Let me begin by saying that I do not profess to being a professional artist. I have never received any artistic training in my life and usually consider my own work to be more along the line of ‘doodles.’ Despite this, given my Photoshop experience and my work at the DI, I guess I’m as professional as amateurs come. You can see more of my work for yourself at http://evilinnocence.deviantart.com/gallery. (Be warned: I’ve been told my art has a dark, Tim Burton-esque feel to it.)

However, doodle or not, I do not belittle the value of my art. Every piece I have made has involved time, creativity, and years upon years of experience. Consequently, I expect to get paid. This is why when I saw a flier circulating around campus recently from the Out of State Student Alliance (OSSA) to design a logo for their T-shirt – the winning prize being only the said T-shirt – I was a little perturbed. While they claim on their Web site (www.uiuc.edu/ro/ossa) that the most important thing in winning this contest is being “able to see your own design worn all over campus!” as an artist, myself, I feel a rather insulted by such a claim. Cash, or some other compensation, is the only acceptable price for artwork.

Had I seen this flier last year, however, I would have thought differently and even participated.

As a naive freshman last year, I was anxious to get involved and show off what I could do. I joined a group that works to promote local bands on campus because they were looking for someone with Photoshop skills to help make fliers. I designed two fliers and a couple T-shirts for that club, but wasn’t paid a cent (in fact, I owed them money to help publish their compilation CD). At the time I didn’t regret it – my art was indeed shown all over campus, and I was proud.

Sometime after that, however, I chanced upon an article on the web stating the importance for artists to get paid and to abandon the ‘starving artist’ stereotype. It mentioned that the girl who designed the now-famous Nike logo, desperate for work, was originally paid only $35 at the time. To the common viewer, maybe even to an artist, the Nike logo may be nothing more than a mere ‘swoosh.’ Yet given how recognizable and publishable this small piece of art has become, it’s clear to see that art should not be considered such a cheap commodity.

This year I was involved in another organization, Student Alumni Ambassadors, and volunteered to help advertise for this year’s Homecoming events. I designed several fliers, table tents for the dorms, a bookmark, and I even set up display cases in the Union. You may have picked up on my use of the word ‘volunteer’ here. Even so, my art did not come without a price – I gained immense experience in design and publication for event promotion, and at the end was treated to a very nice dinner with the rest of the Homecoming committee. Job experience and free food are an excellent exchange for artwork, especially to a young college student.

In no way am I suggesting that OSSA is deliberately taking advantage of artists and their work – in fact, I doubt they have the funding to offer a cash prize, let alone print out unique t-shirt designs. I am sure many who have seen the flier (ironically displaying the signature Photoshop CS feathers on it) will consider it an opportunity to get their work noticed and even have something to put on their resume. Still, art is not something easily churned out in five minutes using Photoshop to be used freely by whomever chooses to do so. While some artists may get to the point where they can work that quickly and efficiently, it is nonetheless their talent and years of experience which have brought them to such a point – talent and experience that demands compensation.

I encourage any artists, writers, musicians, or pretty much anyone out there reading this article to take their work, time, effort and talent seriously. What may appear to you as a simple ‘swoosh’ may become the most recognizable form of advertising in recent history. Do not settle on pride as the only incentive to create and publish your work – be proud from the start that you have such an amazing ability.

I still pick up a copy of the DI every day and smile with pride to see my little ‘doodles’ in the Opinions section. I smile even more every two weeks when I pick up my paycheck.

Dana Larson is a sophomore in LAS and an illustrator at The Daily Illini. Nobody told her smiling face that she isn’t getting paid for this column. She can be reached at opinions @dailyillini.com.