I’m So Tired

Hi [the name is not important, this isn’t really about one guy], As an artist who writes about the necessity of credit and compensation for my work, I was surprised to receive your message. It’s impossible for me to know whether you’re writing these emails yourself, although at this point there are tells. I know I turn up in searches for “creators who talk openly online about money and the creative process,” so it’s easy enough to have ChatGPT write to me on your behalf thinking that I’d be a good get for a platform about owning your own creative output. The fact is: I’m now getting 4-10 emails every day from people purporting to be enthusiastic about my work. They are not, on the whole, written by people. Mostly they want my money, often for vaguely-worded promises of exposure via fake book clubs, review-writing scams, offers to join new platforms (that’s you!), and “exciting opportunities” to exhibit at conventions that do not exist. It leads me to mistrust every kind word that…