This is about comics but goes for all creative jobs. Enjoying your job does not pay electricity bills. - ThreadSky

louiestowell.bsky.social • 6 days ago

This is about comics but goes for all creative jobs. Enjoying your job does not pay electricity bills.

Don’t let anyone shame you for wanting to be fairly compensated. Just because you love what you do doesn’t mean you suddenly don’t love it anymore because you have bills to pay and other responsibilities.

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malcolmlmccallum.bsky.social•5 days ago

applies to teaching, research and university jobs too fyi. Some pay surprisingly horribly.

louiestowell.bsky.social•5 days ago

I'm thinking of ppl being asked to work for free in creative jobs, is that true in research now too? Rotten.

malcolmlmccallum.bsky.social•4 days ago

Well, one school out in California DID advertise an unpaid professor job. Adjunct work pays so poorly, it borders on free in many places.

louiestowell.bsky.social•4 days ago

Yikes. So much yikes. I have only swear words for that.

barrowmember.bsky.social•6 days ago

So true - and also true of disability consultancy. Pet hate - people who say "we really value your insight" then offer a lowball Amazon voucher in payment. "We really value your insight but not with money," is NOT valuing insight. It's devaluing it.

louiestowell.bsky.social•6 days ago

VALUE MY INSIGHT WITH CASH MONEY OR GTFO I say.

barrowmember.bsky.social•6 days ago

If you want to say it with music, how about this as a rote reply sent to people making such requests? No other words required, I feel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JukIztMYBQ&list=PL1ygL30pg6Ktehct5LAgIJV4HN1JhgP8j&index=6

louiestowell.bsky.social•6 days ago

HA! Or some Rihanna. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukW82Ico4U0

barrowmember.bsky.social•6 days ago

Nice (for a moment, I thought the link was going to be to S&M which is another way to extract cash, I guess. But more cash obv, as providing an additional service.) And to help people stay confident in demanding fair pay, how about https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyeWRd7ZEBs&list=PL1ygL30pg6Ktehct5LAgIJV4HN1JhgP8j&index=1?

louiestowell.bsky.social•6 days ago

oh and beyond music, there's the mr bingo classic response to "does mr bingo work for free"

cclaremdmph.bsky.social•5 days ago

Actually all jobs…. #medsky #Blackmedsky

louiestowell.bsky.social•5 days ago

When people are asking medics to work for free cos they like their jobs that's BLEAK. Tho I suppose in medicine it's not being asked to work for free like the arts, more get paid little because you're fulfilled? Or are ppl asking for freebies now? I wouldn't put it past them.

drfrancisyoung.bsky.social•5 days ago

And also, people often enjoy their jobs because they’ve got so good at their jobs that they’re the best in the business - which makes it all the more important that they’re remunerated fairly

marymacmixes.bsky.social•6 days ago

This is true. A lot of us work two jobs, one for the money, two for the show as they say...haha

louiestowell.bsky.social•6 days ago

I'm afraid I have to complete this with three to get ready now go cat go, physically impossible not to.

marymacmixes.bsky.social•5 days ago

hahahahahaha!

jamesmacknz.bsky.social•6 days ago

As a freelance photographer, I was offered many "jobs" that paid in exposure.

Being from Canada's far north, I know for a fact that exposure can kill you.

louiestowell.bsky.social•6 days ago

EXACTLY.

darrylayo.bsky.social•6 days ago

As a photographer, you had access to another “exposure” pun, by the way. You left a good one on the table

louiestowell.bsky.social•6 days ago

You have to pay for those puns I'm afraid

darrylayo.bsky.social•6 days ago

Fair enough 🙇🏾

louiestowell.bsky.social•5 days ago

I will however happily share all my worst puns on here cos thats not work its sadism ie fun

jamesmacknz.bsky.social•5 days ago

I'm pleased to see how this thread has developed.
I shutter at the thought of not clicking through the comments. If we can focus on one subject at a time though, it helps frame the issue without any clutter in the background.
To bring it all back, people who pay with exposure should get a headshot.

stephwilliams.bsky.social•6 days ago

Period.

louiestowell.bsky.social•6 days ago

It feels wild that we even have to say this?? And yet....

ericafails.bsky.social•6 days ago

So many people want to say "well, your job isn't soul crushing so there should be an exchange" ignoring how fucking hard it is to take the thing you love and turn it into WORK and for pennies

stephwilliams.bsky.social•6 days ago

Absolutely tf not.

stephwilliams.bsky.social•6 days ago

And also! Sometimes this is soul crushing.

ericafails.bsky.social•6 days ago

It's why I took up embroidery because it's so time consuming that there's no way to profit off of it and it can stay pure, and mine alone

louiestowell.bsky.social•6 days ago

YES. It's still work. It can still be grinding. It can still be long hours and thanksless. It can still be knackering and sad and all the rest.

stephwilliams.bsky.social•6 days ago

I know…smh. We’ll be saying this until we don’t have to anymore.

louiestowell.bsky.social•6 days ago

Yeah. I am happy to sound like a stuck parrot til ppl get the message.

ciaogirl9.bsky.social•6 days ago

There are others who “enjoy,” their jobs who are NOT “creative,” but still deserve a wage that isn’t poverty sustaining.

suchmayer.bsky.social•6 days ago

Every time I feel bad for being "fck you, pay me" I remember George Osborne (inherited wealth, three jobs) saying that no vocational (education, care & creative) jobs needed to be paid b/c of love or soul or rewards in heaven whatever Victorian angel in the house nonsense. Pfffft.

louiestowell.bsky.social•6 days ago

Seriously. And the man KEPT getting new jobs. He has more jobs than most people have hot dinners.

suchmayer.bsky.social•6 days ago

Which, also: as much as I like hot dinners, they are not payment! Nor is coffee! Or dangling future paid work that never materialises!

louiestowell.bsky.social•6 days ago

ALSO: it's often a vast corporation that "doesn't have the budget" to pay me but you can be sure they're all paying themselves...

suchmayer.bsky.social•6 days ago

ALWAYSSSSSS. The bigger the front, the bigger their front. If they do contract to pay you, you'll have to pay for things with the contract bc *tumbleweed*

suchmayer.bsky.social•6 days ago

I once had a full time senior salaried person in a large institution actually write "this hurts me more than it hurts you" & ask for me to support them in an email withdrawing paid work.

louiestowell.bsky.social•6 days ago

Future work is nothing to present me!

thoughtbear.bsky.social•6 days ago

I gave up the only writing job I've ever had, even though I loved it, for that reason.

When you earn so little that even Margaret Thatcher agrees you shouldn't pay poll tax, you know you are at rock bottom wages!

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