Being an artist isn’t what people assume it’s like. There are a lot of misconceptions and stereotypes about art- but the deal is, there’s no true definition of what art is. However, regardless of the style, form, or media, most artists deal with similar problems daily. 

To start, people say , “Can you draw me?”  Asking an artist to draw for you is alright. As long their boundaries are respected, it’s okay to ask them. However, the real problem is when the artist asks for payment first, and the client responds with, “Couldn’t you do it for free? That’s so selfish!”. But art isn’t free. Artists put a lot of time and money into their work. The creative process is complex, and it’s not fair to ask an artist to spend their time on a piece of art without compensation.

Even more, artists deal with problems concerning perfectionism. Especially when working on commissions, we tend to overthink everything. Even the most famous artists, like Van Gogh or Frida Kahlo, dealt with insecurities. This perfectionism can quickly turn into “art block” and stresses out the artist. 

The most infuriating of problems is art theft. With artists posting on social media and the upcoming AI technology, people steal art left and right. It’s unfair to the artist and incredibly crushing to find out your work’s been stolen. 

Being an artist is difficult, but it’s not all bad. Art is great for mental health and is accessible to most people since there are multiple media. With summer break coming up, a lot of us will be left bored- so why not pick up a pencil and draw?