Coca Cola Blue; Musings about art and commissions and why I do what I did this week.

     I did calculate the amount of money it would take to commission everyone who commented on my post that one day this week and people who literally fit into the character artists role and relatively don't seem to get much work. Some people commented and well; they kinda did get work so I kinda was forced not to inquire about them. Let's just say that I don't have 100 dollars to throw at the wrong demographic okay?

    There to be said, I focused this week on maximizing how many people I could help out and give a job and them do work that I would like. I mean that there are some people who literally would not do a good job simply because if you inquire to them to do something-it does not take days or weeks; it takes 2nd seconds and literally they are done. I literally am to say that some people need to realize that people pay them for content that otherwise can't be created and that is unique. Anyone can take a logo and resize it. That is not even graphic design right there. Just basic skills.

    I am blown away with the level of talent that was even in that response post. Everyone in their commission sheets had good graphic design. A majority of these people were from third world countries and relatively seem to have a good grasp on what they want in life. They have that ambition even though people just pass over them.  Nothing is wrong with people from the western countries but let me just say that; really some people already had clients beforehand and had it posted on their pages. I mean a significant amount that was kinda of consistent. I in no means shame these people or say they make bank or whatever but for the purpose of my function that I set out to do-I rather pay 20 artists who do five dollar works than just one person who obviously got work before. Even just giving people the chance to make five dollars off their art is better than none. 

   Really there is a great inequality in the online art market. Obviously people post their commission sheets and they never get work. Not ever. They have tight nit communities and they try to promote each other by "bumping" each other. I am to say the least its a good show of faith but really people just don't a fuck about these individuals or their work. This is what I have come to find out. That really the art market online is even more callous.

    Westerners promote their work commonly higher than those in the east and why the people in the east even promote their works for less is because they want to make it cheap for people to buy their services and thus increase convenience. Yet I am to say that really the branding the net has inspired is that their works are an inconvenience. Unless they are exactly like one of these well loved artists; they aren't it. These individuals in the east have a better nit community than in the west. The west is very cutthroat, competitive and nasty. I have seen people support each other in a way you could never get the egoes of western artists to even amend to and I say that from experience. Despite the supportive communities those in the east usually have; the whole net consensus is that they aren't worth the time because they just aren't these top tier artists who were lucky to rise up at the time the net really became prominent as a place of business and cultural influence as it is today. It almost seems like there is no place for these individuals and these often newcomers to go anywhere or to get up there in commissions simply because that is how the mindless "one styles" thought process of digital art has gotten people.

   I want to write about different artists and their experiences  and as well maybe continuously fund a disruption of the current internet art market. I say that funding these artists would allow many people who often don't get to make art as a living at least have more support in getting there especially those in third world countries. Whilst art is hard to make money for many people across the globe; I find that westerners just horde wealth and stupidly waste gains artists can make into society. Whilst people are so able to buy some expensive gaming set or whatever they want with their money and are artists-they just are privileged some much that they were always granted with commissions and the ability to live off their works much without trying. I am to say that practicing your art and getting money from your art are two different things. For a great instance to viewers of this blog; you might not behold to all of what I know how to do or even have practiced because really this site is just about me creating the comics of my dreams, the process behind them and interesting topics if not occasional advocacy idealisms. Its not all about what I can do. In short this site is just me trying to market one and some parts of my skills and knowledge and interests out in the world. It is not the full context at all or even. 

    There is to be said that I did have to wake up and consider to even start this blog to try to even make money off my works. Some people have no clue what I am talking about because they never had to start anything of a great effort to get their works out there. It just all just came naturally to them. They just had to make one social media posts or just continuously make them for a short period and then they caught fire. Or they were lucky enough to catch on to the rise of digital art and the art commission scene. To be noted digital arts have only existed in their current form for about a decade.  You could even say 2001 was the real starting point or whenever tablets really became accessible but really the whole thing that many people take for granted is only a decade old.  Some people were around on Devinart and were lucky enough to catch the rise to the fame and monetary success and literally never had to count on getting views or commissions or whatever. They ultimately were just around at the right place and right time. These days people can hardly be right in any place or time. Have to hobble around in a great sea of uncertainity. 

   Maybe one day I will talk about the great sea of uncertainty around my works but let's just say that-those well paid artists don't know the woe of those who are just as good as them and have as much merits as them but don't have some great following of basic net peons to booster them. I mince no words. There is not much criticism in the net art world at all and people just accept that some individuals are better than others because they are like Pepsi and Coca Cola and anything after them unless its a extension of these brands are grocery store knock offs. People really never examine that maybe they give too much merit to these individuals as "do all and be all artists" and frankly don't know what an artist is or know how to respect them. These large tier people never have the conversations to engage their audiences to support smaller artists or what art or the artist is; they just continually condone a misinformation and a heightened rise from doing so. It casts the illusion that they are so much better in quality and "what art is about". Yet art is not about one style being better than the other. Its what you put in it, the uniqueness, the character and the determination of artists to communicate ideas. Comics in sum are just to take a communication of ideas a step further and actually create a concrete story that is not interpretative usually or as a interpretative as a piece of art is. There is to be said that some people really don't care about the big picture or what their business tactics and business plan impact the smaller artists. They are all about building theirselves up by their sake of number of peons. Peons, people who really have no clue what art is but that it has to be glossy and sparkly to be good and rather why they are peons is because they never question that all they are lowering theirselves to is being a cashcow for people who ultimately refuse to tell them their ideas about art are wrong and cruel just so they can continue making money off of them. Greediness never gets art anywhere but to the large tier it does.

