Fair Pay for Artists
Fair Play = Fair Pay
This blog post follows directly from the last in terms of subject; experience and education of an artist and art tutor, and what to set as a reasonable financial exchange for your product. I posted about this on social media recently, and it had a huge response.
Pay…Where do you start as an artist? Or as a facilitator wishing to contract an artist.
A good place to start is Artists' Union England.
The adage for hundreds of years has been that, as a creative person and especially if you were a woman, you shouldn't expect to get paid properly. Your value is not only taken for granted but also actively disrespected. Asking to be paid for the experience, talent, and education you have invested in is not bad.
If either party is stuck, use the Artist Union England guide to do the negotiating for you.
Staying small as an artist not only betrays the artist but also fellow artists. What is shocking about this is that personally, I've had other females expect me to work for maybe £20 an hour (this has happened several times over the last six months). My own familial examples reinforced this devaluation, too. I'm not stating I think this is deliberate, but that doesn't make it acceptable. In the last 10 years, I worked as an art technician three days a week and barely earned £6k a year in an environment where male managers were on 6 figure salaries. I physically and mentally injured myself doing that job, feeling that I should be grateful for the opportunity. Essentially, both attracting and accepting crumbs and borderline abuse. This is not who I am anymore.
For a lot of neurodivergent people, fighting for rights and justice is not only excruciatingly difficult but also a pivotal part of who we are. Unfortunately, the downside is often being shamed or feeling shame and second guessing ourselves.
What makes our expertise in today’s world less valuable than that of any other specialist? The conditioning of the patriarchy. Why should I, as someone with 30 plus years of teaching experience across all age groups, educated to MA level (with an average debt of £45k), and a lifetime of experience making and selling art, settle for less than what is fair? Dont forget things like insurance and DBS checks too. The only way we can change this is by refusing to accept less.
NB As stated on social media, the current settings I freelance work for do support fair pay.
