You likely have no idea that you say and do things that are spectacularly insulting. You might mean well, but you're speaking out of ignorance. These are 20 sure-fire ways to really insult your creative friends.
Saturday, November 22, 2014
20 Things To Never Say To People In Creative Fields
You likely have no idea that you say and do things that are spectacularly insulting. You might mean well, but you're speaking out of ignorance. These are 20 sure-fire ways to really insult your creative friends.
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These are all fair comments and complaints against people who dont understand artists. And while yes, maybe it doesn't reenforce the fact to our friends that what we do is work whenever we volunteer to do something for them, but maybe we really enjoy doing it. How many artists have been made out of accountants or secretaries who draw in their free time and then realize that they could just do that instead. While art and a non-standard work life is what our living depends on, many of us dont consider it a job like other professions. If given the choice, many of us would be doing just what we are doing.
I like the overall theme of this article/ slide show. Basically, don’t ask creative people to do work for free or tell them that they play around all day. I have personally been told many of these things and I can confirm it really pisses me off. Especially here at Carnegie Mellon I, like many of my peers, work my butt off for as many hours I possibly can every day and it is incredibly insulting when someone implies that what I do is like child’s play compared to the three classes they take a week. Not only that, but many times people don’t understand what we do all day in Purnell, but whatever it is, “it cant be nearly as hard as the other schools”. I have also been asked many times for the use of my free labor and skills. In early high school that was fine and all I needed was to start networking, but who doesn’t need a pay check now a days?
So i feel like this list comes down to, pay artists fairly for their work, dont diminish the work that artists do, and some people dont get it and are ignorant. But i also feel like this article was written in kind of a bitchy way. The person seems to be ranting about a series of pet peeves and personal issues that they have had. And like although i agree that all artists should be paid fairly and things like that, i diagree with the elitist mentality of this article that anyone whos not an artist doesnt get art. Like other people have good ideas too, even about things in the art world. The author of this article seems very insecure about their own place in the world.
I agree with the overall idea of the slideshow. There are a lot of times where I get frustrated with people when they think our work is all play and they think we have all this time on our hands. Most of my friends are in a creative field or were once in a creative field so I don't have to deal with it often. But I have talked to people who were shocked to find out that I pulled all nighters and that I had so much work to do. "Aren't you in Drama? Design?" Yes, so? We still have a ton of work. Something that makes our work harder, in my opinion, is that there is no right or wrong. Everything is open ended. We can spend nights just thinking about a design and it's exhausting sketching ideas out and never knowing if you're going in the right direction until you're not. The words exposure and experience really annoy me. As the slide show said, you can't get paid in exposure or experience. you're not paying the bills. Why can't you get paid and get exposure and experience. It's kind of a win win sort of thing. I have worked for four different people now who I loved working with and, yes, I got a lot of really great experience, but I didn't get paid for any of it (even though I was promised it for some of the jobs...). People don't realize that, sure it's fun, but when doing something fun for a living can (hopefully it won't) can take the fun out of it, especially when people don't respect what you're doing as real work. Why should we have to prove anything to you, you should just stop being ignorant...
I like this list, and it makes a lot of good points, but I'm not sure how I feel about the tone of it. On one hand, I really like it. It stands up for artists, and delivers the message bluntly/sarcastically in a way that will actually get people to understand the side of the artist. On the other hand though, I think that there are some points where the dickish tone goes too far. It's one thing to try to get a point off harshly because it's been a problem for so long, but I think pushing too far can make people more defensive, and this article definitely skirts that line of too far. I really like the analogies that it draws to other careers though, because it's really important that people realize that art is a real career, and that basically everything that they ever interact with was designed by someone with an arts/design background. There's something that the article reiterates a couple of times, and it's something that we talk about a lot as DPs, and that's the time that things take. There's a lot of talk about late nights and getting things done, and the same things happen with us in the School of Drama. There are many times though that I feel that other schools discount what we do because we're drama, but that doesn't mean we don't put in as many hours as any other school on campus. Sometimes it seems like there's a contest between schools to see who works the worst hours, though it's one of those contests where the winner is still the loser. I liked most of the points that the article made, and I think it would be great if everyone at home who asked me what I was doing rad that article so they know I'm doing more than just screwing around with finger paints.
