‘A work of art is the unique result of a unique temperament.’ -Oscar Wilde Let me start this post by saying that I don’t really consider myself an artist. Although much of my work has artistic value in terms of aesthetic impact and presents critique through reflection on experience, it’s not really my day job. That said, people often pay me for photography and video work. People also ask me to talk about making it for money and charity, like below at the London Vue Cinema in Front of 450 people a few months ago which, I guess, makes me a ‘professional’ on some level. Charity causes aside, there is a growing trend to treat professionals like us as if we don’t need to make a living. There is an assumption that we make art in our free time, ‘for the love’, or that until you have work in the Tate, you don’t deserve to get paid. This is a fucked up mentality – it’s like saying everyone at a company other than the CEO should be an intern (imagine the board of directors collectively jizzing over that notion!). I recently got an email from a property developer (and a Facebook message, and a LinkedIn message, and a Twitter DM) asking me if I want to display my photos on a massive 16×22 foot media wall in Philadelphia. I wrote back with my template response...
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