Even under capitalism, there is PLENTY of demand for artists: Graphic designers, interior design, manufacturing beautiful items, architecture, civil engineering, sound engineers. Almost EVERYTHING requires art to some degree yet you have to be like the best of the best to get paid for an artistic career and even then your work is seen as frivolous. As if simply being an artist for a living is compensation enough.

Meanwhile, some dipshit on Wall Street does fuck all to improve the world and is showered with both money and praise just for waking up and doing over-glorified gambling.

I'm not an artist, but props to those who are, they are unironically incredibly important to making life somewhat bearable yet are criminally taken for granted.

Pardon the rant.

  • supafuzz [comrade/them]
    ·
    2 years ago

    why does the starving artist trope exist when there is so much demand for artistic skills?

    Because passion is a lever that capitalists can use to exploit you harder.

    • UlyssesT
      ·
      2 months ago

      deleted by creator

    • supafuzz [comrade/them]
      ·
      2 years ago

      Oh yeah, also, middlemen. Creative industries are all structured to fuck over the actual creators as much as possible. See the recent episode of Trashfuture with Cory Doctorow and Rebecca Giblin.