Artists are getting EXPLOITED (again)

[@OneLuckyStriker]

This is a constant on any industry, but we can see a worrying trend with creative jobs such as art. I had to become a ghost writer in the past to pay my college and get something to eat. Now that I am getting involved on the art industry, here's an advice for all you folks: Always be confident and sure of your work. Whenever you are in an interview, remember, you are in a NEGOTIATION, and they need you as much as you need them, sometimes, even more. Be aware of your worth, if it goes the other way around, no one else will be aware of it!

[@zzodysseuszz]

You’re assuming your worth is more than literally all the other artist they can just go hire instead? Because 90% of the time that’s exactly what companies go and do

[@tiagodagostini]

@@zzodysseuszz No, but your worth must be higher than that you cost to them SUBTRACTED the time they would need to spend to find someone else. .. and time cost a LOT of money for a big company. I Worked in a company with about 400 employees someyears ago and the RH shown me a few numbers. a simple vacant spot in some cases costed the company 3 K USD per DAY!

[@AdamDuffArt]

1000 thanks for tackling this hugely important topic. I'm taking notes for sure.

[@Ghost_Text]

Great insights on your video on how trend following was even more dangerous to artists than AI. I noticed Feng's recent FZD School videos came to a similar conclusion.

[@Ariane-qq9co]

We desperately need a Visual Artists Guild in the similar way that Charlie Chaplin and friends did when they created United Artists way back. It needs Adam, Tyler and Artists such as Marco Bucci, Marc Brunet, Kelsey Rodriguez all big Artists on here to lock arms against these trends of us small Artists being used. Get together guys 😊😊

[@Cellardoor_]

​@@Ariane-qq9coHave you not been following Karla Ortiz and the Concept Art Association? Lol. They're the ones that brought this up TO CONGRESS at the beginning of this and they're still fighting for it. Support them.

[@carlosquall15]

That unpaid test is pretty usual here in The Philippines. I remembered doing an art test for an animation company, then it dawned on me, I’m doing something for production.

[@wavewatcher_]

As someone that works in the industry, the likelihood of this happening is absurdly low. People who are good enough to deliver something that needs no fixes, no adjustments with no guides from an art director, are hired instantly and don’t even have to make tests. I’ve went through so many art tests in my life, most of the artists so concerned it would be reused later, when in reality it would take so many iterations for the thing to work, it’s always faster and better quality working with internal artists under a process than talking some random test from a random guy who doesn’t even know anything from the project itself.

[@felicity4841]

fuck dude, same here. i still hate them for it 😭

[@byronbuchanan3066]

I've been a full time artist for 18 years.... my advice is avoid galleries at all costs... I've lost tens of thousands of dollars dealing with galleries.... they cheat artists constantly. I despise them. I'm much happier selling directly to my clients.

[@TylerEdlin84]

@@byronbuchanan3066 I know nothing about galleries but I believe it

[@the.artists.journey]

I dont know anymore......I think that I just pursue art for myself..because art as a 'career' seems like THE road to hell. It's just about exploitation, very bad payment and endless working hours. Just sad

[@maskedartist1455]

yeah, but imagen artist joining together. I mean like animators, programmers, 3d artist, writers and concept artist. Risk a little bit in the beginning and making something that rivals the big comapanies. Then again that's not very likely.

[@CasieMod]

I've listened to so many artists talk about being so burned out by the industry and having no desire to do art as a result.

[@kcsnipes]

I doubt it’s a road to hell 😅 but surely making art for yourself not sharing it and not expecting reactions or caring what others think 👍

[@D.Middzz]

I want to make my own Manga and the work hours seem like such hell. I wish I was old and retired already so I can just have time to work on my craft. Lol

[@g8610g]

This was exactly my conclusion haha. At least makes it easier on your expectations for your art. :)

[@vicc19]

fame, recognition and working for big names has been my dream in the past. But nowadays, not only do I know I probably dont have the right skills/style for companies like Riot/Blizz.., nor do I want to work for exploitative big companies. Recently I've been contacted by a famous mobile games company to work full time with them. Past me would've said yes instantly. Now, I carefully read their contract, learned about their work ethics etc. They received a big NO from me. And I'm happy with that. The future is uncertain for me, with these exploitative workplaces, IA and whatnot. But I'll always fight for my right to be treated decently.

