A rant on 'professional' elitism

_{I haven't submitted a journal entry to dA in almost a year. I had art block, and I've been very ill. For like, six months at a time. But I seem to be drawing now. So here I am. Submitting this as a journal instead of news article because I don't particularly want a bazillion people flaming me. I've pieced this together from conversations with people on twitter ( twitter.com/crimefish ).}

I'd like to bitch about elitism. So here goes.

"I should know, I'm a professional."
Yes. And I should know because I work out of love for my craft, not for money. One is not innately better than the other! I can't count how many times I've seen some bonehead say someone is creating art 'wrong', and justify it with "I should know. I'm a professional." Really? REALLY? Do you know what the word means? At bare minimum, it means someone is dumb enough to pay you to draw. On its own, having professional status does not mean you know any better than I do. Being a professional does not automatically validate your opinions, or make them more credible than an amateur's. Keep sharing your opinion, but don't think your status as amateur, professional, self-taught or art-school is in any way relevant (unless the topic is how to become a professional, or how to get into art school, for example).

If I choose art as a hobby instead of as a profession, I don't care about it as much as a professional does.
Ditto if I'm an amateur it's because I'm not as skilled as a professional. FALSE. Personally, I choose to keep art a hobby because I don't enjoy doing commissions. I don't work well under pressure, or with deadlines (and not because I'm a shitty artist, but because I suffer from general anxiety disorder. Although I may also be a shitty artist). I do this BECAUSE I love to draw, not because I don't care enough. Also, I can't be a professional ANYTHING, because of my poor health. I only want to sell enough drawings to pay for art supplies. I want to keep the rest, because they are my babies. There are MANY reasons not to be a professional; it's not necessarily because your work is substandard, or because you don't take art seriously.

Money is success.
I have a theory that it's not all professionals, not even the majority, who act like arrogant assholes. Just the ones who equate money with success, or think your worth as a human being is directly tied to what you "do" as a job or career. Some artists seem to think once they're good enough to be hired, they're good enough. They don't need to improve any more. Their entire aim is to be a Professional Artist. So once they get to that point, they stop trying. Whereas, everyone else (including self-taught artists in general, amateur OR pro) never stops improving. Because our number one goal isn't to make money; it's to be our best, and learn all we can.

So you're a pro. Great, I'm happy for you. By your standards, you're a success. But don't assume the rest of us share those standards. Some of us don't prioritise money OR 'professional' status over the art itself. If you feel the rest of us are failures, because we're not professionals? We enthusiastically disagree. We create because we love it.

If you've just received your first art commission, shout it from the rooftops. But only because you're so happy you can't keep it to yourself. Not because you think bragging will make people respect you more. Because usually it has the exact opposite effect.

And amateurs do the same damn thing.
They have low self-esteem because they're just amateurs. YOUR STATUS MEANS NOTHING. Okay? We're ALL ARTISTS. That's what matters. ARTISTS. Not whether you're a professional or an amateur. Your work, your skill, your enthusiasm and your attitude speak volumes. Your status says little. Whether you get paid or not is a personal matter, so don't use it to make yourself feel superior OR inferior to others.

Respect each other, respect yourself.
If you disrespect amateurs (OR professionals) as a group, you're putting yourself at a severe disadvantage, because you're refusing to let yourself learn from an entire group of people. I have several kinds of favourite artist; some whose quality of work I aspire to reach, and some who can't draw worth a damn but can give the most valuable advice, and astute analysis, I've ever received. I don't think professionals are better than amateurs, or vice versa. I cannot fucking stand elitism of any kind in art. I mean, we get enough "you're wasting your life" and "you're a failure" from non-artists, we don't need to do it to each other as well.

In conclusion.
Personally, I want to keep my amateur status so I can draw in the Olympics. If you're an amateur whose aim is to be a professional, I honestly wish you the best of luck. Be proud of yourself once you get there. Just don't let it go to your head. If you're a professional, remember to conduct yourself with professional decorum, and not to rub your personal achievement in people's faces, because it just makes pros look like douchenozzles. And they aren't, any more than amateurs are noobs who don't know what they're doing.

You know what we should all do? Take the best of both. Behave professionally, and make art like we're doing it for art's sake.

P.S. Whether you consider yourself a professional, an amateur, a hobbyist, or an ARTIST, I do not advise working for free. I work for myself and I keep the majority of my drawings, and give the rest as gifts. When I sell drawings, I sell them for money. Never let anyone bully you into giving them free stuff.

P.P.S. There is no such thing as a 'free commission'. If you're drawing for money, it's a 'commission'; if you're doing it for free, it's a 'request'.