Astra Taylor – For Love or Money
Assignment #2 – Deborah Markewich
There have always been challenges for artists and others who view their work as serving “the public good.” For artists, the need to create vs. the need to be financially stable is not new to the digital age. Artists are more often than not forced to take “survival jobs” while pursuing an artistic career such as theater, music, fine arts, etc. Even within the artist’s field there is the challenge of balancing love and money: the actor who will do a TV commercial for a laxative so that he can do an off-off Broadway play he believes in for no money at all; visual artists who work at ad agencies by day and paint by night; musicians who cover pop songs at Bar Mitzvahs so they can play their own music at bars with a tip jar.
In the chapter “For Love or Money,” Astra Taylor speaks about the “millions of people who contribute user-generated content without promise of remuneration or reward.” (Taylor 2014:48) Many, but not all, are artists and do this as a way of getting their work seen or heard. In some ways this is a good thing. It is rewarding to be recognized for doing something well or contributing culturally to society. And if this is an easy way to make one’s voice heard, it is certainly understandable that so many artists take advantage of it, since it is a readily available outlet. There is also the hope that it will eventually lead to a profitable opportunity (fame and fortune!)
Those who are passionate about teaching or improving society face a similar struggle between love and money. Teaching is an oft-used example. The people we trust with educating our children are paid less in a year than what a trader can make in a minute on Wall Street. Our society has devalued teachers by paying them so meagerly when compared with most other professions that it is remarkable that young people still want to enter the teaching profession. But while there is a troublesome teacher shortage, there are still those people who are so passionate about teaching children that they will choose to do so over a more lucrative career. Thankfully, the same holds for other so-called “do-gooders” such as social workers, public defenders and community activists who have chosen to make a societal contribution over a larger paycheck.
One of the ideas I found interesting in this chapter is that “the psychology of creativity has become increasingly useful to the economy.” (2014:58) Where it has long been accepted that artists will work for no money to pursue their creative passions, creativity is now being used as a reason to pay workers little or nothing in other professions as well. Taylor states “creativity is invoked time and again to justify low wages and job security.” (2014:59) Employers are taking advantage of free labor by comparing their workers to artists who should be happy for the opportunity to work for their company. If they can be convinced of this, they too will face the challenge of working for love or money.
