Why Do People Get Mad When Artists Make Money?

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[MrEHowell]

It’s hard for people to wrap their heads around the difference between being paid for your time vs getting paid for your value you provide.

[jea_rum]

Lest we forget there are jackasses who bought 100x100 pixel NFTs for 10x of what Jim Lee is asking.

[scottgodlewski]

My Jim Lee story. I was at San Diego as a young man. My first time there as a pro. Jim was signing and sketching for FREE. It was close to the end of the show when I got in line. The dude behind me was the last one allowed in line. Jim stayed after the close of the show to make sure everyone in line got their signatures and free sketch. He drew a Grifter for me, outlined it and then asked me, in the interest of time, would I want ink the rest. He told me to sit down, handed me a sharpie and I inked the rest of the Jim Lee sketch sitting next to him.

I've worked with DC for 9 years. The whole office has a very open, exciting vibe. I can't say it's because of Jim, but I wouldn't be surprised.

[davidwilkin]

As an artist it is important to get paid for what you do just like anyone else. Art is one of the only professions where everyone thinks you should just give away your work for free. The pricing to me is right on its Jim Lee for god sakes he is a legend in the industry.

[Purdey]

There is a strange perception that art is easy, hence low prices.

[IDOLO]

A certain subset of society hates artists specifically and doesn't believe they should be paid anything. I'm not kidding, it's a thing. They think artists are lazy and that they should get a real job. It's a bigger group of people than you might want to believe, too. These people never used to question where art comes from. Now they have AI, they feel even more confident about hating on artists.

[mrbloodyhyphen-]

Artists deserve much more than they get paid. I recently tried doing digital artwork and it was HARD! So I am also on the team 'go get that bag!'

[TovenDo.O.Video-]

I think that it all boils down to jealousy. When people who have to work a job they hate for a salary, see someone making their annual income or more with something fun, they get reminded that it's POSSIBLE to make money doing something that you actually like. But that's the thing, it's POSSIBLE, not EASY, becoming a famous artist is a lot harder than having a normal job, and riskier, and most people can't handle that, so they resort to bashing on those who could.

[tattoojoel]

I understand being bummed out if you can’t afford an 11”x17” Jim Lee original. Get something at a price point you can afford, even if that’s just buying a comic book. The status of owning an original one of a kind will always come with a hefty price tag. However he is not limiting your access to his work. There is nothing ethically wrong with his pricing.

[deabreu.tattoo]

a ton of people don't see art as work, it's baffling

[MageThief]

Many people lack hobbies or interests, which leaves them with too much time to get upset over trivial matters.

[sianais]

Imagine having people think they should get a cheap price on an original work from a living legend in an industry.

Ironically, the same folks will be the first in line to auction off those pieces for more than the artist's asking price. Everyone but the person whose creativity and talent is being used deserves a paycheck, as fking always. The entire point of spending decades honing your craft and gaining recognition for your excellence is to increase the value of your creation and the worth of your time. But even at high levels, nontraditional artists still have to apparently continue the grind.

It's Jim f-cking Lee.

[ZebulonsPi]

I personally think it's jealousy: people wish THEY could command such price for what THEY do, and get snarky when they see someone command the prices that they can't.

It's either that, or they truly don't understand the art market, or bespoke pieces in general: if some people will pay X for something you do, you should get X!! Just because someone ELSE doesn't want to pay you for your hard work, doesn't mean it's WRONG to get that amount of money from someone who does!

[lazyoctopus]

I've been saying this for years, people want to consume art but don't want to pay for it. They feel entitled to it.

[kurtdrayton]

As an illustrator I get it. For years everyone has crapped on the artist. Jack Kirby didn’t get the love he deserved at the time. Ideas have been stolen from the artists at times and made the property of the big 2 for practically pennies while those companies made bank. It was the entire point of the start of Image Comics. Even writers all the credit and not the artists that brought the idea to life in living color. I have followed not only Jim, but Marc, Rob, Whilce and many more since the late 80’s and happy to see any of them succeed as they have more than deserved it. Many people feel that art should be free and I think that is why AI generated art is so popular now. I can never afford a Jim Lee illustration, but still support his success in every way. Illustrators should applaud when one of us makes it. Also, if i want a drawing, I put in the time and effort and learned how to draw it myself. There is no greater feeling than being able to pull an image from your head and put it on paper. Hell, I even taught myself basic procreate and am messing around with animation in toon squid. As much as I would love an original piece from an artist as great as Jim, it would not hold as much value to me as what i created myself🤷🏻‍♂️

[Heartmyasu]

Artist here

The problem we're seeing is something you mentioned in the middle of the video.
Removing the middlemen who are trying to bank off artists work are at risk of no longer making money.
They don't want artists to know that they can sell their work for alot more, and are trying to get them scared of doing it by shaming them publicly. Or at least trying.

Artists have to understand that they're worth alot more, the industry keeps treating them like dirt, giving them cents on the dollar. Most artists are scared to charge more, because they believe they'll recieve less. But we have to remember, art is a type of luxury, art can be fun for viewers. Don't sell yourself short, people who truly support art who have the funds will help you, because they truly believe in the creative process.

[manchitas]

They get just as mad when athletes get money too... Look, you could make a lot of money just selling old junk as collectibles. People will always resent that

[RowanRiverstone]

I think a lot of people see making art as just something fun and resent people doing something they perceive as fun and getting paid large amounts for it.

Your cooking analogy was spot on. I used to make jewelry as a hobby and really enjoyed it. People kept asking me about my jewelry and admiring it and started commissioning pieces. I was making pretty decent money at it, but it sucked all the joy out of it over time so I stopped doing it altogether. Work is work, and from my perspective, commodifying creativity really does drain it of a lot of joy. Artists earn that money and aren't just getting paid for playing around.

[zhengistasbolatov]

I'm pretty sure Jim Lee's net worth is in tens of million dollars. Man was working his a** off, he is in his 60's his time worth a lot. Get that bag, Jim!

[clintslowik]

As an artist who also represents other professional artists, the thing that particularly drives me crazy is seeing fellow artists get upset at artists being paid well for their work. That sentiment among artists is unfortunately way too common. What is also too common is how many talented artists make next to nothing due to being worried about being perceived as greedy or delusional.