William Deresiewicz is the author of The Death of the Artist: How Creators are Struggling to Survive in the Age of Billionaires and Big Tech.
That title says it all and lays the groundwork for this episode of The Art Biz.
In this conversation, Bill and I explore how the digital landscape has transformed the livelihoods of individual creators, presenting both challenges and opportunities.
Bill shares his insights on the evolution of the artist’s role over the centuries—moving from artisan to bohemian, then to professional, and now to what he calls a ‘producer’ in our modern gig economy.
We delve into the realities artists face today, including discoverability, financial instability, and the ever-growing need to balance creative work with self-promotion and business savvy.
A key theme in our dialogue is the importance of community support among artists. Despite the fierce competition and market pressures that come with this new digital era, Bill emphasizes the necessity of adapting and embracing the opportunities the internet provides.
Being part of a supportive community of like-minded artists, like our Art Biz Connection, can truly help you navigate this landscape.
Listen
A selection of Bill’s published works.
William Deresiewicz Quotes
“The good news is that you can do it yourself. And the bad news is that you have to. ”
“… money is part of the arts because it’s part of everything.”
“[T]he internet has ushered in what I call the fourth paradigm, which is what people want to call the creative entrepreneur. And as I already said, I hate that phrase because you’re not really an entrepreneur.”
“ … the genius, the solitary hero, the … creator uncorrupted by money is still what we have. And … those are wonderful ideals and I think they’re good things to aspire to. But you also have to have a very clear understanding of what the practical, tangible financial realities are.”
“ … the platforms [are] sucking all the money out of the arts.”
Bill’s talk for the Family Action Network on the topic of his bestseller, Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life.
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About My Guest
William Deresiewicz is an award-winning essayist and critic, a frequent speaker at colleges, high schools, and other venues, and the author of five books including the New York Times bestseller Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life, which was published in a 10th-anniversary edition in May 2024.
His most recent book is The End of Solitude: Selected Essays on Culture and Society. His current project is a historically informed memoir about being Jewish.
Follow Bill on Twitter: @WDeresiewicz
3 thoughts on “The Internet Might Be Ruining Artists’ Livelihoods with William Deresiewicz (ep. 205)”
WOW! That interview did not leave the artists with much hope. I am an older artist living in Costa Rica where the national artists are struggling and the expat artists are passed over.
Jan: Yes, I’m afraid that’s a different book. Don’t shoot the messenger. Bill (and I) just want artists to be realistic about opportunities. As he said, we tend to avoid talking about the realities of needing money.
Hello , my name is Cathleen J Flynn! I have spent these past 5 years or maybe even longer I think than that, on hand creating every illustration I have for my first book! I spent many hours to make every illustration as best as I possibly can!! One was even put on the NASA site with my name and they loved this illustration I created! Basically I had to research all about natural disasters and different parts of our planet! I even have a cliffhanger at the end! Now with all of this technology taking off I am afraid my work is coming along a bit too late, am I correct? This book is for children, but I think adults will love it too! I had to save to buy all of my frames and each illustration will be put in a 16 by 20 frame and double mat boarded! The world is changing and in this book I have every child I loved in my book who are extremely intelligent in my book I have created. Basically these children are trying to save mankind! They need to fly to another planet 🌎 in which they are hoping to get along with who ever or what ever is on this planet! I spent many many hours learning about the planets and I made a name for the planet that these children are going to fly through space to save mankind in hopes to make friends with these other species! I basically draw an illustration and then I write and then I spend many hours creating another illustration and then write again! All of the time money and effort I have put into my first book ,( I even had a bunch of placemats made so the children who like my book can buy them! I also saved and just had all of my illustrations duplicated , in the hopes that the value of my originals will go up! I have a brother who lives in Seattle Washington and he had originally gone there to make 3D games, in which he did for five years and now he is and engineer at Facebook! Bottom line is he has a girlfriend of a long time that he use to work with making 3D games. So once I am able to hopefully publish my first book then his girlfriend is going to get a good group of people to make 3 D games out of my first book and then the sequel! My fear now is, since I have put so much money into all my art materials and spent so much time creating the first book,( I am not publishing till the sequel is almost completed , because my rent will go up even higher), bottom line is all I have done and in between creating everything I was run over by a car! So I am having to see a lot of doctors and I have one or 2 surgeries to be done and in between trying to get better I am still slowly devoting my time on finishing up both books! Now my place I live in by myself because my oldest son died and my youngest son is out there with a wife working for computer companies in the sales department! After he was in the army for four years and after he was chosen by a college to go on the exchange program overseas, he then received a scholarship to finish and get a degree at Northern University in Boston! After seeing Bill Gates latest documentary about how AI is taking over in so many ways, my question to U is all I have been thriving for so I can leave something behind before I pass away, does this come down to I have just wasted a few years of my life because technically is moving so quickly now and computer companies now R basically taking away what I have always been loved for is my artistic abilities, now that AI has become much better, What I am asking is my dream to late to evolve because I am not a rich person at all! I have had opportunities throughout my life and have always sold my artwork to many people. Now that I am older and I believe I am good at what I have been creating! Is this now just a fantasy or a waste of time? I would appreciate a true response! Thank you for reading my questions here! I still will finish all I have started , I am just afraid that AI is taking away my chance to shine one last time! Thank U once again! Cathleen Flynn!