As I kid, I would get lots of compliments on my drawings. Teachers and relatives alike would say, “You really draw great! We have a future artist in the making”.
“Show him your drawings, chhora. Make mama proud”
Then, as you grow up, reality hits. Your art is seen as “a hobby” and not “passion”. Passion becomes no less than a sin. And you’re asked to focus on more “real” stuff that’d make money. Some of us give in. Others, don’t.
I fall into the latter.
Now, I am an artist…at least, I’d like to think of myself as one – I do art stuff, not with paint brushes or words but with my camera.
I, along with my team, are an emerging online fashion magazine. And here’s the newsflash – it involves as much inspiration and effort as yours. To many, all we do is paint people’s faces, shoot pictures, and post them on our Instagram page all day.

People see me take photos – they remark that all I do is point my camera at things and click buttons. They see my team members do make up – it’s all applying paint on their faces, right?
Here’s the kick – for me to actually point and shoot and capture a real photograph, it took me 3 years of struggling with an entry level camera – with very little money to buy all the equipment I need. And even so, I DO NOT and CANNOT simply point and shoot to create the stunning pictures you see on Insta – there’s a lengthy BTS – a setup that takes hours, a make-up artist who tirelessly creates art on the face of a model who patiently freezes him/her self in a single pose (or multiple) until we get the right shot. Not to mention the ones who help with the lights, gear, location, and setup.
So, for those who like us and have supported, us, we’d like to extend our heartfelt gratitude. Your love makes every bit of struggle almost worth it. When you guys share our Insta stories on your feeds and provide us with shoutouts, you have no idea the smile it brings on our faces. Thank you for appreciating our efforts.
However, just like every coin has two sides, there’s a side that not many artists state freely. To those who claim to like and respect our work and yet ask us to do some work that I quote “will not be paid now but will provide us with real exposure”, we apologize. Sure, we always love a good exposure – we’re an emerging brand after all – but at least have the courtesy to credit the artists properly. We are saddened by the number of people who think it’s okay to not pay the artist or even credit it properly. This is not unreal, just unfortunate.
The art world does not get enough appreciation as it is – and even for those that get appreciation, they don’t get paid properly. Heck – there is not even enough credit to pass around. It’s not always about the money, it’s also about appreciation for the art. And if you truly respect art, have the courtesy to pay or credit artists properly.
Hence, we are saying what should’ve been said early on. We are artists…that does not mean we’ll work for free.
Sincerely,
Another tired artist.