[@yasuo4506]

Kudos to u for standing firm on what is right because that's a pretty big sacrifice

[@nonyabusiness3619]

Good for you.

[@JermLikes2Draw]

Artists can’t catch a break

[@2265Hello]

It’s a surprisingly constant problem especially consider smaller artists even prior to the gen Ai issue.

[@verzahlerin]

We are hurt so much by our lack of a collective guild or union-some equivalent of what we see with screen writers and actors.

[@maskedartist1455]

yeah, If we would team up, which we probably wont. We could even rival the big companies, and leave them with ai trash. For something like that we would need a good leader and a starting capital.

[@TheRockyCrowe]

I agree 100%. I’m not well versed on the topic so I don’t know why a national guild doesn’t already exist, but with with introduction of Ai art and who knows what else is around the corner it’s a more critical time then ever to start. There needs to be a movement or nothing will change, divided we are weak.

[@Cellardoor_]

Guilds and unions in the art industry do exist. You should support them...

[@Cellardoor_]

​@@maskedartist1455What kind of stance is that? "I want change but it won't happen"? Things in history change when people do something about it. So do something about it instead of posting online with your pessimism.

[@randomtinypotatocried]

@@Cellardoor_Graphic Artists Guild comes to mind

[@firos_kofi6608]

I had a bad experience with a marketing agency. I basically worked for them 1 month for free, they didn't pay. At that time, I was working on a coffee shop 8 hs and put an extra 4 5 hours a day illustrating for this people. Tbh I was young, it was my first experience. But felt bad.

[@Houdini_Bob]

huge topic of immense importance. businesses of all types are cutting cost and the bottom line by what ever means necessary. artist are the most vulnerable to this, especially those just trying to get a toe in the door. AI art is making it much more difficult. an online artist I follow, call him ABC, was working at a game studio, he went through some applicant portfolios and was stunned to see his artwork in a portfolio. not a copy but a copy/paste. needless to say said applicant was black listed from company.

[@ysvyri]

Thank you for this Tyler. I've never spoken about this before, because I am just a small artist (and was even smaller at the time) but before Ghost in the Shell (live action) came out, I painted several versions of my robot geisha character with a face that opens up to show a golden mask/face/skull beneath, and then... lo' and behold the same design shows up in that film. It may have been a coincidence, but I always thought "huh".

[@jamesbond3125]

i feel that, to a degree, this also happens when clients provide ‘reference’ to the artist and expect them to copy it and dont let them get creative with it or build off of it

[@zinzolin14]

The worst kind of clients are the ones who will pay you with "exposure" and employers who say they have connections and can "get your name out there" if you do stuff for free for them.

[@ch_boki]

In Switzerland art is barely respected as a job/career path. But this shows almost no one respects artists anymore... ''it's just art'' it should be the opposite way man!!

[@solarianick1495]

Those who disrespect artists ironically are the same people who are more likely to have an artwork on their office or home walls that they admire....

[@theanonymspysandwich]

Same here in germany. Everyone wants a well designed outward appearance, absolutely no one wants to pay for it.

[@thecheekychoof]

Most jobs now are based on exploitation yes. As an artist, gotta learn them contracts and how to legal check contracts as well, even if a single word is sus, don’t sign desperately no more. Counter offer their contracts. Learning legality and business whether you’re freelance or under employment, is very important in today’s times.

[@junechevalier]

I’m a broke artist, I wouldn’t even be able to afford pursuing a legal action.

[@jaydenhardingArtist]

I avoided the art industry and now im doing art tutoring and disability support work for very good money. While having a lot of time for my personal art work. You dont need the permission of some big company to make art and be successful.

[@NiaKovart]

Thank you Tyler. I hope more and more artists with a wider audience will be able to speak up on this topic, so that people learn about it and it stops being a silent exploitation behind the closed doors. As an artist however I feel kinda powerless and can't think of any way to do something against it. If I go with asking higher rates, I won't get hired at all... It would be great to have a guild, so that all the artists can go strike, until they get better working conditions. But I guess the community of artists is too much spread through whole planet to be presented by one artists guild. So I would be happy about any discussion of what artist can actually do to make their carrier profitable. Going to a court is of course in most of cases not worth it, because we don't have all that money for paying a lawyer and it can be damaging for a career.

