<p>I have a confession to make: creative people are passionate about what they do, so passionate in fact, that they will be creative whether they make money or not. This confession is probably not a new idea to anyone who knows an artistic type. However, what separates these gifted individuals from the rest of the population is this: being creative is the very essence of who they are. And because they love to do what they do, creative people will accept assignments for little to no compensation, with the idea that perhaps someone out there will see the quality of the work and actually pay for their services at full price later on. What they don&rsquo;t realize is by giving it away, these creatives are creating a lose-lose situation that harms all.</p> <p>The idea that someone will do what one loves for free is not new, unless one puts it into perspective. Let&rsquo;s say you are making a living as an attorney. You work hard, have a decent practice, and live well. On your free time, you don&rsquo;t practice law, you do other things you really enjoy: scuba dive, ski, travel, and so forth. In other words, you might earn your keep from the law, which you might really like, but what you do on your off time is not law; its doing things you are passionate about. Most importantly, when someone else discovers you are an attorney, and want some free legal advise, you kindly hand this person your business card and ask him/her to make an appointment. In other words, you don&rsquo;t give your services away, because this is how you pay your bills and live large. Understandable.</p> <p>However, when it comes to providing services, artists are often asked to give their talent away, because a business or organization doesn&rsquo;t see the value in paying for something that is often given for free. My concern is that in giving services away for free, the price one pays in return is that the service provided has no value.</p> <p>Giving away one&rsquo;s livelihood happens without arm twisting or badgering. Creatives freely give their service away because they are creative anyway. In their off time, when the physical creative process is not going on, an artist is still on full alert. It seems as if the senses are constantly vigilant, absorbing and processing what is happening. This awareness is normal, and enjoyable. In off times, a creative might do other things, like swim, ski, or hike. But these off time activities are not what gets the inner fire going. What lights them up is this nebulous process of taking thoughts and patterns and turning them into &ldquo;art.&rdquo;</p> <p>If you have been following me, you will see that this passion is the exact reverse of my attorney example. For an attorney, the passion comes from not working; for the artist, the passion comes all the time.</p> <p>Another factor to consider is the entire &ldquo;creative persona.&rdquo; This facade is often associated with oddball individuals who dress and act weirdly. These artsy types seem to be acting like small children&mdash;having way too much fun.&nbsp; How can they get paid decent money when it looks as if all they do is play?&nbsp; Have you ever considered that acting and looking a bit different is part of the creative process? That being &ldquo;creative&rdquo; starts from the inside and pushes its way out?</p> <p>Finally, the end product a creative person gives does have a value. Art has been known to change people&rsquo;s lives. Hospitals place art on the walls to help calm staff and patients. The process of creating something is often the only way a troubled individual can communicate. Studies have shown that by incorporating art in a school curriculum can increase attendance and help students understand part of the lesson.</p> <p>Yet we as a society regularly ask artists to give their products away because we don&rsquo;t value the talent, effort, and expenses required to continue with their craft. We as a society look at the creative process as a game that was experienced in nursery school, but has not stopped for the few who call themselves creative. We as a society would not consider giving our professional services away, but don&rsquo;t hesitate to ask a creative to give their professional services away. Because we as a society have been trained by the creatives in our midst to ask and receive professional service without compensation. And everyone thinks it&rsquo;s okay.</p> <p>I disagree, it is <em>not</em> okay.</p> 2009-10-21T19:42:49Z -1.17523 144 7054 true 3 44443 giving-it-away 3 2009-10-22T11:04:07Z 2009-10-22T18:04:38Z

Creative people are so passionate about their craft that they are creative whether they make money or not. What they don't realize is by giving it away, these innovators are forgetting that art is business.

1 2009-10-22T18:04:38Z