You aren't Entitled to making ANY Money with Art.

I think we all need a little reminder not to get too entitled in the Art community.
Alot of times, we feel like we deserve a perfectly balanced environment to succeed at doing whatever we want. However, the bottom line is that if you aren't providing value to someone, then you wont get value back. Finding out how you give value to others as an artist, how to do that well, and where the people who value what you have to offer are located, is the tough part. We have to become good at all of those things if we want real success as artists.

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[ergojosh]

While I was editong I realized how much clearer I could have been so I wanted to provide a basic “TLDR” :

No one is entitled to make money with their art/build an audience unless they can provide value to an individual/company/group of people. Easy ways to do this while you are building your skills is to educate others (1) Entertain others (2) or nowadays you can do it all at once + offer a little bit of support and camaraderie through something called streaming (3). If you don’t want to do those, its perfectly acceptable to get a main job to pay the bills in the meantime! Worry less about the algorithms and issues society has at large and do the less pretty work like marketing, research, and promotion if you want to get support for what you want to do. Every other type of job requires some non-fun parts and we aren’t excused from them.

Let me know what you think!

[OrinSorinson]

I've worked as game artist and illustrator for a few years and by some bad luck, I've left the country for an opportunity that didn't materialize and I was kind of stranded in a bad financial situation in London. I've worked as a mobile phone repair technician and as a warehouse worker.
The worst days working as an artist were better than the best days in a warehouse. I've lost about 3 years and now I'm relearning and going back through the basics. Honestly, I don't know what expectations people have about being an "artist" but I've heard enough daydreaming to know that pragmatism is severely lacking in most aspiring artists. Talent and "being an artist" are not going to make you a great technician and sustain you financially so people need to be mindful of all the work that goes into being a successful/self sustaining creator of art.
I'm a bit worried, myself, about restarting my so called career and about how lucky I'm going to be this time around.

[ddonutz]

Honestly, thank you for this. I'm currently on a struggle with improving and feeling like I'm not doing enough, but still wanting to be good enough to maybe make some cash from my art. It can be really stressful at times, which even led to me just, letting my art account die in away. Your videos are always super helpful and I love the honesty you have!

[aturtle]

I'm not an artist, but you can see this entitlement issue in writers too. They struggle so hard because they simply don't get it. There's a staggering amount who refuse to adapt with today's realities, wanting to make their bougie .txt files (ebooks) and that's that. Writers who "get it" are trying their hand at content creation to put their names out there, they're collaborating with others in projects or using different skills (programming, art, etc) to help them stand out.

[stormycatmink]

Great video. This really applies to everyone. Be it an engineer, doctor, or artist. It's important to realize that your value is measured by what you can provide other people. You have to earn that, regardless of what you do for a living. The key is you have to do something for a living, and it has to be something other people want, not something you want. As mentioned, it's ideal if you can find something that not only do you want, and are good at, but other people want and find especially valuable. But it doesn't always work out that way.

Some skills have it a little easier in delivering service to others (like a doctor), others it's less tangible (like a comedian). Then there's the trick of getting that value to people so they can recognize it and reward you for it. Some people join a large business to help shuffle their value to customers (perhaps an engineer or construction worker). Others try to handle it all on their own ( a freelancer or independent doctor). But in order to get that money in, your value needs to reach those people, somehow. Even the smartest engineer is worthless to the world if they refuse to work with others or can't present their ideas well. And when it comes to monetary value, some skills are just skewed, unfortunately. It's easy to see the huge impact teachers have, much like a doctor, only they're certainly not on equal footing when it comes to salary. That's always going to be a tough one to crack, but it is often connected to urgency. More urgent skills are paid more. If you need a solution immediately, you can see why people pay more. Doctors are often dealing with critical, urgent problems, so get paid a lot. Doing commissions? Being slow to deliver means people won't be so eager to pay as much in the future. Even artists can make huge money solving big art challenges for a client very quickly.

In the end, remember that your value is based on what others perceive. The more you can establish that you provide something they want, and the better you can deliver that to a large enough audience, the more value you will receive.

[gabrielblack]

Ergo josh: This is may be an unpopular opinion

Also ergo josh: If you want to sell art, other people have to like it

Me: That... that's an unpopular opinion???

[nothingiseverperfect]

I AM OBSESSED WITH UR JINX DRAWING WOWOWW

I HAVE GOT TO GET BETTER AT ART (I literally just started learning how to draw) 😭😭😭

[zacharyhorvath]

I think it’s also worth saying that what artists like is sometimes different from what the general public wants. When I was apprenticing in a tattoo shop pre-Covid, I realized that a lot of people can’t fathom that an artist can draw something that is not in their portfolio….and to be fair, I suppose it’s a little presumptuous to think they should understand that artists look at a face, flower or landscape as essentially the same thing (forms shaped by light, and shadow). Some people can see you draw the human figure without reference and still need you to literally prove that you are capable of copying a picture of Mario.

Tbh I feel pretty cynical about everything these days, and I also think it’s a sad time when people are willing to fork out thousands to get an NFT of some stupid squirrel sniffing it’s own ass or a banana taped to the wall-and I’m not one of those people that exclusively worships realism-I know and like Duchamp! I just can’t get on board with the idea that people prefer all these re-makes and marvel movies-it’s just that they aren’t offering anything else, there is no other mainstream choice.

[Bridget]

Thank you Ergo Josh for your words of wisdom. Reality can be a tough #&%# at times. What I'm learning through my art experiences is how to maintain a sane mind when it comes to creative freedom, social media and finding that right clique. I was thinking about what I can do bring more value to my work is to teach what I had learned to others and be more interactive with my supporters. 🙂

[saintsataniko]

You may not be entitled to making any money as an artist. But I can tell you from experience that you sure as Hell have a better chance than you will making money as a writer.

[paulwalcott]

Thank you Josh, I really needed to hear this. Now I can go into 2022 with the right mindset!

[whomcares]

As someone that wants to be an digital artist, this helped a lot to clarify my doubts, still want to do it tho. Thanks

[lunabunneh]

Thank you… thank you so much. Like the amount of love I have for this video…..thank you

[Jenny-tlgk]

I find if funny when people find out that I draw, they will always ask to see and sometimes I get a comment saying "omg u could sell this or be an artis"... the truth is this video, I love drawing and painting as my hobby but as Josh says it's not all painting and drawing, there is competition, marketing ect... this is something I don't want to add to what makes me so happy.. so I'm gonna keep it my hobby 😊

[TheArtMentor]

Truth! Are there any particular trends you think aren’t worthwhile or avoid?

[vitaliisivak]

I like the explanation why Doctors ears less than Media stars. Very clear point. Thank you.

[heyrebecca]

Hello! Love your work, it is a really interesting concept you’re talking about.

[snot]

what is the app on the left that he uses for the photo reference board???

[nosferdox]

What is the best way to stay up to date with trends? I feel im really bad at that ;(

[Haags]

If you don't mind I would love to know which of your procreate brushes are you using for the line art in procreate? Also what canvas size are you working on? Thanks!