Making Money Writing
Hate the New Tipping Feature?
When it comes to art patronage, that’s nothing new
There was a time when art patronage was something only for the wealthy. Becoming the patron of a painter, composer, writer, or another creator was a power move, but it was also a way to give back to your community and see that art was created.
We still continue to enjoy works that would not exist without the support of patrons.
These works of art couldn’t be made without them. Paints, canvases, theaters, lodging and food all cost money. Patronage meant that artists could concentrate on creation since these needs were met.
But, at the same time, people felt the artist would be influenced by their patron, and that it’d compromise their art. It was an uncomfortable balance between art and commerce.
While entire books can be written on this subject, I’ll just offer one anecdote.
Tycoon John D. Rockefeller hired revolutionary Mexican artist Diego Rivera to paint a mural. Because Rockefeller knew Rivera’s political leanings, his conditions for the commission said he had to approve the design.
Rivera created a draft for the millionaire’s approval.
And then proceeded to paint something else.
Instead of the single, hopeful figure in the draft he showed his patron, he painted a group portrait that included tons of prominent left-wing figures. Oh, and it also featured Rockefeller himself front and center, drinking martinis with a prostitute.
Rockefeller demanded Rivera repaint the mural, but Rivera said he’d rather see it destroyed.
The mural was demolished, but that wasn’t the end of Rivera’s and Rockefeller’s relationship. Rockefeller hired him the very next year to paint a mural in Mexico City.
Today, anyone with a cell phone can throw a few bucks at creators. And it’s meant a lot of writers, painters, musicians and other creators passing the hat and funding their work a dollar at a time.
But that hasn’t made direct support of artists uncontroversial.
Is a Tip Button Begging?
The arts are plagued by a paradox: what artists do is simultaneously so valuable that all of society needs it and so sacred it should never be tainted with cash.
The problem is, no one can make art when they’re spending all their energy making money doing something else.
I find it amusing that sex workers deal with the same conflicting demands.
Whether you’re stripping, camming, or making videos, you’ll encounter this guy at least once a week: he want your products, but only if they’re free. See, that way he knows that whatever images or attention he receives is because you’re into it and not because you’re just after money.
Here’s the thing: the stripper can totally like you (and maybe did before you started haggling) and also want compensation for her efforts.
Back in my camming days, I told all these guys the same thing: I love what I do.
But, if it’s not how I’m making my cash, I can’t be here to do it.
I Create Things for a Living
I will never apologize for getting paid to create. I’m a professional writer. I accept money to make stuff, and I love every day of this life.
There’s a delicate line when you are working in creative spheres. If it’s just commercial, made for a buck, it’s often shit. (But not always. After all, Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel under protest. He also filled it with dick jokes as revenge.)
If you only ever create for the sheer joy of it? It’s gonna go one of two ways. One is the folks who already have some other sort of support, whether through a spouse, an inheritance, or retirement funding. So, you get lots of work, but from a limited type of view.
The other has an artist who can’t create a lot, because there just isn’t enough time or money. What are we missing out on because they don’t have the time, energy, or supplies to create?
The world hasn’t caught up to UBI yet, so you must perform some task or other a bunch of hours per day before you gather enough points to be allowed food and a place to sleep.
Writing and creating are as worthy contributions as any other. I love Rob Delaney’s take on it. Here, he speaks of writing for television as a worthwhile pursuit:
making TV is not more important than driving a bus or making a table and chairs out of a stack of wood, but it’s also not less important than that. People need their stories at the end of the day, after you’ve been driving the bus or making tables. You don’t just want to enjoy yourself; you kind of need to. That craft approach to it, thinking of it that way, helped me.
Delaney’s commentary was about writing a sitcom while grieving the loss of his 2-year-old son. But, his observation on approaching creation as work, as a craft, stands.
What we make is as worthy and necessary as anything.
The world has never quite figured how to compensate artists. But, I think straight tips and donations have some benefits.
People can show their appreciation to creators whose work has provided value. They can help assure that there’s more in the future.
Some tip-compensated work sits behind a firewall. Others are like this, readable to everyone, supported by those who want to and can.
A “Hire Me” Button Option?
A few writers have mentioned wanting a “Hire Me” option in place of people supporting their already existing writing.
I think this would be a good option; maybe Medium can make it possible to customize the tipping text. Then, set the link to a place where you offer work for hire.
One workaround to implement for now: Ko-fi has a place for creators to offer commissions. I use it to offer simple hand-drawn graphics.
It’d be easy to use it to offer ghostwriting, blogging, or other services.
But, I don’t think that a Hire Me link would serve the same function as donations and tipping. A promise of more work for hire means more funding, but it also means time and energy that won’t go toward writing here.
Putting My Money Where My Big Mouth Is
I don’t think there’s a conflict between having my stuff readable to people who’ve already paid for Medium while also having donation links.
But, I’ll go ahead and do it a little different this time. For science.
This post will be published unmetered. If you enjoyed reading it and wanna support more work like this, you can buy me a cuppa at the link below.
Either way, I hope your day is lovely.