Similar to Becki, I agree with the concept of the article, though some of the points are over- exaggerating. I think it's important that artists learn to protect themselves and their work. I think that some of the points made were silly though. Sure, everything that you do for a job is going to feel like work at some point, but tat shouldn't mean you can't enjoy it. Absolutely, art is just as serious a career as any, but I don't think that means we aren't allowed to enjoy ourselves while working. People are always so surprised that we can get so tired from working, and that's upsetting, but our products and processes are just a valid as accounting or medical work.
A lot of these are things I've heard people ask both my dad in his optometry office and other bosses at clothing stores. The number of times I've had people ask to be scheduled for a non-emergency appointment that day or get a discount on an eye allergy or pink eye because the Dr. "just took a look" was astounding. These questions seem to be more of small/person-owned business questions than specifically for the creative field, though ostensibly artists are their own small businesses, even without incorporating. It's hard to make a living as an artist, partially because being creative is intellectually, emotionally and physically exhausting, but also because you are by default a small business owner, and that comes with all sorts of additional headaches. It's best to try remember that the people who ask artists to work for free are probably the same assholes who try not to pay their doctors too. While infuriating, it reflects more on them than it does on you.
So to sum it all up: Don't take advantage of your artist friend and understand that they do real work too. What I do has definitely been questioned in a few of these ways before whether it was by people not understanding why I was going to college to study drama, or by people not understanding that they can't use my abilities for cheap or for free. I can see why people would be confused by artists using art as work instead of play but the fact is that it is our job. People don't use their accountant or doctor friends for free, so why would you use your artist friend?
So essentially this guys article could be boiled down to, "Try not to surround yourself with huge assholes." And from the sound of most of these complaints, the author has not done a good job of avoiding having assholes for friends. Overall this article reeks of self-importance and entitlement, two traits that in my opinion are anathema to creative thinking. I especially loathed #13 that essentially rejects out of hand that anyone without "training" can have a good creative idea. A truly creative person knows that inspiration and artistic direction can come from anywhere, and being open to and exploring points of view other than your own, especially about your work, is one of the best ways to stay in the correct mind frame for creativity. One of the ethical position of any master, whether of the arts or trades or accounting for that matter, is to understand you don't know everything. A counterpart to that is to assume that no one knows nothing, and all positive input is worth considering. Yeah sure it's annoying to have a friend that's always pitching an idea to you, but if they're your friend I guess you'll have to put up with it, or make a joke about it, or better yet, collaborate on a project with them. Bring them along on something. But please, whatever you do, try not to be a bitter, whining, self-important asshole about it. If you think what you do is so hard, try dismantling freighters in Shanghai in flip flops for a 12 hour day, or spend a night shift with a nurse in a psych ward in New York City, or try walking 2 hours both directions just to get fresh water for your family every day, and with any luck you'll gain some perspective about your work, because it's true, nothing we do in the arts is really all that hard.
This list was on point. What we do here is work, we aren't paying thousands of dollars a year to play around. Sometimes people don't even need to say anything for me to know that they look down on what I do. It's especially infuriating when I tell people my major and they respond with, "Oh, I didn't know that was a real major". Yes, yes it is. We may not be saving lives or building machines that take us into space, but we are creating culture, something that is just as important as any other occupation. I've found that people sometimes only acknowledge the arts when they have become popular in the mainstream. Yes, while everyone strives to win a Tony or an Oscar for their craft, one need not have an award to validate the work they are doing. All that really matters is that we appreciate what we do and that we continue creating art that matters and makes a difference.
Ugh, this article is so true. I was on the bus a while back and I overheard two CMU students talking about majors and the topic of Drama came up. This is a direct quote, "I understand Drama is a major, but like, what do they do with their time?" This article is true in itself, but it also speaks to the wider lack of knowledge the general public has about people who work in the arts, especially behind the scenes. Some fields are probably more easy to understand, but once you get to technical fields or facilitators of the arts, I feel like there is no limit to some people's ignorance. Now, almost all of these people are quite open minded and they are fascinated once you have a conversation with them about what your job entails. But, I do think it is telling in the first place that careers in the arts are so deemphasized to the point that some people scarcely know they exist.