[@changlongwang9898]

that would never happen bc artists have been getting taken advantage all through out history of due to how replaceable they are and how cheap some sucker is willing to work just because he enjoys what he does. look at how crap the animators in Japan are treated,

[@NiaKovart]

@@changlongwang9898 well, I want to believe that there are ways to improve that. If it didn't happen before, shouldn't mean it can't happen, the world is constantly changing after all. Idk... may be big companies are also interested on work of good quality, and not any beginner level art from Upwork. Also they are probably interested in their image of not being a shitty cooperators to work with. Like I wonder what the fans of big IPs projects would say about the company, if they knew that artists who created their favorite designs can hardly pay for their bills with their low compensations.

[@ErisFrance0]

I had my own bad experience with the art test, specially coloring for manga/anime styled small companies, more towards comics and indie games. They usually give you a premade image and its lineart separately so they can "test" that you can color and shade in the style they want, by copying the premade image, which eases you into thinking "well they already have this one premade so clearly its a legit test, they don't need the same picture done twice". If you do well on the "copying test", they praise you and claim they will come back to you after contacting their "art team" and they follow a few days later with a different lineart later asking to see your take "on a different scene" that you can't copy from anywhere, to see how you do on your own....only to never contact you again after you deliver and you find your "second test scene" in the comic or game a few weeks later rinse and repeat, these manga and comic companies get a handful of art tests a day maybe since manga and anime style is common and popular, and they can easily get their game and comic finished by only paying an artist for the lineart, testing others for "free coloring and shading" after it's a wide spread scam sadly...

[@darkzeroprojects4245]

Yikes.

[@igorkirdeika4765]

We'll never be able to thank you enough Tyler cause this video is a treasure and talks about serious things. There is some blindness for this part of the industry and the sick process of hiring that people should talk more about. We artists need to start putting our reason in front of our passion otherwise people will steal from us each day more. Thank you a lot for all the videos and all your work for the artist community.

[@verylexish]

Wow. My jaw dropped when I saw how shamelessly they just took the art of artists without putting even the TINIEST effort into hiding the art theft. Surely they feel superior and entitled to just take whatever they want. But this makes me really mad. Like REALLY mad. Do we really have to go back to exclusively physical art again to avoid digital exploitation? It's a pathetic display of the art industry, in my opinion.

[@allanredhill8682]

One more reason for us to start more projects and studios with other artists. The indie animation scene has been given me a lot of hope recently. The internet is a very powerful tool to build community - and yet I see most artists still isolate themselves in their own bubble. We have more opportunities then ever to take things into our own hands... Sure its risky to freelance or start things on our own but its clear that industrialising art doesnt really work (who wouldve thought xd). We need more studios by artists for artists. Cartoon Saloon comes to mind as an example

[@CasieMod]

Solidarity is a very powerful thing.

[@zerobemix]

Was expecting to see something close by “inspired” or just random coincidence art… but maan… they just flipped it or let me borrow it, damn! Shameless

[@blackhoundrise8431]

Regarding plagiarism and theft- on Art Station Oliver Beck set up a blog to show how he’s and Sung Choi’s work were ripped off like for like for Bollywood movies. Not sure if they will pursue legal action. On the flip side, are there places where artists can check and confirm their OC designs are legit and not copies before they list or add to portfolios?

[@PepitoKin]

Look at all the concept artists you love and wonder why they all end up leaving the big studios and try out teaching and maybe their own companies? well, because the industry sucks for us artists, plain and simple. Predatory practices disguised with the "we are a family" bs. Less toxic family behaviour and more fair treatment is what we need.

[@herrschneider5310]

story of my life, man, I've experienced all of that. I've been a freelance artist since 2015, right now I deliver packages for a living. And somewhere some scammer sells shirts with my artwork on it. That's the way it goes.

[@sinaptic]

And then, on top of all this in a cruel twist of fate, "AI" comes along and uses your own art to kill off your job. This is absolutely already happening, it is not BS or hyperbole. I have colleagues this has happened to, and I currently have more than one client in the process of implementing an internal AI workflow. Sadly, no one outside of other artists cares about this or any of the other issues facing artists you mentioned in the video, or ever have. People just want their pretty pictures as cheaply and quickly as possible... To sum up the employer mentality on this: another colleague of mine years ago said a simple "good morning" to an upper executive-type that he passed on his way to his desk one morning. The exec replied "good morning, overhead" completely unsarcastically. Says it all, really.

[@unturned6066]

And that executive still had work? It was their decision to hire that "overhead", if they feel like he wasn't worthwhile, why was he hired?

