What price art?

Or: Some people just can’t take criticism!
Or: ‘Guess who don’t stew’

I was scrolling through the Facebook ‘home’ page, trolling through friends’ status updates – my comments are where I do some of my best work, quite frankly – when I came across an update from someone I’d obviously friended but didn’t recognise. He’d just started a new endeavour, and was spruiking for a logo. I’ve edited to make it less industry-specific.

Owner of the Facebook: To celebrate the new company, I want to give all of you the chance to help design the new logo. I’m looking for the most talented designers. Remember, your work could be seen by lots of people. The only requirement is that it features the specific figure. GOOD LUCK!!

Now I’m not the cleverest capitalist. In fact, my level of generosity makes me appear more socialist, or possibly just foolish, but I couldn’t help noticing there was no mention of recompense or return for work being requested. So I made a comment.

Me: Wow, you make it sound like by encouraging people to work for free, you’re somehow doing them a favour!

This riled the owner of the Facebook, and even though I consider it justified, in hindsight, I can understand why someone who seemed to want something for nothing might be upset about it (like, if they were in denial that that’s what they wanted; or if they knew full well, but still hoped people were happy to give stuff up).

Owner of the Facebook: There's always got to be one!!!! The reason I'm asking people on MY FACEBOOK is because people here are creative and it’s something I know they would like to do. Thanks for your comment. Very encouraging.

Someone else agreed with my interpretation of the original status update.

Someone else: Dom is right, though.

Call it what it is - a competition, a freebie, a piece of your folio for a young designer, or a paid job.
Making the incentive clear whether it’s design or unpaid crewing is a good idea.

Good luck with the endeavours, though.

See, what I know about copyright is this: if someone’s paying for your creativity, they own what you produce while under their employ, unless a legal agreement states otherwise. If you’re not being paid, you own what you do. So I think it’s messy, working for free, creating a logo for someone to use anywhere and everywhere for ever and ever amen.

But I must also admit, my Stand & Deliver logo was never paid for. My mate Nick O’Sullivan drew it for me. If he ever wants to turn around and demand financial restitution, I have to give it to him. Or possibly face a court battle. I am grateful that when I asked him to draw it, he was happy to do so as a favour. I didn’t attempt to hoodwink him by making it sound like I was doing him the massive favour, when he was clearly doing me one. I will always owe him for it.

For my next reply in this status update thread, I acknowledged that I was addressing the Owner of the Facebook  publicly. And that I’d understand if he felt the need to remove my public replies. But I was addressing  his tone, rather than him personally, and as I was about to go in a bit harder, I would do so privately.

Here is what I mailed to him:

Me: I assure you, there’s more than just one unemployed talented person who'd take issue with creating work of value for nothing.

However, as I pointed out, it’s your tone – which sounds like every shyster who has convinced talented people bereft of an outlet to work for free – which appears disingenuous. (Again, note I wrote ‘every shyster’, not ‘every other shyster’; I'm not saying you are one, only that you sound like one.)

My comment is encouraging you to treat talented people with more respect. You’re asking them to do you a favour. Not the other way around just yet.

But as you point out, this is YOUR FACEBOOK. If my comments are offensive to you, by all means, delete them.

I was expecting a good discussion, one that, if shown the folly of my ways, I’d be forced to publically apologise after. I’ve had to before, I’ll have to again. No shame – feeling strongly about stuff, I argue strongly about stuff and learn important lessons about stuff. May life always be an education.

Instead, I got this response:

Owner of Facebook: Hi Dom, sorry but I have removed you as a friend on my facebook. I like to encourage people on my facebook to be creative. What you didn't know was the fact that there was a reason why I didn’t add any type of payment.... I wanted those people that still believe art is more important. A cash bonus was on the cards as well as some industry junkets, dvds and credit. I’m just not a person who likes any kind of hostile comments towards people who actually want to be involved. I’m sure you can understand.

Understand? ‘Empathy’ is my middle name. Or would be, if I had one. Actually, if I had one, it would probably be Shakespearean, like my Christian name (‘Demetrius’) and surname (‘Romeo’) – so I’d be Demetrius Yorick Romeo or Demetrius Falstaff Romeo or maybe even Demetrius Othello Romeo or if I were very unlucky, Demetrius Bottom Romeo. But whichever way I might be named, I assure you, I’d change it by deed poll to Demetrius Empathy Romeo at my earliest convenience, because yes, I understand.

Me: I do understand, but I hope you understand where I was coming from. You sounded like you were exploiting people. I think I was very balanced in how I let you know that, and I made my very valid, though most pointed, comments to you privately. Heck, we both could have done well if you'd removed my comments rather than friendship status. But I do understand. My mind’s open. And I don’t exploit anyone.

Oh, and re-reading, I’m forced to point out – my hostile comments were to the guy sounding like a shyster, not to the ‘creative people’ he sounded like he was about to exploit.

At this point, the Owner of the Facebook had unfriended me, so I couldn’t access his page any longer, and he had the last word:

His Facebook: hmmmm. exactly my point. ;)

So that’s the point: the guy seeming to do the exploiting won’t be criticised. He’s happy to put creatives to the test, to ‘play god’ as it were, but is beyond reproach. Ironically, he too is a creative. There’ll be a time when the stuff he does will be ‘reviewed’ by the public at large and professional critics. That’ll require a somewhat thicker skin. At least there’ll no doubt be a good, cheap logo in place by then.

Should I fear he may seek legal redress for this blog? Nah, this is my art, my creative outlet. Owner of the Facebook believes in art for art’s sake and would be disappointed if finance came into it. Bless.

ADDENDUM

If he hadn’t blocked me on his Facebook, I’d be sending him this link.