Be sure to read the fine print. Watch out for these art competitions that promise exposure but own everything. This is why... follow me @ / stephensilver www.silvertoons...
Thank you for giving more awareness to this very serious issue! I know some good artists in art school who do their work for pennies/nothing, I repeatedly tell them not to but their excuse is that they are in college and are not professionals so they don't have the "right" to price their work justly. Young artists need to have some guts and demand the respect that their art deserves! Thank you!
You rock Stephen silver! I've seen great artist whom inspired me actually give up cuz of the way the industry is established but we truly all can ban together and make change for the better!
Hello Stephen .Thanks for sharing your advice .You are so right about the brainwashed mind set of Iam just an artist and entitled to be ripped off by everyone ..I lived in Japan for 15 years and fellow artists ,especially a French friend Jean-Philippe pons ,would refuse to accept less than the wages of other craftsmen ,for our time .Everyone is your friend and wants free art ! When eventually drew up a contract agreement paper ,of which my customer and I had a signed by both copy ,my art career improved hugely .If for a commission ,I would get half the money up front and half on completion .I also promised with signature to complete work within a timeframe ,so both parties were protected .Artists and musicians need to be protected from uncreative and parasitic business men and it does need to start from within ,as you rightly pointed out . Joe Ashley
Thanks for getting this out there to all artists...we need a more cohesive community to protect our own work and value it as we do our own creative process. I bought into the romantic notion of "the starving artist" and as someone that is older & wiser...its not romantic if you cant eat or pay your basic bills..Keep up the good work especially for the younger artists coming up in the business
Its nice to know that Im on the right path. I have been keeping all my content rather secret for these exact reasons, I dont want my craft getting abused, I put to much effort in it. Thanks for the vids bro.
awesome message stephen. very inspiring and informative. So bad, that there are so many companies/people who try to take advantage of artists, but your right it's because a lot of artists let them. Time to take a stand!!
Thanks for the encouraging videos, there are corporate businessmen kept insisting that it's ok to put their name on my showreel to pitch to their clients now and I remembered what you said months ago. So I explained and walked away and they freaked out on me for "running away from a problem". And they can't take a solution without involving their company name on my amateurish hardwork.
I know this video is old, but you’re definitely preaching to me. I joined a few competitions recently and got burned. One was for a blown up version of a mural for my local Walmart. I never heard back on who won or if I did. I also never saw the mural in any of the store locations where they were supposed to be placed. Once again, I did it for exposure. Makes me wonder how many artists got ripped off and scammed. SMH. 🤦🏻♂️
Great reminder about retaining your rights! But, for the record, placing in a larger competition CAN and DOES lead to important phone calls. For some established artists it was the last thing they did before the world finally knew they were on the planet.
Interesting. When I went to my MA Illustration program, some teachers told us that entering at SOI, Spectrum, 3x3, AI etc. had really helped some artists. I guess it's also a matter of luck of what style interests the jurors at that very moment. Some of those competitions also a very good price for students. I do, however, understand what you mean, especially with focus on competitions by big, commercial companies like MOLESKINE did a while ago. Thanks for this video!
I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to do these videos. I am a professional comic book artist and I really welcome any advice on how to grow a stronger foundation for my career, Again thanks for doing these,
Steve this video is so great, thankyou. I wonder what happens if you enter a competition with a work that you've already put a license on (just for your own protection, ie: CC). If they had nefarious purposes, then they might disqualify your work from the competition. But in that case at least you're protected from accidentally making a bad-guy stronger/richer. So if you just enjoy competitions, this way you don't need to read fine print. You're either OK, or disqualed, but never fucked over.
thank you very much.... from now on i will be beware when i will enter a competition... i am on the starting point of my animation career right now.. so wish me luck... thanks again.... :-)
This resonates with my own personal philosophy on art contests. I don't enter contests that charge me to, nor do I enter contests that don't allow me to retain MY rights to MY work. I am curious if you feel the same about artist guilds and gallery showings which charge memberships fees and such? I've been trying to network with my local artist gallery community but I've only found one place interested in even talking to me about showing my art w/o first asking for a membership card... & TY!
You will be better off creating your own websites and art and sharing it yourself amongst the community, but the real goal is to make a comfortable living drawing and selling your art and it is not through these competitions.
