as we all know, it is an intensely fucking hurtful reality to have your worth defined by your ability to generate income. people are forced into poverty, homelessness, hunger and death because of their limited access to capital. this access is directly tied to systematic discrimination. the idea that people must pull themselves up out of poverty is flawed at its core. 

due to the internet, the ways that we hustle are constantly changing. websites such as kickstarter or paetron allow people with no money to start something, or people who produce work on a daily basis to be paid for their work rather than just for their products. this is important because not everyone can have access to tools such as printing, mass-producing, shipping etc. the idea that someone who garners income for artwork must supplement those costs with another job is weak: not everyone has access to even a minimum wage job. we know what the economic climate is like globally rn. and we know that people are denied access to employment because of their race, age, ability, gender/presentation etc. 

it is also important to recognize that the work artists are doing is work. work that deserves to be recognized. i know its not very punk rock but in this world merit is awarded with money. the price of an artists product may not account for unpaid hours spent promoting, packaging, ideating, creating.

the frustration that comes with having your worth defined by $ is something we all experience. this is why it is understandable to see groups of talented people balk at the idea of young artists getting “handouts” for just “doing what they would already be doing”. several years ago, donation-based websites didn’t exist, and the grind of getting your work out their via the net was even more difficult and frustrating. but it is important to recognize that a paying artists just for being artists is a step in the right direction: one that values artists work for what it is, hard fucking work.

it is a broken world where office execs can get a job based on their “qualifications” and fuck off playing minigolf and get paid salary, but artists struggle for validation and only get paid for their products. a monthly donation to encourage someone to keep creating is not something to be enraged by.

it is complacent and dated to expect the freelance hustle to remain the same. it is abelist, classist, racist, homophobic and transphobic to expect working artists to just “get a/another job”. and it is just plain embarrassing to back up people who scorn struggling artists.

i have a lot to say concerning my personal experience in becoming financially dependent on my artwork alone, but this isn’t about me. this is about moving towards a future where creative work is valued as more than just a collectable product and as real work. this is about supporting people who for any reason have no access to “traditional” means of employment to survive.

the survival of marginalized people is important.
the encouragement of creative work by marginalized people is important.