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A discussion on commissioners taking tips, donations, etc.
7 years ago
You can vote on my Twitter polls here: https://twitter.com/Crimson_Slyther.....53418039193600
Monetary contributions are nothing new in the art community. It's a service based industry with customized products and therefore it's quite common to see artists take donations and tips. However, this discussion is not about the artists; it's about commissioners.
Donations to artists are done for a variety of reasons. The creation of artwork is either their hobby or direct source of self-employment, and monetary contributions are supplemental and bonus income that shows appreciation, helps them cover bills, and in some cases enables them to rely less on commissions and create more personal work.
Commissioners, on the other hand, are the customers who purchase the services of artists. It is very much a luxury, and often times commissioners are not themselves artists and have income from other sources. In a way, a commissioner whom accepts contributions is obtaining subsidized or free art, and the contributed money they use to fund the art is paid to the artist as revenue and not as supplemental income. From the artist's perspective it doesn't matter how their customer's got their money as one commission is the same as any other commission.
That leaves us with this conclusion as to the end result of the effects of contributed money:
When the artist receives it directly, it's supplemental income
When the artist receives it through a customer, it's primary revenue
We can then infer that if you want to support artists that you should contribute to them directly and not through commissioners; commissioners cannot back up the fact that the money they receive to commission artists with 'supports' the artist, as the artist is not better off financially taking a commissioners donated funds versus the money of another commissioner.
But! Supplemental income to the artist need not be the only end goal. People often donate to artists because they're fans of their character(s), why then can you not donate to a commissioner because you are a fan and would like to see more art of them? An example of this is comics such as "Here There be Dragons", and fans of the comic will often donate to the creator to keep the comic going. But why comics specifically? What if you just like the character in itself?
We can take this statement:
"I am a fan of this comic, and therefore I will contribute to see more of it"
Can be morphed into:
"I am a fan of this character, therefore I will contribute to see more of them"
Which leads us to conclude that while commissioners are in effect receiving supplemental income to subsidize art purchases, there is valid reasons in donating to that commissioner.
---Methods of donation
Whether or not you agree that contributing to commissioners is acceptable, the above discussion leads me to what people prefer and find most convenient when donating funds. So that's the question I'll ask, what methods of donation do you prefer? Kofi? PayPal? Patreon? Other?
Twitter Polls: https://twitter.com/Crimson_Slyther.....53418039193600
Monetary contributions are nothing new in the art community. It's a service based industry with customized products and therefore it's quite common to see artists take donations and tips. However, this discussion is not about the artists; it's about commissioners.
Donations to artists are done for a variety of reasons. The creation of artwork is either their hobby or direct source of self-employment, and monetary contributions are supplemental and bonus income that shows appreciation, helps them cover bills, and in some cases enables them to rely less on commissions and create more personal work.
Commissioners, on the other hand, are the customers who purchase the services of artists. It is very much a luxury, and often times commissioners are not themselves artists and have income from other sources. In a way, a commissioner whom accepts contributions is obtaining subsidized or free art, and the contributed money they use to fund the art is paid to the artist as revenue and not as supplemental income. From the artist's perspective it doesn't matter how their customer's got their money as one commission is the same as any other commission.
That leaves us with this conclusion as to the end result of the effects of contributed money:
When the artist receives it directly, it's supplemental income
When the artist receives it through a customer, it's primary revenue
We can then infer that if you want to support artists that you should contribute to them directly and not through commissioners; commissioners cannot back up the fact that the money they receive to commission artists with 'supports' the artist, as the artist is not better off financially taking a commissioners donated funds versus the money of another commissioner.
But! Supplemental income to the artist need not be the only end goal. People often donate to artists because they're fans of their character(s), why then can you not donate to a commissioner because you are a fan and would like to see more art of them? An example of this is comics such as "Here There be Dragons", and fans of the comic will often donate to the creator to keep the comic going. But why comics specifically? What if you just like the character in itself?
We can take this statement:
"I am a fan of this comic, and therefore I will contribute to see more of it"
Can be morphed into:
"I am a fan of this character, therefore I will contribute to see more of them"
Which leads us to conclude that while commissioners are in effect receiving supplemental income to subsidize art purchases, there is valid reasons in donating to that commissioner.
---Methods of donation
Whether or not you agree that contributing to commissioners is acceptable, the above discussion leads me to what people prefer and find most convenient when donating funds. So that's the question I'll ask, what methods of donation do you prefer? Kofi? PayPal? Patreon? Other?
Twitter Polls: https://twitter.com/Crimson_Slyther.....53418039193600
