This is a journal originally written by , and the original link is here http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/6173150/
Basically sums up everything I have thought at one time or another.



"We *all* make this shit up as we go along, even the pros. Over time, we streamline that process, but we're still making shit up.

We don't get things like raises/promotions. We have to fight and justify raising prices every time we realize we're not actually machines capable of working at peak efficiency 100% of the time, but tend to quote for the best case scenario. When we do raise prices so we're making what we would if we worked a regular job instead, we're met with scorn and backlash.

We don't get a HR department to deal with harassment, and we don't get a PR agent to handle our public face. We (well most of us, some of us have gotten so overwhelmed we've taken on some help) have to answer every email with the utmost professionalism, even when people are being pushy, inconsiderate, or just plain rude, lest we irk the furry drama mill and become labeled as difficult to work with. We are public figures, and there are people looking for any reason to tear us down.

Also, we don't get to blame delays on other people's mistakes in most cases. We don't get to take sick days, we don't get paid OT, and we have almost no recompense for any mistakes, recasts, or underestimated time to build. Health insurance? That's funny! We are expected to function like a company of one person, without the benefits.

We are distant and not the most eager to open up to people, because that usually ends in someone schmoozing for discounts or people trying to steal our 'trademark techniques' (see above about making shit up). This attitude doesn't come from feeling elitist, it comes from feeling like we have a motherfucking target on our backs. But we're labeled as 'popufur bitches' and treated like we think we're better than everyone else. If only people knew how isolated most of us feel.

WE ARE REGULAR PEOPLE TOO. We have bills to pay, and pets to feed, and sometimes medical expenses and *gasp* a lot of us would like to buy houses/cars/retire eventually. When we are stiffed a payment because someone can't prioritize their own finances, we often are left scrambling to make our own ends meet. Some of us have help from a partner/spouse, and we're lucky to have it. Some of us don't, and rely solely on this income to survive. A missed payment on the part of a customer could mean waiting to buy groceries for an artist. That whole 'starving artist' allegory is a thing for a reason.

Your email about your totally amazing costume idea might actually be interesting, but for us answering emails is work we don't get paid to do! Most of us are not going to want to read through walls of text and be expected to reply regularly, especially before we've received any money from you. As much as we love costumes (honestly, would we put up with all this shit if we didn't?), it's still work. You think an accountant wants to sit and talk about your finances on their free time? Maybe if you pay them... it's called 'consultation', and we should be fucking charging for it.

Did I mention we make this shit up as we go along, and that we're not machines? We handmake virtually every component, and most are custom to the individual project we're working on (particularly bodysuit patterns). We may have a formula we follow, but your individual patterns with your colors and markings, and your weirdly specific tail and ear shapes, those we built just for you.

Often we're working from physically incompatible reference art (I don't know how many times I've gotten terribly misleading concept art with a portly DTD), and we have to make your meat puppet fit inside these costumes. Sometimes we may need to edit the fit for you! Or adjust/add markings that aren't quite right. We are not machines, and we're making this shit up as we go along for you.

Oh, and we're making these costumes to fit someone who we've never seen in person's DTD in most occasions, or at least to the measurements the customer provides. If the measurements are improperly taken, or the DTD is made poorly or improperly, and the fit isn't perfect, it reflects on us in a negative way. People ALWAYS assume it's the artist's fault, and very rarely stop to wonder if perhaps the commissioner's poor ability to follow instructions is to blame. Mistakes/errors are easy to make on both sides, but generally what happens first is public bitching about our incompetence/lack of ability and THEN maybe, if we're lucky, we will get the opportunity to fix an error. IF we even hear about it ourselves at all.

Handmade things are inherently on the fragile side! Most of us put a lot of thought into choosing materials that are as durable as reasonably possible, while also maintaining your materials budget. This does NOT mean these costumes are indestructible! Paint will chip and fade with abuse and time, seams WILL pop or wear out occasionally, or thread ends will come unknotted. Fur requires proper maintenance, or it will crimp/mat. Claws can come off, foam can fail, resin can warp. These costumes will not transform you into a different being, and they will make you hot and sweaty because you're essentially wearing a couch, complete with cushions for a lot of them.

Through all of this, we're condescended to often by family, friends, or the like for 'not having a real job'. Some of us have a better support circle than others, but a lot of us aren't taken seriously because we choose to do this, rather than sit in a cubicle crunching numbers for some corporation. It's demoralizing having someone who works an entry level job ask you if you found a 'real job' yet. I think we have a much more real job than most."