[@sinaptic]

@@unturned6066 First, yes, of course the exec still had a job. The majority of upper management shared his mindset at the time, they just weren't as vocal about it to our faces. Second, we were hired under a prior executive team.

[@unturned6066]

@@sinaptic still, it says a lot about how you are treated. Whether he or another executive team hired him, it was still the company's decision.

[@darkzeroprojects4245]

​@@unturned6066 And with so much hate for artists, it's ridiculous. Those toxic in the communities don't help either.

[@tomj4344]

Yeah, guys more for illustration - License your illustrations for 1 year/ 2 year at a fee. Renewals is another fee usually half of the initial. If the client wants to use the artwork on X, Y, Z there's a fee for each as part of the initial work. If you're in America your version of an arts/design council even has these documents free for download.

[@artplanb9688]

Illuminating.. God bless, Tyler ❤

[@Mid4s]

Mann, being an artist is starting to get really odd lately! It has been so weird and taxing lately that I'm starting to ask myself is it too late to switch professions. this is getting really insane... if these big artists are getting ripped off and taken advantage of where does that leave us that don't have as big a following or as popular 🤦‍♂

[@siheedsalaam4712]

Price is a reflection of value, know your worth 💯

[@Mirage-7519]

Great work doing this video, high-end artist should all do such instructional video to raise awareness and to protect upcoming artist or experienced ones, as you did. I remember my first gig, hoping to get paid, not knowing how to "Claim" compensation or speak up, all I thought is" Do a good Job, do not mess this opportunity, they will pay you in the end" ...they never do! Being aware of these practices will go a long way and be useful for every single job that arises.

[@jt_manic]

its crazy these days how the art industries just eats up and spit out so many artists, with no regard for fostering the newcomers and establishing healthy talent pools. Because there are so many artists that need and desire work we have so little leverage, for every one of us that says no, plenty more desperate artists will gladly say yes. how this will sustain itself long term seems like quite the enigma. To my fellow artists: know your worth, develop your craft and I hope you are able to find healthy success 🧡

[@seanfaherty]

Every craftsman is exploited. That’s the deal. That’s why the guild system was invented then perverted into regional monopolies. It’s a trade off just like everything else.

[@PalomaMcClain]

Love your videos. Thanks for touching on this topic!

[@mossycentimet]

I’m actually fine with being the “ghost illustrator” if they pay me well and the work doesn’t make any big impact on my portfolio. Part of this is because I’m introverted and afraid of being seen, and another part is because one of the projects I worked on in the past got heavily (and wrongly) criticized by a certain community. They shared it everywhere, and many people would jump into the official account for blood. It’s scary to think that had my name been revealed, they would have attacked me too.

[@InvasionAnimation]

That happened to me once. Dreamworks had a contest to make a dragon for the legend of the bonenapper dragon and I made one and, they chose it and they gave no credit like they said they would.

[@nonyabusiness3619]

Did you get it in writing?

[@InvasionAnimation]

@@nonyabusiness3619 It was in the promotional material on the website at the time, and the eula. No paper contracts though.

[@fkdump]

In general I feel art contests are scam

[@stockpile2137]

I am noticing a lot of copycats take an illustration and flip it horizontally and call it an original work. This is very common, it is done with character poses as well.

[@jeffsantos93]

Not sure about poses... It's not like you can own a pose.

[@unturned6066]

​@@jeffsantos93no, but your ability to actually draw that pose correctly says a lot about your skill, so it is misinformative for buyers

[@jamesbond3125]

@@unturned6066copying poses is fine, even the finest arts of all time copied poses. (eg botticelis birth of venus painting is a pose and composition copied from sculpted pieces of art that predates it. venus herself is copied from the medici venus or venus pudica) basically all comic artists copy poses too

[@Magdrops]

Very well done video , i agree ; i think the biggest risk for artists but also the biggest benefit is getting into the public eye / big following ; with the amount of artwork that gets stolen unnoticed would be baffling & with alot of artists barely making a dime from their work & not having any kind of legal background would feel helpless. While people using scrapers & ai or studios using your work as a direct reference take all the claim . But agian its forever changing the landscape in which we produce. The more i dive deeper into the digital canvas world its very scary to see the amount of flat out copying / tracing / ai that gets passed as original art. Wish everyone the best its a crazy time to be an artist even tho were needed more than people think

