Lately, I've been particularly frustrated by the amount of Patreon bait on sites like Furaffinity and Inkbunny. This isn't just limited to Patreon. It could be SubscribeStar, Gumroad, etc. The point is, Inkbunny (and platforms like it) are brimming with these taunting ads, usually with what a creator calls a "teaser" which is just a censored version of their paid art that they post to get people interested in the content of the original image. It is a sly tactic used to pique the interest of users— and I find it very scummy. Now, before you leave a rage-induced comment about how "it's okay for hard-working artists to monetize their art", please let me explain. Paying an artist for their art is one thing, but paying them for their art and having them conflate it with "supporting them" gets on my nerves to a very high degree. When you advertise a product on a website, and I pay you for that product, I'm NOT "supporting" you. I am paying for your merchandise. If I was supporting you, I would be donating money to you to express my appreciation for your work. Paying you to see the uncensored version of a taunting teaser is not called support. It is something I must do to obtain a piece of art that is locked behind a paywall. If I buy a grape soda from Walmart, I'm not "supporting" Walmart; I am paying for something I want— and yes, I am well aware that the money I pay them for their art goes toward their living expenses. However, that does not change the definition of the term "support." If it were simply the case that they were artists looking to make a living and advertise their art to get noticed, that would be one thing, but do not suggest to your fans that them paying you for something that's behind a paywall is "support." And you might be thinking, dear reader: "But doesn't paying their living expenses support them?" Ah, yes: and I suppose paying for a Cybertruck supports Elon Musk as well. Whether I'm supporting them or not, the intention was to obtain a product, not to support them. There is a monumental difference between a donation and a transaction.
Second, I do not like users who bait their fans. This isn't so much an argument about the morality of baiting fans as it is a personal pet peeve of mine. I post art for 100% free. Always have and always will and I have a staggeringly low number of watchers, no comments, and very few likes. It makes me furious to see people who treat their fans as their own personal cash cows getting so much acclaim and praise. All that aside, I am sick and tired of scrolling through Inkbunny, FurAffinity, etc. and every other result just being blatant Patreon bait. It's loud, obnoxious, and makes me not want to support you. I don't care to see ads on Inkbunny or any other art-posting website. Leave that garbage in the descriptions where it ought to be. You need the money: I get it, but stop trying to taunt people into paying for the non-ruined version of your art. As is all this wasn't bad enough, there are several different tiers on websites like Patreon where artists will offer their higher-paying supporters more content than supporters who are subscribed to lower tiers. Uhh— what? It's a slap in the face to people who care enough to support you. Sure, you're supporting me, but you should be supporting me more, and you'll get more art. It's not about support for them: it's about monetizing their fans and then manipulating them into believing that their paid subscription is an act of support and respect— which it isn't. You people have the audacity to call this penny-picking, money-sucking VIP membership for higher-quality art and more content a gracious act of "support" while spitting in the face of lower-paying supporters, insinuating that their bronze-level tier isn't good enough, and they should be diamond-tier. This isn't support. People don't pay you more money to get more content to support you. They do it because they want more content. They aren't supporting shit. They are giving money to get something in return. You aren't fooling anyone. You should be grateful that people are paying you at all, and stop putting what you think are your higher-paying supporters on a pedestal. If you think people are paying you because they care about your passion and love your art, you should not be treating your lower-paying "supporters" as less generous and therefore not good enough for all your content. You are lucky to get a penny. And yes, I know that there are people who do genuinely subscribe to artists' pricing models to support them, but if you want to argue that everyone is just doing this out of the kindness of their hearts, then excuse me while I laugh uncontrollably. It almost feels disingenuous to taunt your users with censored versions of art, and then call getting through a paywall to obtain the uncensored version "support." What the hell do you mean?
I can't stand art bait. I would feel ashamed to taunt people with my art. Please stop supporting these people. They have no respect for their fans or the underserved support they get. Nobody is supporting you by paying for your f██ing art pack. They give something to get something. I do not want to see your ads. I do not want to see a teaser for something I can't afford. It makes you look very stuck-up, and it is almost certainly a power trip for these people.
However, I have no problem with people who advertise their art. I may get angry when people taunt their fans, but at the end of the day, artists have to make a living. However, I draw the line at this "support" bullshit. Whether or not paying the artist goes toward their living expenses and hobbies, it makes no difference because the word "support" is often used in contexts where a patron is trying to give the artist love. Whether or not the transaction leads to support is irrelevant. When you people say these patrons are supporting you, you make it look like all the people who give you their money just adore you so much when that is almost certainly not the case. I do not support people to see what they were keeping behind a paywall. I support people because I respect them. I do not (and don't have to) respect you if you post art bait. When you people use the word "support" you treat it like it equates to respect which would be true if I were supporting you and not simply trying to see the uncensored version of your art. I respect respectable people. It doesn't matter what your stance is, and I don't care either. I (as in me, personally) do NOT respect you if you make me pay for "premium" art. Whether or not it's right to feel that way is not relevant, so do not guilt trip me in the comments.
This is something that is frustrating me too, not just the whole confusing a transaction as a support thing but also having to "support" the artist more than you already did just to get extra things you wouldn't get otherwise. I've seen others compare this to paying for dlc in a videogame but there's a big difference between something extra you get to keep (and even re-use) in a game and something that you do just to see the good, non-vanilla versions of someone's art.
Then there's the thing where I've seen people who set up a Patreon instantly turn into Karens to the point where they don't even provide their art anymore, like: at all. I seriously thought some artists were dead or left for greener pastures but the reality is: They're still around but on Patreon only. Some even deleted all their art only so they could lock it all behind a paywall. I even ran into a situation where I wanted to commission a popular artist and they refused because I wasn't subscribed to their Patreon. A so-called "struggling" artist refused my money because I wasn't subscribed. Well, let's just say that they'll never get my money now- or ever.
I do have to say that some artists on here handle it better though, have some exclusive pieces that later on they release to the public for everyone so their Patreon is kind of an 'early access' type of deal. To me that does count a bit more as 'support' seeing people get to see their artwork anyways and getting the art earlier is simply an enticing little extra. (especially for those struggling with FOMO. :P)
That being said, I totally agree! And it's even worse when you go to an art-site to see artwork and all you see are censored pieces with the good versions locked away behind a paywall, that's why I'm glad some sites have a specific ban on those practices (although some try to sneakily get around those). So yeah, it's definitely frustrating. In any case, I still keep my pieces free since I just want to share my weird interests with other fellow weirdos. :3
This is something that is frustrating me too, not just the whole confusing a transaction as a suppor
Glad to see I'm not the only one who finds this frustrating. I was a little harsh when I posted this yesterday. I didn't mean to diss all artists who want to be paid for their work. I'm very glad that hard-working artists have a way to make some honest money for their art. When artists start treating Inkbunny like an ad campaign and shoving "premium" art down my throat, I get annoyed. Glad to here from you again too. Hope you are doing well. 😊
Glad to see I'm not the only one who finds this frustrating. I was a little harsh when I posted this
Yeah, I get that, everyone deserves to get paid for their work, they just shouldn't turn the website into an adhost or get snappy to potential customers (thus defeating the entire point).
And yes, I've been doing well, thank you very much. ;3 I hope you've been doing well too. ^^
Yeah, I get that, everyone deserves to get paid for their work, they just shouldn't turn the website
