Have you ever, when confronted with leaking pipes or an explosively clogged toilet, called up one of your friends who is not a professional plumber, but loves plumbing so much that they spend their free time doing amateur plumbing projects? No? Hmmmm. Well then, what about rewiring your bathroom? Will you be calling your brother-in-law who took a wiring course in high school and was really good at it back then, and is sure that he could still probably do the job pretty well? You will? Remind me not to plug anything in to your bathroom outlets then. And I was on the debate team in college. You’d let me represent you in a courtroom, right? I swear, I watch a ton of Law & Order! Also, I was not on the debate team. But I like arguing.
You see, when we want a job done, and done right, we hire a professional. Sometimes we try to do it ourselves, or make a family member do it, but then we have to have it redone later, because we are not good at whatever it is we tried to do, no matter how much we tell ourselves that it ought to be easy. There is a reason people go to school and trainings and programs to learn things. It is so they become good at it. And going to those programs costs money, and so do food and clothes and gasoline and iPhones. Therefore, we need to pay these people when they use their skills for us. But this does not always seem to apply to the arts.
Why? Why do people think that they can just get so-and-so to sing something, or paint something, or decorate something, and don’t need to pay them or hire a professional? Is it because they don’t value the work? If everything goes great but the music is mediocre, does it really not make that much of a difference?
Why? Is it because art is in the eye of the beholder? Anybody can paint a mural right? And if some people don’t like it, because the composition is horrible, the scale is completely off, and the colors make people sick to their stomachs, well, that’s just their opinion, right? There is no right or wrong in art. Right?
Why? Is it because we view artistic talent as something that comes from within, and cannot be taught? Some people just have great voices, right? Some people just have an innate sense of design and proportion, right? You can’t teach that! “Professional Artist” is a kind of an oxymoron then, I suppose.
Why? Maybe the arts are just a little TOO fun and rewarding. There are so many people out there who create art as a hobby, simply for the love of it. And those people would be THRILLED to offer their untrained services to you for free, so why would you pay someone for something that you have previously gotten free, or for very cheap?
Why? Perhaps the problem is that artists are often just themselves, instead of a big company. Their rates are negotiable, and they are often happy to work with your budget, unlike those money grubbing caterers, who have a set fee and stick to it. Damn you caterers! So you can take advantage of artists pretty easily, right? DOES THAT MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD?! I don’t know how you can sleep at night…
There are tons of reasons why people feel like the artistic portion of their event should be cheap or free, and they are all reasonable reasons on the surface, but actually become ridiculous when compared to pretty much any other job. No other professional is going to put up with your haggling the way a musician is, and even though your cousin got an art award in seventh grade, professional artists have spent years training and honing their craft, and they know what they are doing. Please don’t insult them.
This has been a musical holiday rant by Tenor Dad. Thank you.
I have been a web developer and cabinetmaker where I’ve experienced similar attitudes. Seasoned freelance professionals figure out what they’re worth and stick to it. Better to not get the job then to do it at a loss.
I think so many artists forget they are worth something – I’m learning to recognize what my time/effort/talent is worth, and stick to it!
As a very well trained writer and author, I went to a freelance writer’s board to see if I could pick up a little money to get me through my next novel. They are offering .07 cents a word. That’s not 7 cents a word that is 7/10 of a cent a word. 1,000 words, original work, edited to print ready, 4 pages, (takes me a minimum of 4 hours) pays seven dollars. I said “Call me when you are willing to start writing real checks.” My novel will pay me a couple of hundred grand for six months of work. Why would I work for four hours for seven dollars? I will starve until the next royalty check instead. Thanks anyway.