Labor of Love
For the first time, I submitted my carvings to the Arts and Craft Show of Montgomery County Agricultural Fair. I won one 6th place, one 3rd place, and three 1st place Blue Ribbons. One of the 1st place carvings even earned a Champion Rosette. I only found out there are cash rewards attached to the ribbons later.
Guess what? The Champion Rosette pays $10, 1st place is worth $4, 3rd place is $3, and the 6th place is a whopping $1.50! Friends and family all congratulate me on the awards. Upon hearing about the cash prizes, nobody can not laugh about it. "So, your pay rate is a penny an hour?" a friend teases.
These wood and gourd carvings are part of what I made for a group art show a couple months ago. After carving the gourds, I colored the cuts with seal paste. Because of the consistency of the mixture, it is impossible to transfer it with a brush. I applied it bit by bit with a tool I fashioned from a bamboo stick. I have to reshape the tool over and over as it wears out during the process. I logged the time for coloring one of the gourds: it took over 15 hours. That is for coloring alone. Before that, there was designing, drawing and carving. After that, there is cleaning, sealing and finishing . . .
The gourds sat beautifully in a display case with a title and a price. People admire their beauty and intricacy, but they gawk at the prices. Nobody approached me with an interest to buy.
One time I volunteered at the County Fair, some passer-by offered me $5 for a comb I made and kolrosed. He said," I want to give it to my mom. I could have made it myself. Since you have one right here, I thought I will just take it off your hands." My fellow carvers sitting near me were shocked by the generous offer. "If so, why don't you go home and make one like it yourself? I am sure your mom will be even more pleased that it is personally made by you." I retrieved the comb from the gentleman's hand politely.
I remember having a conversation with some people about Aikido seminars. At one point, someone blurted out, "Why do instructors deserve being paid so much money? We already cover their traveling expenses and meals. What do they have to do anyways? They are mostly just walking around while we practice!"
I find it interesting that people never question why doctors charge what they charge for an office visit of ten or fifteen minutes. What does it take for doctors to put on a white coat to yap their mouths anyways?
It is true that, during an Aikido seminar, the students probably work harder than the instructor. But, can you imagine how many thousands of hours of practice an instructor has to put in before (s)he gets invited to "walk around on the mat"? Ever think about how many hours of studying it took for Picasso to become Picasso? Did Yo-yo Ma just pick up a cello and started playing in a concert? Gregory Hines innately knew how to dance?
Art takes a lot of time and effort. Yes, artists are doing what they love. "Even if nobody pays you, you are going to do it anyway," many people like to say about artists. This, however, is not an excuse to not pay them for their work. They deserve appreciation and to be paid fairly. I am telling you this from my experience as a carver, an Aikido student/ instructor, a tap dance student, a former art framer, and the former executive assistant at the School of Music of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.
If you like art and believe in its value of existence in this world, please support artists.
Guess what? The Champion Rosette pays $10, 1st place is worth $4, 3rd place is $3, and the 6th place is a whopping $1.50! Friends and family all congratulate me on the awards. Upon hearing about the cash prizes, nobody can not laugh about it. "So, your pay rate is a penny an hour?" a friend teases.
These wood and gourd carvings are part of what I made for a group art show a couple months ago. After carving the gourds, I colored the cuts with seal paste. Because of the consistency of the mixture, it is impossible to transfer it with a brush. I applied it bit by bit with a tool I fashioned from a bamboo stick. I have to reshape the tool over and over as it wears out during the process. I logged the time for coloring one of the gourds: it took over 15 hours. That is for coloring alone. Before that, there was designing, drawing and carving. After that, there is cleaning, sealing and finishing . . .
The gourds sat beautifully in a display case with a title and a price. People admire their beauty and intricacy, but they gawk at the prices. Nobody approached me with an interest to buy.
One time I volunteered at the County Fair, some passer-by offered me $5 for a comb I made and kolrosed. He said," I want to give it to my mom. I could have made it myself. Since you have one right here, I thought I will just take it off your hands." My fellow carvers sitting near me were shocked by the generous offer. "If so, why don't you go home and make one like it yourself? I am sure your mom will be even more pleased that it is personally made by you." I retrieved the comb from the gentleman's hand politely.
I remember having a conversation with some people about Aikido seminars. At one point, someone blurted out, "Why do instructors deserve being paid so much money? We already cover their traveling expenses and meals. What do they have to do anyways? They are mostly just walking around while we practice!"
I find it interesting that people never question why doctors charge what they charge for an office visit of ten or fifteen minutes. What does it take for doctors to put on a white coat to yap their mouths anyways?
It is true that, during an Aikido seminar, the students probably work harder than the instructor. But, can you imagine how many thousands of hours of practice an instructor has to put in before (s)he gets invited to "walk around on the mat"? Ever think about how many hours of studying it took for Picasso to become Picasso? Did Yo-yo Ma just pick up a cello and started playing in a concert? Gregory Hines innately knew how to dance?
Art takes a lot of time and effort. Yes, artists are doing what they love. "Even if nobody pays you, you are going to do it anyway," many people like to say about artists. This, however, is not an excuse to not pay them for their work. They deserve appreciation and to be paid fairly. I am telling you this from my experience as a carver, an Aikido student/ instructor, a tap dance student, a former art framer, and the former executive assistant at the School of Music of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.
If you like art and believe in its value of existence in this world, please support artists.
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