[@PedroRodrigues-fh1ku]

when you realize you have been through all that sh'1t as if you were a long time professional even tho you've never worked on a studio or got any big freelance job. Even to the extent of signing NDAs on art tests and having the studio pulling the plug after I submitted the concepts, also the famous fine artist who hired me to be an "assistant", always paid late, demanded too many hours, never cared about my transportation or the fact that I lived too far from his studio and the working hours were late at night, dozens of finished artwork done by me but signed by him selling for 100x what he was paying me to "assist" him. All the failed art tests that goes nowhere, unpaid and even worse is when they don't even care to provide you with feedback on why you failed so you can at least use that to improve.

[@doob.]

Every artist should study business and basic laws.

[@Devin_Laugherin]

Especially it is visible in the world of art outsource. I am outsourse artist for years - and i can have only my personal stuff under my portfolio. So my future clients have to rely on my cv\claimed exprience and whatever in my personal portfolio. I was once worked with some Marvel-game project, and i can't probably even put this experience in my cv, just because it was whole chain of outsources hiring other outsources (in my case there was somewhere around chain of 3 different outsources hired leading to main developing studio). Being an artist was always hard, and it will not change=\

[@ED-pc2kq]

I've decided to not work for anyone but myself at this point. It is never safe for your work to be owned by anyone else on contract, and the worse thing a studio could and will do is train ai on your art which is long term exploitation and you get nothing from it while they continuously get money from your output while you struggle. It's not worth it anymore.

[@sebasdiego1190]

The industry is like this cause artist that don't know hiw to sell they'r work and they just like to get "ego food" as payment

[@fkdump]

Low wage issue will be getting worse due to the coming recession, possibly the biggest in history

[@AMightyStorm]

I wonder how much of this is attributed to the recent reliance on AI art. People have gotten way too comfortable either doing AI art generation and just running with the result without checking it first, or just plucking an image off the internet without checking it first. AI is taking from existing artworks to create new "art" and the likelihood that compositions and elements remain the same or way too similar as in the source material is pretty high. If this is indeed part of the overall AI problem we have been experiencing then it's just one more example of why the big studios and corpos NEED us. We CANNOT be replaced, that is, unless a studio is totally okay with being called out for scum behavior. On that note, I'm beginning to see more and more that us artists need to start unifying in a big way. Tech and the industry as a whole are turning against us and threatening to rob us of everything we even are or strive to become. Artists/creatives have always historically been on the fringe of society and the most likely individuals to speak out against injustices whether it's humanitarian or environmental or what have you. Maybe speaking up for ourselves and starting a movement that involves more than just uploading a new profile picture is the play that needs to be made. Our power to change minds is actually limitless because we create something from nothing on a daily basis. Maybe this is wishful thinking, but surely there's a statement to be made, a message to be sent, if we all took a stand together. The question is the who and the how. The who being, who's gonna lead such a charge?

[@seanodanielsart]

Sadly, fact of the matter is artists agree to this when they take these jobs. Blaming the studios is useless when we artists don't hold ourselves to a higher standard. There will always be desperate artists willing to "give it all away" just to work for thier "dream studios". And now there is A.I....

[@Sharp_Calidore]

The future is scary

[@WanderingWeenie]

I'm hiding under my bed right now.

[@nonyabusiness3619]

Don't be scared. Get prepared.

[@leinad131986]

I gave up on concept art last year after pouring about 15 years of my life into it... it's just now worth it anymore. Between AI generators, poor compensation and job security, exploitation, the cost of art school, and the fact that most of the entertainment industry now is infested by woke activists... definitely not worth it anymore. Worst decision of my entire life getting into art as a career.

[@juliodecarvalho]

Great video bro!

[@daftcruz]

I'm not surprised, but only because I've seen worse. The situation with mangakas and japanese animators for example...a lot of them suffer with burnout and have irreparable health issues afterwards. It's almost like you have to (almost) die to get paid, and even then it doesn't mean you'll have a good income enough to live.

[@eliuddegracia1656]

I've worked many different industries and different types of jobs. Hearing this is sad cause it goes to shows and confirm even further that all big companies in all industries are all about money not about the people that are daily struggling and work hard to survive.

