Thread by @sloanesloane

whenever I see editors asking for people to post their portfolios and hundreds of artists replying it always makes me think of like a 1920s dock worker waiting to get chosen by the foreman lol sigh

I think editors should make an effort to seek out talent through the COPIOUS means we've given them (@COCdatabase? #drawingwhileblack?) and not just lazily rely on desperate and usually new-to-industry artists to constantly be haunting the timeline for opportunities

not all these calls are exploitative in the sense they pay unfairly but that the editor can see who's replying the most, who seems most desperate, and take advantage of that. they can pit you against another artist to see who can do it faster or cheaper, for less rights, etc

the only resources I came up with as an artist was the internet + social media. No art school, no $, no prime living location. I made a career using social media, answered thousands of these open calls & worked for peanuts to get a foot in the door. my cynsicm is well earned lol

also if you think my tweet is about how desperate workers are lesser and not that those in hiring positions have an unfair advantage and exploitative power when making these public work calls then... that's a you-problem lol

what progressed my career? I used to think it was taking whatever job I could get to prove my mettle (crunched, never missed a deadline desire being paid below min wage) but my career rly made a jump when...A publisher's close friend (a white dude) decided to advocate for me!

Meritocracy?? where?? Lol

anyway don't buy into the "pay your dues" philosophy bc it couldnt be MORE of a lie. ppl in power will keep making you pay as long as it benefits them. you can't prove your way to a place out of exploration, which is partially the structure of capitalism, partially greedy ppl

as soon as I was in the social group of a publisher and a friend advocated for me, i got to start my dream project lol and they didn't know me! I was new, had never drawn my own full length comic. I could have been a flake! But that's nepotism for you 😇🔫

THIS lol they need to put out a call for new artists, colorists, letterers, and designers __every__ month??? Wonder why 🤔 maybe because they're awful to work with, burned the bridge with their worker or hmm looking for cheaper labor??

https://twitter.com/tropicalsteve/status/1366479423780839424?s=21

Also: maybe this is why our industry (comics, art, prose, etc) is homogenously cismalewhite 🧐 who has the resources to "pay the dues" and can bid the lowest for these jobs? who is in positions of powers and who are their friends?? Coming from the top or bottom is a losing game