Artists and money

There is a categorical difference between things given freely in the spirit of gift-giving (gift) and things that are sold (product).

A person gives a gifts without expecting anything in return. On the other hand, a person who sells his product does so with the expectation of receiving something in return. This something fulfills the price, a quantitative value attached to a product. A gift doesn't have a price.

The most ideal situation for an artist is he creates freely and doesn't think about making money. This is where the patronage model comes in. Not everyone will have this situation, so an obvious alternative is that the artist looks for the source of the money he needs.

There are two ways the artist, who doesn't have a patron does this:

1. He sells his art.
2. He sells other things, not his art.