[@scroogemcduckrich9705]

they know most artists don’t have the money to fight it … but they want to steal from artist be get irate if anyone he’s their IP

[@maskedartist1455]

Yo fellow artist, as we see we are getting attacked from all fronts, ai, companies, scammers and sometimes even our own family. We should make something by teaming up, because we obviously can't compete with these monsters that have tons of money. Well I invite you to join my art clan. Let's make something together, even if it's just a community that offers a helping hand.

[@digiral6]

The sad thing about these exploitations... It just lets free... and it seems no one tries to do justice. Even when one does, the one who exploits usually going to win the money game with laws. I think these kinds of systems that are free to roam have us arrived at the point where... half of the population agrees with AI data scraping and theft. What should artists do at this time of day...?

[@CreativeSteve69]

Thanks for bringing this out onto light Tyler, especially on explaining on how to fight phoneys in the process.

[@simjones206]

Tbh as an artist who is trying to make it into the industry I only wish I could get paid even an hourly wage to work in a studio, alas my artwork isn't good enough yet for that, but to hear artists talk about wage being too low and not sharing the info brings me back to the whole Bayonetta actress lie that happened. I get your time is super important and so is your skill, and you have every right to decline a deal that does not work in your favor, I'm just saying you could let the studio higher someone who hasn't made it yet if the cost is too low and doesn't make you any worth while money. Unless this is another exaggeration and it's actually alot of money compared to other people's wages. It's something I noticed with big time artists who made it and can get jobs consistently

[@brannonmcclure6970]

Some people don’t have the talent of an art; he or she just knows where the door is at. And then, try to put their name on it. It an American Thing. It’s not called “African Greed”; it’s not called “French Greed”; etc. It’s called “American Greed”.🧑‍🎨♾️👨‍🎓

[@TheAngelArrow]

well, time to watermark everything sverely

[@PegLights_]

Us artist gotta stand our ground and make em crawl to us. They’ll eventually need us. AI may seem far too good but not good enough to make anything that feels thought out and rich. I see artist as people who change the world, although they most likely don’t have a big name. Artist honestly make the world more interesting. These companies are only working with what they got, and it’ll quickly run dry. Don’t give up Artist, my heart aches with how we are treated.

[@Slumberprince]

Spec work even with reputable digital art magazines, Adobe, for profit companies

[@salcarreiro6756]

In college I did 3 internships. the 1st was unpaid at a stop motion studio on the art department team, painting BGs, props and tiny characters. It was a well known IP but small budget. My 2nd was a paid internship for a big studio, when I was hired for that they said part of the reason they picked me was because I had studio experience. the 3rd was for the unpaid stop motion studio again. I just wanted as much knowledge I could get. The stop motion studio hired me out of school as a set dresser because they knew me and my work ethic. I am now a vis dev artist, and this also ties to taking tests, but 90% of my gigs are from people I have worked with, not so much tests. I think if you need something on your resume or somethings in your portfolio these unpaid internships can payoff by that and also by growing your network.

[@dwintster]

This happens everywhere unfortunately, one of my classmates worked with this studio thay made him just change designs enough so the couldn't get sued right out of College. It was work but it went against everything we believed in and had practiced while Studying Industrial Design. He left as as soon as he found a job somewhere else. This is over 15 years ago. I also know a couple people whose work was taken, it won design awards and ofcourse they never received compensation or credit for it.

[@MrFour4th]

sad thing is, taking legal action is great and all but an artist struggling to find work and pay rent vs a big company. Even if he they win or settle, the artist still has to pay the legal fees to the lawyer, unless the lawyer is doing it for free.

[@theforgedone]

What would you recommend to new/young artists? I have a 15 year old and 13 year old who both love art. The older wants to make graphic novels. The younger likes anime art and making hand drawn animations. They both draw or create basically most of every single day. They really love it. They are both very good as well. And yet, with videos like this and other recent developments (AI), I'm really not sure how to best coach them on how to be successful, or whether they should keep this as a side gig and have a normal day job. I'm planning to have them take a bunch of business related courses to help them carve out their own art-related business, but I'm not sure if this will be enough.

[@nonyabusiness3619]

The 15-year-old can probably just self-publish his/her own graphic novels, and the 13-year-old can be an indie film maker. Save up your money (for lawyers and business expenses). Make a website. Get copyright your IPs before sharing them with the world.

[@TylerEdlin84]

Yeah I recommend to diversify and stack skillets. Get degrees in marketing and business which can apply to many areas, and a good fallback plan. Then just get good enough at one thing and build from there art wise.

