One more thing on the worth of art
While it seems like this is just a big uproar about artwork on the internet, this is not at all isolated. The effects of this mindset are vastly more far-reaching.
The word “professionals” barely means anything in this discussion, and I’m getting a sense that it’s because everyone’s imagining this lofty tower full of people who are VIP guests at conventions or have a huge catalog of work in their name. They think about Marvel, Disney/Pixar, hugely popular children’s books, scifi and fantasy book covers, concept art for the latest Bioware release.A professional is someone who offers and exchanges their services and rights for money. Period. Yes, not everyone is on the same level. Yes, if you are new to the industry, you probably shouldn’t make as much as someone who has been working for 10 years. That’s a given—that’s how business works. No one graduates law school expecting to make six figures right out the gate. They have to work their way up there. Same deal for illustration, but the chances to make anything decent at all are shrinking.
I think this is a good thing to read.
