Self-indulgent artists on deviantart

[Money Hunter]

artists have now suddenly become so full of themselves they've now resorted to a thing called "customer shaming", in which if they don't like how a customer is treating them, an artist feels completely obligated (and fair in doing so) to treat the customer horribly and publicly mudsling their name so that nobody makes money from them.

It's truly disgusting, especially from artists who are selling/commissioning off of copyrighted material. (Which yes, is illegal and fully punishable by law if the copyright holder is willing to put it to lawsuit.)

And okay I'll bite, Tumblr seems to be really evolving into this terrible, bigoted attitude of "I'm a professional, the artist is always right and go piss off and have a terrible day if you don't agree with me, my pricing, or how I waste your commission money!" And it's... gross. Honestly, what happened to having patience? Being kind to the customer? Making the logical decision of leaving a bad transaction in private instead of muddying names for the sake of being self-justified? There are living human beings on the other side of the screen and acting like a self-absorbed monster just in the name of cash is utterly sickening.

And I apologize for ranting so long, but that sort of behavior is unacceptable. I know that both hobbyist artists and business-making artists have different attitudes and opinions on a lot of things (both have the potential to be a**holes) but my point here being that no matter how much you want to value yourself, it is NEVER a justification to berate and devalue another living breathing person. Nothing is more vile than hurting another person for the sake of monetary (or even popularity) gain.

To the people saying: "what people price their art at isn't of your concern": I'm not saying that you shouldn't price your art at what you think it's worth. I'm saying that if someone disagrees with your pricing, publicly shaming them is simply immature.

 

[Tao]

And okay I'll bite, Tumblr seems to be really evolving into this terrible, bigoted attitude of "I'm a professional, the artist is always right and go piss off and have a terrible day

I like how you said 'evolving', as though this isn't what Tumblr already is.

 

[himeki]

Wow, how rude of them!​

 

[Peebers]

Honestly though, customers really shouldn't care how the artist spend the money. After the transaction is done, its theirs and it's none of their business what the artists buy with the money.

I could understand if they choose to call customers out for NEVER paying them for the art- there are some artists that do take time out of their busy schedules to finish their commissions. How would you feel if you spent days working on something, and never getting you end of the deal? If they call customers out, other artists can avoid them too.

 

[Tao]

Wow, how rude of them!​

I like how you've chosen the middle now. Staying fresh, constantly pushing the boundaries, keeping us on our toes.


A true visionary.

 

[Soda Fox]

I don't really venture much into Tumblr or Deviantart much now-a-days, but as a consumer of art and handmade things (my favorite place to shop is Etsy!), I think it's totally fine for an artist to mistreat would-be consumers. And, actually, I would prefer they make it public so I know not to buy from them, and to help reimburse the consumer if I can and it seems like a really bad situation. It's up to consumers to decide who they throw their money at, and if they continue to back someone who treats them like dirt and doesn't come through with their promises, then shame on those consumers. However, I think most people would cut their losses, as I have many times, and never visit that artist for anything ever again, and never ever recommend them to my friends.

 

[Peebers]

//maybe i misread your first post? i dunno. But you did say-

"I'm a professional, the artist is always right and go piss off and have a terrible day if you don't agree with me, my pricing, or how I waste your commission money!" And it's... gross.

Waste is a bad word to use, tbh. To you, it may be a waste, but for them it's something else. *shrug*

But yes, I have seen artists like that on deviantart. Most of the time, their art is pretty mediocre and nothing special. Most of the people that buy from them are also their friends.

Although i don't get what you mean by 'if you don't agree with me' ? If you're talking about their views on religion, etc etc, that's unprofessional of the artist to do.

//is slapped bc i DID misread ur first post

 

[Mega_Cabbage]

"I'm a professional, the artist is always right and go piss off and have a terrible day if you don't agree with me, my pricing, or how I waste your commission money!"

I somewhat agree with this logic though. By asking for a commission, you are giving the artist creative freedom within your topic. If a customer doesn't agree with the prices, they aren't forced to buy from the artist. It's none of the customer's business what the artist spends the money on either.

 

[radical6]

Why would you shame potential buyers? Who cares? Don't you want the money?????

 

[oreo]

I've never experienced buying from a self-indulgent artist on DA as how you described them. I'm sure it does happen to a few customers and yes, it sounds awful. I buy commissions from artists mainly on DA, Tumblr, and a few on here. They are very sweet and even change minor details that I forgot to mention in the first place.

 

[puppy]

i dont get this.
if an artist doesnt like how a customer is treating them then there is probably a good reason
from what ive seen its usually the customers treating the artists badly

 

[Naiad]

"I'm a professional, the artist is always right and go piss off and have a terrible day if you don't agree with me, my pricing, or how I waste your commission money!" And it's... gross. Honestly, what happened to having patience? Being kind to the customer? Making the logical decision of leaving a bad transaction in private instead of muddying names for the sake of being self-justified?

1. an artist has the right to charge whatever they want for their art?? don't piss on them because they're "too expensive" for you smh
2. you don't have the right to tell artists how to spend the money you pay them for their art.
3. most of the public outings I've seen are buyers who CBed or never paid. In that case, it's good for other artists to know not to deal with that buyer.

 

[DarkDesertFox]

I never liked the DA community. All you need to do is browse the comments.

 

[xanisha]

It sounds like they are by no means professionals then, because in any service industry the customer is always right. If you are a true professional then doing art and things would be your main source of income/ salary, and I guarantee you if they actually did art for a living they would treat customers better and they would have reasonable prices. But to my knowledge most of the people on these websites are people who do it as a hobby so I wouldn’t take it so seriously. Also the person who you buy from has the right to do whatever they want with the money they earn.

 

[Beardo]

Some of these artists are really full of themselves and feel like they deserve to be treated as royalty just because they can draw.

 

[inkling]

artists can do whatever they want...they arent a corporation,they are doing what they want. you cant complain if somebody happens to know how to draw, and wants to act liike a douche. its a free country. give your money to artists you like.

 

[Money Hunter]

If an artist has any problems with the customer, they should work it out in private. Defaming them is not acceptable.

- - - Post Merge - - -

If the customer doesn't agree with their pricing, the customer is well within the means to let the artist know. The artist can't go around defaming them for this reason.

 

[Naiad]

If an artist has any problems with the customer, they should work it out in private. Defaming them is not acceptable.

I'm p sure that if you were an artist, and a buyer hasn't paid even after the commission was completed, you'd want to warn other artists. Especially if the buyer is still actively commissioning others.

No one deserves to be scammed out of their money.

 

[MyLifeIsCake]

This is a touchy topic. From the artist perspective, I can see how they would be PO'ed if they worked on a piece for someone that they put days (even weeks or months for that matter) into creating for their customer just for them to have **** flung at them about it and not get paid. Art itself is highly subjective, and not everyone shares the same taste for it. Others, espically those who pay for it, can be highly critical of the way it is viewed. The key is to be open and willing for both sides to ask and improve the work in progress so that both parties will be satisfied in the end. However, I find it is bight unprofessional and sticky to publicly shame customers, even if they have had bad past experiences with. The internet is one of the easiest tools to make friends and enemies, but your personal opinions of someone else should not interfere your business. Is it risky to sell things to people you don't know online? Yes. Will you have a bad experience with someone eventually ? Most likely. But that doesn't mean you should carry your feelings twords someone for others to see.

 

[Mega_Cabbage]

If the customer doesn't agree with their pricing, the customer is well within the means to let the artist know. The artist can't go around defaming them for this reason.

I've seen customers defaming an artist because of their "high" prices more often than the other way around though...