[@朱枫-i4t]

They bought the copyright of your work but used AI to copy your work repeatedly, which caused more people to lose their jobs. They don't know how to respect：（

[@volodymyrdon1554]

Thank you for the great video, all true and that kind of sad to people fine with that.

[@2265Hello]

Artists are are getting exploited again?! That hasn’t happened since….like last week…

[@MC-gb4zn]

I do ghost work. Im getting screwed on all angles. XD. Not credited, I can't say I work for them openly. My pay hasn't budged in 10 years. There are other artists working for them and i feel like im slowly being replaced. At this point I would be better off with a minimum wage job. Im just burned out.

[@StarkCraftsYT]

That's why I stopped doing commissions, i see more potential in doing youtube and such. It's sad how normal exploiting has become :(

[@AshikawaBetas]

Ah whsts new. Being an artist is suffering

[@mosamaster]

Unfortunately most commercial Indian movies are full of plagiarism.

[@miguerys9503]

For every artist that stands up there are a thousand talentless hacks that will gladly give up their dignity and help lower the value of the work and the standards in the industry. Those are the ones that, once in position, will shamelessly steal and copy art, not the guys in managerial positions, those mediocre artists without principles are the real problem. Without them, greedy suits wouldn't have anything to latch onto, a pair made in hell.

[@Devin_Laugherin]

One might call those bunch a "talentless hacks", other - "people trying to survive with what they have". Do not blame poor artist, blame cheap business. You can't follow "principles" when you have to think what to literally eat another day. You can say - "those people have to go do manual labor instead of pissing in MY pool", but then look in the mirror on how your face looks, one day you might be dislpeased with what you see.

[@veneficarius]

hard times!

[@kvasir501]

Thanks for tips

[@TylerEdlin84]

No problem!

[@darasto2023]

I know 'someone' who never got paid by Games Workshop for an illustration too haha

[@dwintster]

One of the first places I interviewed with after College wanted me to do an art test, it's almost unheard of in Industrial Design, I contacted my teacher from College and he said I shouldn't do it. I did lose out on the opportunity to design camping equipment b3cause of it but sometomes you need to take a stand.

[@userbunny]

So here dies my dream.

[@gorequillnachovidal]

there are unpaid internships in all sorts of fields. it is getting experience when you are unproven.

[@Window4503]

Normalcy doesn’t make it okay. Labor is labor, and most people don’t have the luxury of working the hours an internship asks for without any compensation when that time could go to a stable job. I ran into this issue trying to switch careers. Ultimately had to make the transition by working full-time jobs incrementally closer to what I wanted because there was no way I could afford doing an unpaid internship over the same schedule as a normal paid job.

[@gorequillnachovidal]

@@Window4503 then don't take it. You don't have to. No one is putting a gun to their head. BUT what is incredibly hard when you live in the real world is to get a real job with zero experience. You are not getting nothing... you are getting experience to put on your resume which is more than some peas you would make at an entry level position. I finished college and went job hunting IRL.

[@CTomCooper]

@@gorequillnachovidal I’ve never been a fan of the exploitation angle to be honest. For anyone aiming to become economically independent, it sets up having a bad outlook. It discourages seeing one’s own resources and artistic abilities as capital resources to generate wealth. As much as I enjoy learning from professionals who are willing and able to teach their trade in the arts, I just end up giving a pass towards any notion that’s based upon the idea that major institutions in the entertainment industry need to be depended upon for steady income. Hollywood is constantly in the red and underperforming in their products. Whether one gets the intern gig for adding experience to their resume, or a job to break into the industry in a major studio, those ROI challenges in movies and AAA are still all encompassing issues in that corner of the industry.

[@gorequillnachovidal]

@@CTomCooper it sets you up to make a lot of money since you have experience. I just can't explain it to someone that is not in that type of job market.

[@Myke...]

The art of originality is to hide your resources.

[@Yoruel]

out bottom bid each other...that one is honestly sad but been there for years n years :,)

[@supme7558]

8:49 no

[@brandonwood5253]

You da man, Tyler 💪

[@Dismythed]

We have reached a point where artists must surpass AI or die and therefore must start charging exorbitant prices for that specialness or die, which means most artists will fail to live up to that potential. If somehow companies continue to use real artists, then those artists will have to put up with being paid dirt for high output, high quality work. This is the inevitable consequence of available information (making more artists successful) and AI. There can simply be no other outcome in the face of these two things. The only cure for the current situation is an artisan's guild with enough money, power and influence that it can influence congress.

