Welcome to Gaia! ::

So you do not believe an artist should be compensated properly for services rendered?

Because you might not see it as a job, but ANY artist sees it was work. It might be a labor of love, but not expecting an artist to receive proper compensation for art devalues what they do as a chosen way of life, and in some cases, means of support.

Not every artist on Gaia does it for a living, true, but many do. And they factor in what they would charge for a real life commission of the same level for the art, and figure in what it would equate to roughly in gold and item value. And allow it to be bought for pixels and numbers, instead of real life things they may need/want.

If you get art as a gift, you say thank you. I usually send a gift as a thank you! But seeing someone saying they believe an artist shouldn't be properly compensated, irritates me to no end. Being a mini shop artist is like doing your job essentially for peanuts for what folks expect.

Be thankful. Be respectful. Be generous.

Art takes as much work to create as teachers work to create their worksheets for class.
Art takes as much effort as scientists take in order to get every detail correct so their end result is flawless.
Art takes as much time as farmers take in order to grow their crops.

Art is just as much a job as anything else. Yes, art is fun, and that's why artists do what they do.
Guess what?
Most teachers teach because they love to teach.
Scientists do science because they love to discover.
Farmers farm because that is what they want to do.

If such logic as "Art is meant to be fun, so it shouldn't be paid for!" was true, then there would be nobody out there working a career that they love.
The love everyone puts into their work, no matter what it is, is not just for you or the patron or the consumer.

You want a work done for you? You want the skill an artist (or anyone else) has that you do not have?
Pay for it, or trade your skill in return.
That's how jobs work. It's called making a living, even if it's on a pixel site.
Artists need to find a way to live as well.

(1) I hope you just realized that you just suggested that any artist that tries to make a living off their work is not passionate about it and does not deserve to be called an artist. Therefore, your argument is that there is not a single artist out there who can try to make money off their art to feed themselves and get themselves a home or support others they may be taking care of -- who can still be passionate about and love their work.

(2) It is a chore to keep the talking in a classroom to a minimum and try to teach material to a bunch of kids that may or may not understand to a teacher, but they can still enjoy what they do. It is because it is a chore that they are paid to do it. They are offering their skill as a teacher. They're going out of their way to do this. They don't have to, but they do. Compensate them for that. The same goes for artists. They don't have to offer their art to anyone else. It's not a naturally given right. People were not born with the right to receive art from others. It is a skill, and they are paid in order to utilize that skill. This does not make an artist any less passionate about their work because if that were the case, say goodbye to every single museum, concert, tour, statue, sculpture, piece of architecture, historical building, landscaping, and a ton of other things out there. Guess what? That's art. That's paid for. And compensated for. And it takes love and passion to do it.

(3) Yes, but that's 2007. This is 2015. 8 years later.

(4) I'm sorry you seem to be unable to make larger quantities of gold from expensive GC items; however, your personal accounts not backed up by sufficient data of the average amount of gold made per 999 GC item does not suffice as proper evidence to your perceived lack of inflation. As far as I am concerned, there are still a lot of GC items out there that are worth far more than the 10 dollar :: 100 billion ratio. Such data depends on the item itself, it's popularity, the popularity of the colour, the demand, and its supply alongside its GC price, rendering this point moot in your defense.

(5) I can see your frustrations here. When an artist does not put forth much effort and makes sales of work that they are not proud of, then here, I understand where you might be tempted not to call them artists. Because when one is paid for their skill, they are being paid to do a good job (or as good of a job as they were paid) to do by the consumer. However, where is one to say who is and is not doing a good job when it comes to art? Some people are willing to pay hefty prices for simple pieces and are happy to. That is their choice, and who is the artist to question them for doing so? This judgment is dependent on the artist and the consumer. That is their agreement. No one else's.

(6) I'm glad to hear that you were able to get art for a nice price; it is always cool to hear of generosity and it makes the world look like a brighter place than it is; however, again, personal accounts do nothing more than to fuel opinion and not the true facts of the world. The true facts are that artists are just as much people looking to make some form of living off their skill as anyone else. Yes, being generous is always kind, but again, charging the full value for one's work does not make someone any less of an artist than they are. Do realize that many artists we see and admire nowadays didn't even get recognition or true appreciation for their art until they were dead. And this does not only apply to visual artists. Musicians, writers, all people that work in what is called the Arts -- already have it bad with others viewing their skills as "not jobs" or "not as much as a job as other skills." They are not hired as often as others. They do not get paid as much -- even if they put more effort forth. To say that they cannot ask for the prices that they deserve to undermine their entire skill and career and reduce it to something valueless. "Art is meant to be shared to make friends, not business partners"? Artists don't make art to make friends. Artists don't make art to make business partners. Artists make art to make art; do not forget this. They may sometimes create and give art for friends as acts of kindness or thanks, and they may sometimes take up commissions to make an extra dollar, but do not call artists tools that are just out there to make nice with everyone. Do not call their hard work and time and effort spent little baubles or pieces made just so they can impress others. That is the exact opposite of passion and love for one's work. Artists make art for the sake of art, and their art is their skill -- their primary skill for making themselves a home in the world. To say that one cannot be allowed to make a living when it is sometimes the only skill they can offer and that people will buy? Take a look at all other specialists out there, no matter what the field, then consider judging them for trying to feed themselves again.

Case and point: Gaia is free. Gaia's pixel money is free. It is valueless. When one pays for art on Gaia, it is FREE art. With fake currency. It is a bargain. That is true generosity to give away that skill: something that could be worth anywhere from one to THOUSANDS of dollars for a little yellow icon depicting a golden coin? To condemn an artist for making free art? For a simply pleasure as a pixel item? That is cruel. That is not deserved. Consider that as well.