the TATTOO ZINE.com

ART WHORE OR SMART ARTISTS?

By DG Wilson Dec 2007

Once an artist walked into my tattoo shop and asked me rudely if I believed that I was "An Art Whore?" I was angry. No. Not in the least. I am a WORKING artist doing art. A professional artist, the difference is huge...in language. But they are the same. I will tattoo what ever stupid damn thing you dream up, and I will do it beautifully...for money.

Yes I will sell my art, to those that want it. But I do it to live. What is the other option? Work at a day job in an office and then go home to paint for myself in my kitchen? Perhaps if I earned enough money at the job I could have a really nice studio. THE TRUTH IS that there is not enough hours in a day to do both. And these days a single job isn't enough for the mandatory bills let alone extras like paint. So for another artist that doesn't use their talent for a living but calls a working artist a Whore is an incredibly naive thing to say.

In fact, THAT IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE ARTISTS ARE TREATED SO BADLY! If you do not do enough art, and actually SELL it then you become too needy for money. We will do anything for cash. Those that call us professional artists, Art Whores do so to make themselves feel better about the fact that we are using our God given talet for its Divine purpose! But THEY are actually cutting all of our throats with their cruel stupidity!

Imagine if we all sold enough of our art to make a living including fine life extras? We would have the luxary of turning away the unreasonable offers and stupid projects. We would BE the artists that the others that call us whores WANT. We would have the prima donna attitude that they have and STILL make money.

But now, we are all so hard up for cash that we will do hundreds of hours of work for pennies so that the company that we sell the art to can make millions. If we have the luck to get a gallery we have to give about half away to the owner just for selling it for us. BUT WE ACCEPT the terms because half of something is better than none. For commissioned work we will slash our price that we would love to receive for our creations simply because we are honored to getthe work and need the money.

So instead of just calling yourself an artist, quit the day job, take the plunge like we did and start selling your damn art! Cut the middle men out by going to the people direct. Educate them as to why YOUR work is better than anything else they can buy in a Big Biz store! Sell your art and create a direct market for art so that there is a demand! Right now there is NO demand for orginal art by local artists because we all are starving and selling our work far below our own value! IF YOU did you job and sold your art then you would be a working artist as well, rather than someone looking into a studio and making a fool of yourself.