     O, they never know the struggle. Right in  earlier fall 2014, I did underprice my services on a facebook group. Just for three dollars would make a draft of something. I basically only got six dollars by the end of what I was to do in that earlier fall 2014. I stopped because I became more devote to solve my own problems and my own uncertainty rather than lower myself to be paid for this low sum and amount. Truly valuing my work and my goals got me to even make the comics I do today. Yet let's say some people never have to worry about that. To them their problems are much more mundane. Its rather how they are going to progress in their style or their art. And really much push excuse and excuse to why they cannot be motivated. But yet by the end of the day they still get paid. Other people as good as them but without the pay, don't have time for these excuses and if they do-they just fall into a self fulfilling prophecy. Some people must always be working to keep ahead to their goals. There are no peons to support them behind false ideas on what art is or that they are such excellent "gods" at it. There is nothing but bitterness and the wind and I say this of real life experience. It is very hard to always post to get some job and gig but just be tossed aside for everyone else who is a Coca Cola Light or Coca Cola Blue( it does not exist but just an idea of a brand line here and there to represent some artists). Or frankly seems to follow in the same quality of thought and style and doing things as the top tier artists do. It is heartbreaking to many people and personally I think it is a waste of time to post commissions and the such when you can just make your own business. But yet this is because my goals are different from other people and I cannot abide being mocked because I am not the duplicate of someone else.

    In 2016, when I first got anything digital to make art with; I used to add the layers and the things of such of lights and shading and all that jazz but really it was not to imitate but to experiment. In the real things that be; I really just disliked the notion that for anything to be finished as art it has to be glossy and in this self sufficient Coca Cola style of art.  Or have these external popular themes in it. To me  and others that is much the assault to the personal freedom of expression and really for the heck of it; art is not meant to be the duplicate of some other people's works just because its profitable. Art in finality is only worth it when its unique. You don't want to realize that people just essentially just group you in as the duplicate follower of someone else's works or some people's works. You would just be bunched in with a group of people and really people would not even remember you as the you, you inspired to be. Ultimately when people are to look at the net art that is today from a historical context many people will not find anything special about many people's works because they all just are repeats and reworks of other people's ideas and styles.  In fine artists; no one remembers the people who copy the masterpieces-they remember the ones who create them. I feel no one should feel the dark feeling that many people feel when they are passed up for commissions because their works aren't a Coca Cola Blue. And then the arrogance of the top tier artists acting as if they can lead people with lesser skills and understanding to " creating art". As if the efforts you have done are wrong and invalid to what a market wants and really much to only the extent where peons flow; you won't reap any success because you cannot convince these people that your art is even art at all. Rather much that it is even necessary to spend money on because its not some gilded product they have been made to believe.

   Such to say people have become confident behind lies and its not just the people who don't know anything about art by what the top tier have to offer-their Coca Cola Blues; it is the top tier artists who have become overconfident and then wonder why people treat them so bad. The thing is you only get what you give out. You only get this treatment of disrespect when you enamor and support views that are antithesis to what art is about. Getting ahead of the objectives of art just to please people who have no clue about what it is about and supporting idealistic misinformation. I am to say that some people have lost the true notion of what will help artists succeed or rather have lost that empathy for other artists who aren't as successful at them in monetary gain or never knew what it was like to not get any money from their art as an adult and/or don't care about others. I would say that really; for all the people who posted on my post this week-it would have taken $734 dollars to hire each and everyone of them that fit in the parameters of " not having much jobs". Of course, a person cannot hire all those people because you would have to manage talking to them and for one person to keep up with over 60 + persons is not culpable or able to be done well. Alas; some people instead of buying an expensive computer for theirselves as artists with an income could rather hope to help the art community by actually just commissioning art from those who don't get commissions. This is better than pandering down to people as if they are fools and they have to "learn from your success that is so earnestly earned" to become better artists. 

     Let's just say that you really could put alot of effort into trying to make money off your art but when there is a perception barrier and people are hung up on Coca Cola Blue, you must encourage a more healthy alternative. Namely if you look into the past of Coca Cola in my analogy and its worth; people in the past loved Coca Cola. People drunk it every day or whatever. Many business books reference this and as I am taking these oriented classes; I will tell you that they always say that Coca Cola is not as popular anymore because people are looking now for alternative decisions that are healthy as Coca Cola is not a healthy drink. It stains the teeth yellow and really other health affects when drunken so much. I say that really these top tier professional artists don't but never condone the adverse effects of Coca Cola; they just champion it because it brings them money. You will never find any of these top tier artists spending money to hire any other artists with $2500 dollars. They rather buy theirselves a gaming unit than ever even think that their business model of promoting their styles( Coca Cola Blue) as the one and true has adverse effects to others. To them if people aren't successful it is not because of barrier that prefers one style and one technical personality-it is because people have not practiced as much as them and that they are incompetent at their art. But let me just say that this is a very privileged attitude that comes from a group of people accustomed talking down to others as if peons. 