Like most of the other commenters, I agree with the overall gist of this article, which is that artist should be treated with same respect and courtesy as all other professionals, but I do recognizes instances of over sensitivity and elitism in this article as well. People ask their accountant friends to help them with their taxes for free as much as they do their artist friends with a poster design. What it comes down to is how you ask for that help and whether or not you constantly are taking advantage of their expertise. I also agree with Tent that at times the article put down non artist opinions on art, and while some people may be dismissive and rude, most have valid opinions that should be shared amongst friends.
Surprisingly enough, I've already gotten my fair share of these comments. People just assume that since I'm studying art that everything is really easy and relaxed. They say that since I'm creating something of my own will and of my own ideas that it is really easy and enjoyable. The points made in this article are beyond accurate. Just this week I've been noticing how exhausting artistic work truly is while working on photoshop designs for class. Just sitting there and constantly thinking is just as hard as doing math or other problem sets.
So, I had a really thoughtful comment typed out and dead battery... anyways, I actually this article a few weeks ago when a friend posted it on Facebook. This article makes a good point, however, a lot of the points made here apply to multiple fields. Being BXA, I have seen remarks like these between people in different colleges/departments. But even outside CMU, having worked in schools, hospitals, IT departments, and various small businesses, people do this everywhere. If someone doesn't do it themself, then obviously it is super easy, fun, not much work, not a real job, etc... And yes, this frustrates me to no end, I wish people would at least try to understand. Although, I do understand the other point of view, it is still irritating. That being said, if one of my best friends asked me for something, I would help if they didn't ask me everyday. So, I didn't mean to continue the tone of the article, but I did. I know people didn't like the tone, but the website is 'Rant Life'.
So many of these things I can remember being said to me at one point or another in my life. One of the biggest things for me that really gets me boiling is the short notice thing. I play piano, and I have been playing for a number of years now. I'm definitely no professional, and therefore I can't play everything that you throw under my nose no matter how much you may want me to. So when you ask me to play for you thingy thing the very next day, or even that night, the answer is most likely no. Why? Because things take time to prepare and I don't want to perform something that isn't my best, so don't look at me all surprised when I give you that answer. This goes for nearly any field, not just music. Things take time.
Wow, an article basically informing people not to be condescending humans. I have no idea why people would think that any of these things would be okay to say to anyone about their chosen profession. Who are we to judge about the amount of work and it's relevance? The fact is no one has that right. I could say plenty of things about people who work with commercial and corporate organizations, only interested in making money and benefitting themselves, and not interested in furthering or aiding our society. Last time I checked I wasn't weeping over briefs and ledgers like I was when I watched Seven Guitars earlier this year. But I would never give myself the authority and power to judge somebody elses passions and professions.
Ive gotten these comments throughout my life. There are many people who think that art is easy. I think it might just be because they assists art with that blow off class in high school they had to take. Art is actually something that requires much thought and time. Every piece has to be thought of and executed almost from scratch. There is no guide for style or process. Art is as special as each individual on earth. We should each respect and enjoy what each other create.
Ive gotten these comments throughout my life. There are many people who think that art is easy. I think it might just be because they assists art with that blow off class in high school they had to take. Art is actually something that requires much thought and time. Every piece has to be thought of and executed almost from scratch. There is no guide for style or process. Art is as special as each individual on earth. We should each respect and enjoy what each other create.
I agreed with most of the list except the first one. I've been in music industry all my life and yet people take money questions as an insult,. I on the contrary, think it's pretty important if you want to live your life as a professional artists in in the world, and I mean in reality. I experienced so many artists it's who refused to take the job because the first question was "hoe much does it cost to have you do this?" And ends up living a poor life, high in dignity( which I honored) but really , it could be better if sometimes you don't think of it that way and take it as a cost for your professions and lifetime hardworking.
Artists aren't actually that hard to talk to. If anything, I feel that they would be easier to talk to than the average joe. This is because we always want to either get or give feedback. We live in a world where anything and everything around us can inspire us to do our next project, and artists are totally open to this idea. That is why I don't limit myself at all when I talk to artists.
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