Confessions of a Portrait Artist Paid With ''Exposure''.
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Today, we tell the story of our longtime friend and client, Tony. Last year, we had not heard from him for a while, so of course we had to check in. Tony begun his arts career in 2022 as a charcoal portrait artist. Back then, he'd sit for hours creating portraits of prominent persons, perfecting every strand of hair, every dimple, every eyelash, all for “exposure.” The man was running a full-time portrait artist hustle on a diet of ''thank you, bro'' . Others with big social media profiles, promised to tag him on Instagram and that would, ''guarantee him more clients''. The tag, however, never came. After a few years of being “paid in appreciation,” as you'd imagine, the joy started to fade. The creative burnout hit- the quiet, sneaky kind that makes even your favourite pencil feel heavy. He was officially in a creative lull, and his sketchbook was gathering dust in a corner. How His Sketchbook Saved Him One random afternoon, out of sheer bored...