He is not saying to not enter competitions, what he is saying is to be ware of the competitions you enter. Read the rules and enter only if you are allowed to keep the copyrights of your own works.
I hope so. but it starts on an individual basis. it is up to the individuals who attend the schools to insist on mking this a program within the school. Band together and unite
When you're referring to "competitions," do you include the biggies such as SOI, 3x3, Spectrum, etc? My teachers encourage their students to enter as many of these prestigious competitions as possible, and it was my impression that this is part of building a career.
.many thanks for the advice... but i have one question... if i don't enter in a competition then how will i know how good i am according to the market... i mean if i win or get good marks it means my work is good.. right?.. it helps to build our confidence... but if we don't enter for the fear of concept stealing.. what is the alternate way to tally our works with the other artist??
Totally right, those tests are either a bullshit than a waste of time cause you as a company just need to see the artist portfolio, an entire set of paintings and stuff that artist can do, there's no need of a further "test". And you as an artist should know that if the company wanted you to work for them you will be already under a contract so people don't wast time on TESTS! Spend that time to make something good for you portfolio instead...
Yep, I entered a competition held by a printing/stationery company before, it's all in their fine print "All entries submitted belong to [name of company]"
Remember the part about "buyer beware", that doesn't mean don't buy, it means the buyer should understand what the salesman might not be telling them. Likewise, these competitions heavily imply that if you pour your heart and soul into a piece that this could be your "big shot". This is mostly NOT true, and these days a tweet can work much better for exposure and feedback, plus you keep the rights to your art. So IF you should enter these competitions, enter it with Stephen's warnings in mind.
Thats awesome mane and it would be so good for you to talk about companies wanting test. Many times when i go for a job i have to sign an NDA and then i do a test which is ususually pretty nice work then the compny says your not good enough. This is so bullshit cause i have so much stuff that is not released that i have done test for and non of it can go on to advertise me. I am pretty sure companies are just doing this to get some free assets redeveloped/ developed. This sucks balls
so that would mean if you don't win and get no comments that you are bad and you should just quit. absoloutly not! You know you are good when you become honest with yourself and compare your work to other people. there is plenty of artwork in books and throughout the web taht you will always be able to look at and ask yourself, can i do that? Competitions 99% of the time are going to destroy your confidence because being creative is always healthier than being competative.
Do a rant on film festivals and how they suck money out of filmmakers with their fees. That is an ongoing racket that never gets called out for what it is.
Many people that judge those competition wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a Picasso and a 3 years old children's drawing, never give your stuff to them for free, real winner don't follow the market anyway, they create their niche! And if you like to improve take classes, go to artist meeting, get feedbacks and portfolio reviews from professional, be judged by non artist, or even from artist in a different field is not worth a dime
Sorry, i just want to point out... this is obviously only for those who still WANT to actually enter competitions. Obviously you shouldn't even be doing that in the first place, since it's essentially giving your time and valuable-art away for free, as this video says. I mention it only as a way to still do that (if you still want to) and still remain protected. It's a mid-point. Even when you're having dumb fun you should still always be covering your ass, so you don't get fucked over.
The biggies are the dangerous ones, because they feel because they are so big it gives them the right to own it all. again, it is all about the fine print. these competitions in no way gurantee the right or good exposure, they serve the purpose of the large company not the individual. Please let your teacher know to stop encouriging this.
I'll second Stephen. These competitions are NOT how you build your career. There is nothing prestigious about working for free. I also went to a school that encouraged us to enter competitions.. I never participated because of this very reason. There is nothing about these competitions that resembles the world creative professionals deal with everyday, other than people trying to get you to work for free. There are plenty of social media platforms etc. to get your art out there.
Thank you for giving more awareness to this very serious issue! I know some good artists in art school who do their work for pennies/nothing, I repeatedly tell them not to but their excuse is that they are in college and are not professionals so they don't have the "right" to price their work justly. Young artists need to have some guts and demand the respect that their art deserves! Thank you!
You rock Stephen silver! I've seen great artist whom inspired me actually give up cuz of the way the industry is established but we truly all can ban together and make change for the better!
