Admittedly, I am a starving writer. As much as I sacrifice or search to write, I encounter difficulty in being paid as a writer. It appears this should not be an issue either since writers, authors, even typists have been paid reasonably well to create words on a blank page. To be a starving artist meant to spend days tackling the blank page with absolutely no guarantee of pay, whereas contracted writers were usually hired and paid extremely well for their work.
Freelance writing became popular and changed the way writers now write. Not only are writers available at any time, the cost to hire one seems to have come down to one or more contracted projects, and that's it! Why should businesses hire an in-house writer when one can find one readily available for a particular project at various rates. Maybe the content is not as passionate as someone who spends his or her time contemplating a subject, taking days to weeks drafting a story or informative piece on that particular subject, product, or piece of information, and then, editing it to perfection - the hardest part. When someone can do it in a shorter time without putting much effort into it, and charge a cheaper rate, businesses will usually go for that deal - particularly when projects for hire are categorized as minimal and hassle-free.
News-writing went from the privileged press to individuals catching video or audio data, and then selling it to news stations. These are the days of ever-changing technology with features that are ready-to-go, built-in, and easily e-mailed so that anyone can seemingly report anything! Any demand for those to catch a story and write a feature report on it - let alone, print it has grown relatively small; thus, the world of writing has changed.
What are writers to do, then? Perhaps write the next successful screenplay, song or book that will pay their bills for some time and then demand more. That is not so bad given that movies, music, and literature are still in demand, even though quality appears to have become watered-down.
There is no doubt that our world is changing. Not only are most of us capable of being globally connected, but we are unifying in simple ways. For example, companies like Google and Amazon are worldwide. The difference between these businesses and other multi-national corporations is that these global entities seem to have a demand which seemingly does not stop. They are almost like Apple Products, with their large, loyal base. Why? Because these companies not only appear to provide superior products, but may also provide superior service as well.
As jobs appear to be outsourced from main consumer areas - except for service, demands for products can grow elsewhere when such items are introduced to newer markets. This not only results in changes, but it also builds preferences among various cultures. Surely businesses are going to look for new customers in different global areas, but should past consumers be looking at their track record? After all, how long will these businesses stay loyal in providing great products and services? Surely some will simply flee to newer areas to pursue business, without recognizing any particular caps. In fact, many banks are currently discovering this on their quest to capitalize the world with different types of consumption, as well as in trying to forecast emerging markets - rather, the lack of them. Perhaps these types of businesses really are just a source of exploitation and merely use the reselling of cheap labor at an incredibly ridiculous price.
As with writers, we are being outsourced for cheaper labor; thus, resulting in cheaper products. In fact, are there any real thoughts going into news articles, reports, or information, even if it is simply through social media outlets? It appears everyone has a voice now, but with regards to reliable information, who is really reporting the news? Is it freelancers risking their lives to get paid for a ground-breaking story? And, how much is that worth? It is definitely NOT worth a few hundred dollars a project if it involves risking one's life, like that of American journalist, Steven Sotloff; although, it is up to the writer to take that risk, and depends on that one particular story, I suppose.
Perhaps that is why focus in the U.S. tends to be mainly on Entertainment News and Celebrity Gossip, factoring in population cohorts of course! After all, no information appears to be more reliable than that which comes from those who hunt it down and will get hundreds of dollars from corporate networks for the information. A feature story is no longer about people and events in which ordinary people wish to relate to, but about celebrities and Reality T.V. actors who are first polished to act in perfection, and then end up being followed because they continue to make mistakes, or fall messily out of love once domestic life has settled in. Once again, another cheap product that is paid the most for due to a seemingly value of worthiness in which it is not.
Newsworthy stories may no longer make headlines, or an honest report for that matter. Gone are the days when integrity reigned far and true, for it was replaced by cheap labor and sold to the highest bidder. That is business, after all; owners are not into it for communal service and contribution, as was once stated on a comment on Facebook. They are in it merely for profits and ratios. There is no such thing as a freebie unless something is given with the intent of helping someone else and having no expectations for anything in return - at all!
Until those days come back when a so-called brew was crafted for perfection, sold for taste and marketed for quality, the world will continue to see watered-down news, photography and art. There may still be places where one can find true art and passion, but it is unfortunately far and few.
Starving Artists by sdlizlivestyle is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at sdlizlivestyle.blogspot.com.
