A short YouTube monologue by Lennon Bone arguing that artists should not rely on Patreon or Etsy because those platforms encourage low-priced, time-consuming work. The speaker gives concrete examples (making $3–$5 per hour and selling small products for about $10 that take hours to produce) and warns that such work diverts time from higher-earning opportunities.
Here's an unpopular opinion. I don't think you should be on Patreon or Etsy as an artist. Here's what I mean. Many of you are on there for hours and hours, fulfilling the promise to your patrons or making a little product for like, $10 that actually takes you hours to make. You're making literally like three to five dollars an hour. And I think that's the danger of those platforms is that they teach the artist to think small. And I get it. There's a lot of fear wrapped up in trying to make something that's worth more money. But just remember that for every hour that you spend fulfilling those orders and making very little money, you're taking an hour away from an opportunity that could make you way more money if you just put the time into it.
