FieryTrainwreck said:
Though I'm pretty sure that most the art we have these days is due to people being able to make a profit off of it. So yeah, "Art" can be a job. Or rather, a career.
And yet a sizable portion of the most compelling and important art throughout history was produced by poor men and women who were simply passionate about their work. The idea that money drives everything, including man's very ancient desire to create and innovate, seems insulting. I know I'm offended, but then again, I don't do everything for the promise of a cookie.
You know what offends me?
Someone implying that wanting to profit from my creative endeavours makes me less of an artist and if that last comment is anything to go by, less of a human being. The world we live in requires a few things to live, most of them require money. Art takes time, effort and usually money as well, but everything I create should be available for free? Why do you seem to think some random piece of shit on the internet's right to free art overrides my right to put a price on my time and my hard work?
There will always be people offering their art for free. Music, video, games, all of these are available for free online if the creator chooses.
If you don't want to pay for something, if you don't think its worth the price placed on it by its creator THEN FUCK OFF AND LEAVE IT ALONE. You don't have a right to listen/watch/play it. Someone else created it, they chose to make it available to others, they did so on their terms. If you don't like their terms, FUCK OFF.
I'd like to say I'm sorry for the swearing, but I'm not. I'm so sick of this argument, everytime I see it I want to set people straight, and yet... I can't because I keep thinking to myself, people should know this, people should realise that they are not entitled to anything. At least not anything so fucking unecessary to life as luxury items created by the hard work of others.
Do you really think your literally starving artists wouldn't have loved to be promised a cookie for their art? If someone wants to be an artist for their own enjoyment great, that doesn't mean they can't also choose to profit from it. If you love doing something that you can profit from, why would you choose to make a living any other way?
These artists living extravagent lifestyles do so because people have deemed their art worthy of a price. If you don't think its worth that price that's your preference, but once again, you do not have a right to it due to that preference.
Apologies if I've come across too strong or have misinterpreted or misrepresented anything anyone has said, its late and this is a post of built up indignant rage which should be taken as not being personally directed at just the quoted post but at all who share the beliefs discussed in my post.
EDIT: Shorter and less inflammatory.
-I think artists have a right to charge what they want for their art (if its too much people won't buy it)
-If you're poor or disagree with the price tag there are plenty of free alternatives that don't involve what is essentially theft.
-Someone being ridiculously rich does not entitle you to obtain their goods/services for free.
-An artist is someone who enjoys creating art, such a person is likely to view living off of their talent a good thing, this doesn't make them a sellout or any less of an artist.
-We need money to live, whilst it is possible to create something without intent to profit, doing so has no bearing on what kind of person or artist that you are.