[@Anerisian]

Cypher is not choosing the machines (and digital steak), this time.

[@Devin_Laugherin]

Artists kinda always been exploited. It is just more visible now, since it is more artists are there and social media exists.

[@hollowedboi5937]

Not in the professional field, but seems like choosing to he an artist is a really difficult decision in the long term. You’ll need a load of self advocacy and trust to continue moving forward and not get screwed over. You gotta be loud and annoying to voice your concerns when needed. And have a eye to scrutinize and critique not just work but also ethics and practices about everything.

[@TylerEdlin84]

@@hollowedboi5937 it’s def not a glamorous field

[@seanfaherty]

Man, don’t you know painters have been using uncredited assistants for centuries ? I wouldn’t use them either. It don’t feel right but who am I to shit on Titian ? I may disagree with you here and there but I like that your opinions are well reasoned and force me to question my own opinions. Well done sir

[@highstax_xylophones]

Well this is depressing

[@veneficarius]

i have question about MTG and work for them - is there an email for them or they just contact you if you are famous ? :)

[@TylerEdlin84]

@@veneficarius they use to have an email, now you probably need to know someone or they will reach out to you.

[@ronrees9157]

AI will do that

[@achronos178]

This industry is so awful.

[@loadsheddingzim]

Artists need to grow up

[@utubeisawsomeify]

I’m just shifting careers at this point lol. I graduated college with a BFA in illustration in 2021 and with covid, nfts, and A.I. I’m just over it honestly. Feels like it’s gonna be impossible to make $70k+ and have job security w benefits. Feels like growing a social media following is the only way to have some form of security right now. With the gaming & animation industries being shite rn I’m lost at what to do besides switching careers and pick up some certifications in another industry

[@changlongwang9898]

yes and the worst parts about social media if you make a single mistake you can easily lose that following and damage your reputation, not to mention the shitty and controlled algorithms that make it hard to gain exposure.

[@adriansanchez8825]

Yeah, I am at the same stop right now! I worked as a 3D Character Artist for a Marvel show and can't seem to get a job right now. Working on some gigs but shifting may be the best choice right now. I am just tired of having to crawl to the mud to even begin to make a living.

[@faidou9954]

Have you considered making your own website as well as learning about email marketing?

[@unturned6066]

A number of design leads I know started as illustrators or other kinds of designers. There's apparently also good money in things like emoji-design and similar "stickers". Those usually require more ability to follow specifications than AI can accomplish.

[@NkenKenY]

video game like bg 3 is a godsend

[@robertbrooks5888]

STOP POSTING YOUR WORK AND PUTTING IT OUT IN PUBLIC!!

[@vinay0arts]

I don't know if you guys thought about it that many studios these days are using AI for background shots, most of the matte painting work is done by AI, so, the studios wouldn't even consider to check it there is resemblance with others artist's work because in the end AI just mixes different artworks to make a image What are your thoughts on it Tyler? The studios might blame AI, ai companies won't even care about artists

[@TylerEdlin84]

@@vinay0arts maybe in that case from India I don’t think that’s it all with the US.

[@vinay0arts]

@@TylerEdlin84 You might be right; the situation could be different in India compared to the US. However, it's concerning how AI is increasingly used for background shots and matte paintings Sooner or later everything will look same/similar to art of others like we see now, this is what I am literally seeing every site even on artstation and social media

[@kcsnipes]

1:53 💋

[@j_bubblez279]

Its what happens when you use Ai inspo pics

[@supme7558]

Yiu cant steal a concept.no oke ownes 4 satellite dishes in a falling apart. State

[@simjones206]

Not gonna lie the scene from the movie you can say referenced the art but they didn't use the exact artwork and they changed it enough to where it's not "stolen" I think this is a bit of a exaggeration since artists steal from other artists ALL THE TIME. Being one myself I learned that it's the best way to tackle projects and learn and grow. If that's the case you should hold Isaac Kim to the same standards and look at what he referenced in his art.

[@danjo1967]

seems like they are using AI and looks like the AI has grabbed parts of their images

[@TylerEdlin84]

@@danjo1967 ai is not that accurate. They directly rebuilt the scene on that first example, I’d say 100% that it was used in the example from India