Hello Stephen .Thanks for sharing your advice .You are so right about the brainwashed mind set of Iam just an artist and entitled to be ripped off by everyone ..I lived in Japan for 15 years and fellow artists ,especially a French friend Jean-Philippe pons ,would refuse to accept less than the wages of other craftsmen ,for our time .Everyone is your friend and wants free art ! When eventually drew up a contract agreement paper ,of which my customer and I had a signed by both copy ,my art career improved hugely .If for a commission ,I would get half the money up front and half on completion .I also promised with signature to complete work within a timeframe ,so both parties were protected .Artists and musicians need to be protected from uncreative and parasitic business men and it does need to start from within ,as you rightly pointed out . Joe Ashley
Thank you. Some people out there just love taking advantage of artists.
I'm not even an artist but i love how passionate you talk about this.
Thanks for getting this out there to all artists...we need a more cohesive community to protect our own work and value it as we do our own creative process. I bought into the romantic notion of "the starving artist" and as someone that is older & wiser...its not romantic if you cant eat or pay your basic bills..Keep up the good work especially for the younger artists coming up in the business
Amen! Please keep this up, artists and craftsmen need hear this stuff!
Its nice to know that Im on the right path. I have been keeping all my content rather secret for these exact reasons, I dont want my craft getting abused, I put to much effort in it. Thanks for the vids bro.
awesome message stephen. very inspiring and informative. So bad, that there are so many companies/people who try to take advantage of artists, but your right it's because a lot of artists let them. Time to take a stand!!
"if you're good at something never do it for free"
Thank you for your messages. Your words touched me in the deep of my heart
.
THANK YOU! Finally someone explains it clearly and in a non-boring way!
Another excellent video, and again great advice, Stephen.
Keep these vids comming. This was amazing and so very important. Thank you.
Thanks for the encouraging videos, there are corporate businessmen kept insisting that it's ok to put their name on my showreel to pitch to their clients now and I remembered what you said months ago. So I explained and walked away and they freaked out on me for "running away from a problem". And they can't take a solution without involving their company name on my amateurish hardwork.
I know this video is old, but you’re definitely preaching to me. I joined a few competitions recently and got burned. One was for a blown up version of a mural for my local Walmart. I never heard back on who won or if I did. I also never saw the mural in any of the store locations where they were supposed to be placed. Once again, I did it for exposure. Makes me wonder how many artists got ripped off and scammed. SMH. 🤦🏻♂️
So many!!!!!
Clap Clap Clap! excellent speech man! Keep on spreading the message! I will for sure! Thanks a lot! Jb.-
I'd really like an advise on how to price your work.
Great reminder about retaining your rights! But, for the record, placing in a larger competition CAN and DOES lead to important phone calls. For some established artists it was the last thing they did before the world finally knew they were on the planet.
Interesting. When I went to my MA Illustration program, some teachers told us that entering at SOI, Spectrum, 3x3, AI etc. had really helped some artists. I guess it's also a matter of luck of what style interests the jurors at that very moment. Some of those competitions also a very good price for students.
I do, however, understand what you mean, especially with focus on competitions by big, commercial companies like MOLESKINE did a while ago.
Thanks for this video!
i spread the word to my photoshop class they're spreading it further, thank you stephen
excellent stephen...... thank you so much!
I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to do these videos. I am a professional comic book artist and I really welcome any advice on how to grow a stronger foundation for my career, Again thanks for doing these,
Steve this video is so great, thankyou.
I wonder what happens if you enter a competition with a work that you've already put a license on (just for your own protection, ie: CC).
If they had nefarious purposes, then they might disqualify your work from the competition. But in that case at least you're protected from accidentally making a bad-guy stronger/richer.
So if you just enjoy competitions, this way you don't need to read fine print.
You're either OK, or disqualed, but never fucked over.
I'll be sure to share this with my fellow students.
thank you very much.... from now on i will be beware when i will enter a competition... i am on the starting point of my animation career right now.. so wish me luck... thanks again.... :-)
This resonates with my own personal philosophy on art contests. I don't enter contests that charge me to, nor do I enter contests that don't allow me to retain MY rights to MY work.
I am curious if you feel the same about artist guilds and gallery showings which charge memberships fees and such?
I've been trying to network with my local artist gallery community but I've only found one place interested in even talking to me about showing my art w/o first asking for a membership card...
& TY!
I love you Stephen!
thaaaaaaaaaaaank you! such a powerful message..
Wow, and there was this art contest I was thinking of entering too... Now I may not do it now.
