Fascinating read from Marty (Off-Topic)

by kapowaz, Tuesday, August 05, 2014, 03:52 (3553 days ago) @ Leviathan

As a freelance illustrator, I can definitely understand these feelings. "Work-for-hire" is an evil word to me, and yet it's the only work I can usually get in-industry.

I'm sure it varies from industry to industry, but I can certainly empathise with a lot of what both you and Marty have said there, based on my experience in web development. Somewhat ironically, though, as I've given up more control or say in what I build, my earnings have gone up.

At the earliest stage of my career, I worked in-house with different companies; I wasn't paid very well but I had more say in how I did things. At least, that's how it seemed on the surface: in actual fact I had less say than I thought, and that was frustrating when somebody else pulled the rug from under you. But you do what have to to make ends meet.

Eventually I became a contractor, the very definition of somebody who does ‘work-for-hire’ (interesting side note: I'd never come across the term before, but it was Paul McCartney, a fellow Brit, who used it in the conversation — I'm wondering if it's just because he's been immersed in so much American culture over the years, or if I've just been living under a rock? I digress.) which often meant doing work that wasn't interesting, wasn't sensible (you could point out the potential problems but ultimately the client might tell you to just do it anyway), but ultimately… was very well paid.

I suspect a big part of that is experience level. I'm sure Paul McCartney could receive some amazing offers to work-for-hire based just on who he is, but he chooses to ignore them because, well, he doesn't need them. I'm finally in a similar position where I don't need to take every contract that comes my way, so I'm able to be a bit more particular. I'm sure that will happen for you and every other person working in a creative vocation eventually.

A lot of people who are making their way up the ladder in a creative role, or one related to video game production seem to come through DBO. I can't speak to the latter exactly, but for whatever it's worth I'd say that whilst ‘work-for-hire’ might feel dirty and wrong, it's potentially the path to something better: the freedom to be creative in the way you want, and get rewarded for it.