     I stressed earlier that certain people aren't lucky to not have to worry about having to convert their art into money. Some people literally have to freaking work and work and work to get any money. Or rather they can just make all the effort in the world and find that no one will hire them because no values art and they definitely don't value their art style and seem to think that art is this transcendent pseudo brand that is only worth it when of a certain style and character. This never means that people have less art skills or potential at all. It just means the market is biased against them but those who top tier artists always take that if people don't make money it is because they have no skill and need to be taught by them and given some pointers by them. I would say that is a very disrespectful and condemning behavior that is allowed. Its like gaslighting where people fault you for even taking notice the problem exists or try to deem you as crazy for ever recognizing an issue. 

     And foremost let's just say these top tier artists can only say what they say because they were lucky enough to make money without any effort on their part. I mean you can go to school and you can even work at a place in the art industry and still have problems getting commissions, why? Because there is some fool's golden standard barrier and nothing more. Truly enough these top tier artists could have gone to school and even worked in these industry jobs but yet  since they have a certain style and character about them so they never have to work about income from commissions.  What is difference between two artists who went to art school or have a degree? Not skill obviously but just overwhelming favorability of one's style makes it easy for them to make money. There to be said that top tier artists perceive and recognize they are special. They know that they are. They know and they know to the flick of their wrist that they have prestige over others in the terms of making money. They can paint whatever picture of art to their followers and they would believe it. Would they ever recognize that people who don't make money at all have about as much skill as them but just not the same art style and character? This is not hard to know that they really would speak to another person-a person who went to the same exact college as them or has the same level of education as them as if they don't know art at all because they "aren't successful as them".  Artists of the top tier type like to respond to criticism with post revealing their origins as an artist and that they have had tough times too but confound it; their tough times are never as hard as a person who never gets a break. They never get money. Their lives never improve to the fact they never make money off their hard earned work.

   There was a manga called Time Ghost Writer, that kinda of much shows that really even with education of the same skill sets; some people just never will get ahead because a group of people, industry and folks who recognize brands and not art will never respect their art. The story of course is about an aspiring mangaka( manga artist) who wants to create manga for a living. He just gets tons of rejections of however and works so hard to be one just to get shot down one time after working so hard that he almost gives up. That is until he receives a manga from 10 years into the future. Ten years someone else makes a well selling manga. He essentially copies the idea of the manga thinking that it was an illusion when he misplaces it. Suddenly when he replicates the story and the style of the comic; he is successful and truly thinks he has created an original work. He goes back home and realizes the manga was real and he just plagiarized it and deprived the author in the future of their work from being published by them. Logically there could have been an administrative loop hole in publishing two versions of the work as the author to be of the work yet  ten years in the future was creating it at that time and if the manga company would allow for a second printing of their work-truly there could be two versions of the work if time travel was somehow explained. I mean it could have been marketed as a "revised version" of the first work or some time travel type gimmick but that is another story for another day. The main point is that some people just will never benefit from the current art market that postures one set of people ahead of the other just because their style is very favorable for the type of things people like to adhere art must stand to when in actuality it does not.  I am to say that you really say that some people cannot even think these thoughts because they are favored and to them they know they are "better than everyone else". And yes; they would never give up their money to people they view as lessers who need "lessons" on how to be "artists" even when they have as much skill as them.

    I am to say these people who are top tier artists don't care about other artists and don't even respect them as artists or having skills comparable to them. They don't see the effects of their business plan on others. Literally just spout misinformation about art to keep theirselves wealthy and others unwealthy. There is to be say that if one of these top tier artists cared at all instead of buying a $2500 dollar computer with disposable income (and even being high enough in monetary gain to have disposable income is the real thing to realize that they have when many people have nothing being the same of the same skillset as them) they would fund at least  3 rounds of  $734 dollars worth of commissions to about 80+ people per each round. That is they could have employed 210 persons. 

   They from that alone would promote many artists getting paid for their work and to be continued to be motivated behind their works. It would create a more fair market. But no, all the top tier artists are just ignorant people who really want to use the excuse that artists cannot think or learn much but art and they literally have not to be response for their actions and business plans.  For all the social justice talk many of these big tier artists like to prance about; its only for their personal outlook. In reality these people are more comparable to greedy hedge fund managers or even the guy who signaled his followers to storm the US capital. Literally, no one wants to tell it as it but I am telling you; that really just because its not vocalized on social media readily does not mean it does not exist. People are not open minded because they don't see other's works being devalued is an actual problem.

   Many people are suffering especially in these times and they want to get paid for what they can do. They want to be paid for their art. Is that so wrong? I figure that it is not. That is why, I basically contributed some excessive money I had to hire some amount of folks to draw some art for me. Usually artists are too vain to ask from art from another. But I think that it is the way to go if you actually know how hard it is to make money online without being Coca Cola Blue.( And I listed Coca Cola too much in this post that it will definitely show up in my adsense).