I have so much churning around in my mind that it is hard to organize it into a blog post. Plus, I’m not even sure if it’s all that interesting anyway. Though I suppose if you bother to visit my blog, you probably like hearing what I’m thinking about regardless, right? I hope so!
One thing that has been filling up a lot of space in my brain is my return to court next month. Many of you probably didn’t even know I had already been to court since it is not something I have been able to talk about yet in detail. In past posts I have vaguely mentioned conquering my anxiety by seeking justice, and that is still all I can really say about it. But unfortunately the process is still not over and it will likely still be quite a while before I can finish giving this monster what it deserves and put this out of my mind forever.
This brings me to the next thing that has been spinning around in my head, which is how incredibly challenging it is to be an artist in Los Angeles. I know that it is difficult being an artist anywhere, but I have learned a few times now that in Hollywood, clients are looking for any chance possible to avoid paying you. On top of that, can you believe that about 90% of the people who contact me for photography or graphic design services request a time-consuming project for about 10%-20% of what a realistic and respectful budget would be? When I reply with my carefully-phrased pre-written letter explaining what I charge and why, I usually never hear from them again. However, a small fraction of people have the gall to try to bargain me down, and very occasionally people will actually insult my business and tell me how they have found better prices elsewhere.
Why is it okay to treat a professional artist like someone with a stall at a flea market? Why is it so easy to not pay an artist for dozens of hours of work, but you would never consider walking out on your restaurant bill? Is it because most do not realize the time, energy, training, and skill that any single photo, logo, or other piece of art requires? Or is it simply because artists are easy targets?
I hope I didn’t bore you too much with my musings, dear reader. I also hope you enjoy these pictures of me and Miss Penelope the other evening. I really like how these shots came out!
xoxo
Emily