You will be better off creating your own websites and art and sharing it yourself amongst the community, but the real goal is to make a comfortable living drawing and selling your art and it is not through these competitions.
I will do a video on that
He is not saying to not enter competitions, what he is saying is to be ware of the competitions you enter. Read the rules and enter only if you are allowed to keep the copyrights of your own works.
I hope so. but it starts on an individual basis. it is up to the individuals who attend the schools to insist on mking this a program within the school. Band together and unite
you should join a site called Quora! :) It'll be great to have you as a part of the community over there
When you're referring to "competitions," do you include the biggies such as SOI, 3x3, Spectrum, etc? My teachers encourage their students to enter as many of these prestigious competitions as possible, and it was my impression that this is part of building a career.
.many thanks for the advice... but i have one question... if i don't enter in a competition then how will i know how good i am according to the market... i mean if i win or get good marks it means my work is good.. right?.. it helps to build our confidence... but if we don't enter for the fear of concept stealing.. what is the alternate way to tally our works with the other artist??
Totally right, those tests are either a bullshit than a waste of time cause you as a company just need to see the artist portfolio, an entire set of paintings and stuff that artist can do, there's no need of a further "test". And you as an artist should know that if the company wanted you to work for them you will be already under a contract so people don't wast time on TESTS! Spend that time to make something good for you portfolio instead...
Artists, Designers we need more likes here!!!!!
Yep, I entered a competition held by a printing/stationery company before, it's all in their fine print "All entries submitted belong to [name of company]"
Remember the part about "buyer beware", that doesn't mean don't buy, it means the buyer should understand what the salesman might not be telling them.
Likewise, these competitions heavily imply that if you pour your heart and soul into a piece that this could be your "big shot". This is mostly NOT true, and these days a tweet can work much better for exposure and feedback, plus you keep the rights to your art. So IF you should enter these competitions, enter it with Stephen's warnings in mind.
Thats awesome mane and it would be so good for you to talk about companies wanting test. Many times when i go for a job i have to sign an NDA and then i do a test which is ususually pretty nice work then the compny says your not good enough.
This is so bullshit cause i have so much stuff that is not released that i have done test for and non of it can go on to advertise me.
I am pretty sure companies are just doing this to get some free assets redeveloped/ developed.
This sucks balls
so that would mean if you don't win and get no comments that you are bad and you should just quit. absoloutly not! You know you are good when you become honest with yourself and compare your work to other people. there is plenty of artwork in books and throughout the web taht you will always be able to look at and ask yourself, can i do that? Competitions 99% of the time are going to destroy your confidence because being creative is always healthier than being competative.
Bring back the livestreamsssss :)
thanks for the video!
Awesome!
thank you !
Can art schools around the world creat and "Artist Ethics" and "Artist Filosophy" subjects and put this video and the previous one on every class.
Stephen, you should talk about "author agencies", and the way some of them scam the artists.
Do a rant on film festivals and how they suck money out of filmmakers with their fees. That is an ongoing racket that never gets called out for what it is.
Many people that judge those competition wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a Picasso and a 3 years old children's drawing, never give your stuff to them for free, real winner don't follow the market anyway, they create their niche! And if you like to improve take classes, go to artist meeting, get feedbacks and portfolio reviews from professional, be judged by non artist, or even from artist in a different field is not worth a dime
Sorry, i just want to point out... this is obviously only for those who still WANT to actually enter competitions. Obviously you shouldn't even be doing that in the first place, since it's essentially giving your time and valuable-art away for free, as this video says.
I mention it only as a way to still do that (if you still want to) and still remain protected. It's a mid-point. Even when you're having dumb fun you should still always be covering your ass, so you don't get fucked over.
i liked the first video more, this one has too many repetitions and to much of I.
but the idea is good
The biggies are the dangerous ones, because they feel because they are so big it gives them the right to own it all. again, it is all about the fine print. these competitions in no way gurantee the right or good exposure, they serve the purpose of the large company not the individual. Please let your teacher know to stop encouriging this.
I'll second Stephen. These competitions are NOT how you build your career. There is nothing prestigious about working for free. I also went to a school that encouraged us to enter competitions.. I never participated because of this very reason. There is nothing about these competitions that resembles the world creative professionals deal with everyday, other than people trying to get you to work for free. There are plenty of social media platforms etc. to get your art out there.