Discussion
The many, many illustrations in this small volume don't just bring the subject matter to life - they're artistic delights in their own right. It's a reminder of how wonderful the "art" part of all this stuff is, and how that complicates the all too familiar labor issues at the book's core.
21/
Beisinger is an iconic designer and illustrator whose instantly recognizable style and entrepreneurial hustle have allowed him to achieve the coveted and elusive status of full-time, economically secure(ish) artist. But over the years - and even in recent times - Beisigner has found himself in the all-too-common and endlessly frustrating circumstance of being owed money by people who refuse to pay it.
2/
The sums involved are typically small by the standards of corporate budgets, but it's what Beisinger calls "needed money" - money that makes a huge difference to the life of the artist to whom it is owed.
Speaking from personal experience, getting stiffed is one of the most embittering things that can happen to a creative worker - or any worker (as the tradespeople who've had their wages stolen by Trump can attest).
3/
The sums involved are typically small by the standards of corporate budgets, but it's what Beisinger calls "needed money" - money that makes a huge difference to the life of the artist to whom it is owed.
Speaking from personal experience, getting stiffed is one of the most embittering things that can happen to a creative worker - or any worker (as the tradespeople who've had their wages stolen by Trump can attest).
3/
I remember every time I got shafted by a client and often find my mind returning to those humiliating, frustrating moments.
There was the "friend" who hired me to do some work and then just decided never to pay me the $150 we agreed on. There was the university prof who asked me to speak to his class and promised me reimbursement for the taxi and then stiffed me for 20 quid.
4/
I remember every time I got shafted by a client and often find my mind returning to those humiliating, frustrating moments.
There was the "friend" who hired me to do some work and then just decided never to pay me the $150 we agreed on. There was the university prof who asked me to speak to his class and promised me reimbursement for the taxi and then stiffed me for 20 quid.
4/
There was the international magazine who commissioned a short story from me, accepted it, then tried to cram a bullshit contract down my throat and refused to discuss any modifications to its terrible terms, finally stiffing me for the $500 they owed me.
5/
There was the largest publisher in the world, who commissioned a novella from me for an anthology, promising me tens of thousands of dollars, who accepted the novella, and then "discovered" they hadn't ever finalized the contract for the anthology and canceled it, stiffing me in the process.
6/
The fact that I went on to sell that novella several times over, both in book form and as a graphic novel, and for film rights (twice!), making far more money in the process, doesn't make me any less angry about these fuckers who just screwed me without a second thought.
Objectively speaking, there is no reason for me to dwell on these little humiliations. It doesn't do me any good. It doesn't make the dickheads who screwed me feel bad.
7/
Beisinger is an iconic designer and illustrator whose instantly recognizable style and entrepreneurial hustle have allowed him to achieve the coveted and elusive status of full-time, economically secure(ish) artist. But over the years - and even in recent times - Beisigner has found himself in the all-too-common and endlessly frustrating circumstance of being owed money by people who refuse to pay it.
2/
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