't deserve to be paid just like any other profession out there just because they "just draw"--unfortunately that is what most of us can only do to earn a decent enough living. Some of us even depend desperately on what we do to eat and provide a roof over our heads (and that of our loved ones) each day. 

Don't see art commissions or adopts like mass-produced products you see in the department store. Every piece that came from our hands is 'unique' and may most likely cannot be reproduced 100% the same way, which means whatever our clients receive from us is one-of-a-kind and usually personally tailored for them alone. Not only that but we work hours and hours (or even days/weeks) to just finish a single piece. Which makes most artists underpaid if you take that into account (e.g. $50 for 2-3 days of work when some people earn a minimum wage of $7.25 PER HOUR). What's also unfortunate is artists aren't drawing machines as we are affected not only by health of the body but of the mind too. Creativity and productivity come hand in hand and most of us don't want to disappoint our clients with half-assed work due to a down slide of mood. Art is subjective, not objective. If you don't know the difference then this guy named Joel Montgomery puts it best:

"An objective perspective is one that is not influenced by emotions, opinions, or personal feelings - it is a perspective based in fact, in things quantifiable and measurable.

"A subjective perspective is one open to greater interpretation based on personal feeling, emotion, aesthetics, etc."

You have to understand that art is not a "small thing". If you feel it is then what the hell are you doing in this art community. No one is forcing you to buy our art. Many of us artists are insecure all on our own (and we are our own harshest judges) so we don't need more people to rain down on our insecurity parade. Whatever style or skill level we have today, we did our best to practice them for years and more years to come so please respect that and refrain from giving careless comments especially when it came to our works' worth. Thank you.


edit: I don't expect everyone to 100% agree with me as everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but please refrain from leaving behind such rude responses or attacking other people who think differently from you.

Also please avoid sidetracking from the topic at hand (e.g. asking artists on DA to get another job), what this journal is trying to say is that just because there are other artists who sell their work for lower prices doesn't mean you should expect all artists to conform, respect their decision and try understanding that art is also hard work and should receive the value they deserve.

Please do your best to be as mature as possible. Be careful with what you say and try to have an open mind as this is a sensitive topic to a lot of fellow artists. I won't bother reading the entirety of any response journals/comments (let alone reply) the moment you start cussing and namecalling. That's just not cool, bruh. -_-


Anyway a big thank you to everyone who sincerely gave their opinions and support in this matter. I deeply appreciate it from the bottom of my heart and forgive me for my slow responses.

© 2016 - 2024 hen-tie
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Saufron's avatar
Anatomy, composition, lighting, quality, and etc is usually off. That's why it is over priced. Some artists put like $60-100 when they really should be putting down $40-50.

I keep seeing quality or anatomy issues with artworks, it is insane how much artists price them.