The trap of socials mentality

Very often (too often!) I see young artists obsessed with the canons demanded by social networks such as Instagram: having to produce a new original drawing EVERY DAY, calling anything that hasn't taken a month of work "a sketch " (as if there is time left for articulated projects having to, for example, meet the crazy parameters imposed by Instagram's algorithm!) and being subjected to prices that are insane to

say the least.

It was quite shocking some years ago, on the late Twitter, to see a very good painter being insulted because, in a private message, when someone asked her how much she wanted forapaint a portrait, she replied $400.

This artist paints in oils in a realistic style reminiscent of the Flemish masters, yet recognisable and very original.

A portrait of her would not be out of place in any museum, but for this "client" it was not worth more than 20 dollars, because these are the prices people have become accustomed to on social networks.

If you ask for a fair price, you will be insulted, pilloried on social media, accused of being greedy and having no talent, shouting "Even the poor have a right to beautiful things!"

Absolutely true, so much so that the net is full of free content that.

EVERYONE can enjoy but, or you can easily buy cheap prints.

The point is that when you ask someone for a custom painting or drawing what you are asking for is a luxury.

A tailor-made suit definitely costs more than the T-shirt bought on a market stall.

People have convinced themselves that everyone is entitled to free or very cheap art (because young people are convinced that this is the case and sell out their work) without realising that often the artists they are insulting have a lower annual income than they do (and in many cases a crazy student loan to pay back).

In the past few years a creative collective in my country (Italy) has finally done a survey on the annual income of comic book artists.

95% of them earn LESS than 5000 euros gross per year (on which you

have to pay taxes even if in other cases under 5000 euros per year you don't fall into the taxable income bracket).

That was my income in 2020,and I the following year was much worse our category is also excluded from state aid, not being recognized as a profession. 

Exactly! in the country of the great Renaissance masters, creative people are not
recognised as workers. 

(But they do pay taxes)

In short, when people talk about poor people deserving to have our art for 20 dollars they ignore the fact that WE struggle to pay our bills and rent too(I'm lucky that my husband, a journalist, has been very busy
covering the news of the pandemic, otherwise I couldn't even afford to
buy food)

Everyone deserves nice things but we deserve to be able to support ourselves with our work, which takes years of study and practice.

So please stop devaluing your work and calling sketches what are actually finished drawings that took you hours to complete!

On social media they call them sketches just so they can be paid them a cheap price.