Tesla CEO Elon Musk said his company would be laying off around seven percent of its workers last Friday, announcing the news in an email. The road ahead for the company is “very difficult,” he said in the email, as the “tiny profit” he hopes to gain this quarter is unable to justify the 30 percent expansion in the company’s workforce last year.

After slicing prices by $2,000 this month and posting sales that were less than expected from the last quarter of the previous year, the company’s value in the stock market dropped. Musk lamented that “our products are too expensive for most people.” In addition, he told Tesla employees the company must “work harder” to compete with car companies that have been around for decades.

“Tesla has only been producing cars for about a decade and we’re up against massive, entrenched competitors,” the email stated.

According to numbers posted in a tweet last October, Tesla employs 45,000 people, which means that some 3,150 people will be laid off if seven percent are fired. He admitted that the company has had “no choice but to reduce full-time employee headcount by approximately 7 percent … and retain only the most critical temps and contractors.”

Despite delivering over 245,000 electric vehicles in 2018, an exponential growth that almost matches all the years up to then, production was significantly less than the goal of 500,000 vehicles. This was set in 2016 based on advance orders for its Model 3. Tesla has to increase production of the vehicle, which sells for $44,000, Musk said. Tesla has to “reach more customers who can afford our vehicles.”

In addition, he said, “Attempting to build affordable clean energy products at scale necessarily requires extreme effort and relentless creativity, but succeeding in our mission is essential to ensure that the future is good, so we must do everything we can to advance the cause.” Similar to General Motors, Volkswagen and Nissan, Tesla has put into motion plans to begin manufacturing in China. Tesla is planning to begin producing its Model 3s there by the end of 2019.

Most tattoo shops will have you put down a deposit and give you a consultation so that you can ensure that you get the work that you want to be done. They even allow you to choose your artist, but apparently, this person was quite upset when they got to know their artist a little better.

The fact that he was a convicted felon seems to be a big issue. And because of this, they felt they deserved special treatment and a refund.

It is always nice when you treat yourself for your birthday. And if you’re into art, having a special commission done is a great way to do this. But when you reach out to the artist, you have to understand that they are going to charge you even if it is your birthday.

We’re sure there are some artists out there that would give you a little bit of a discount, but when you’re only paying $20, it seems like a big ask of the artist to give you a 50% discount.

There are many artists out there, especially photographers, that put their work up on their website so that future clients can see what they can do. It is also not unheard of to have clients reach out and see if they can use their photos on their page.

Many of them will agree to let you use them, but they still require you to give them credit for their work. This isn’t a crazy ask, but apparently, this person feels that it is.

Reaching out to an artist to see if they can do you a piece of art is a nice gesture. That is if you’re willing to pay them for their hard work. If you’re someone who is looking for a free drawing, then you may end up getting a piece as this person did.

Though it seems a little mean to drag the process out when you weren’t intending on actually doing the art for the person, it still seems fitting as perhaps this person was tired of getting asked to do work for free.

Finding an artist who really speaks to your tastes, especially when you have a unique ask, is always nice. So when this person found someone who is willing to do some pagan artwork, they thought they had scored.

Unfortunately, when they were asked to pay for the work, things got a little heated. And all of a sudden, that bond became something completely different. And it got pretty personal too!

When artists first start out, sometimes they are willing to do projects for free so that they can build their portfolios. But once someone is good enough to be asked to do a celebrity party, the freebies go out the window.

This person was stepping a little over the line. And we just hope that no makeup artists or stylists actually contacted this person who was looking to pay them nothing.

The wording of this question seems a little aggressive. First of all, you can’t ask any creative person to give up their time for nothing. Secondly, this person is right that people don’t seem to have problems paying for things that they deem worth it.

But when it comes to art, many people feel that it is not as important. For us, it’s pretty simple if a person puts time and effort into a service, so they must be remunerated.

When you are looking to get a tattoo, you want to find the best shop with artists who understand what you’re looking to have done. But many people don’t realize how much time it takes to do tattoos, even small ones, nor the price for the goods they need to do the job.

Luckily most tattoo artists will have no problem explaining this and even will stand up for themselves if need be, as this one did. It must be very frustrating for people to undervalue what you do.

The old adage, “It never hurts to try” is still appropriate, but when someone gives you a definitive answer about the price for a piece of their art, then you have to take it.

They know how much it costs to do the job. And that is why they have priced it as such. But some people don’t handle being told no very well. And then things can get out of hand and become pretty darn personal.

If you’ve been in any creative field for any length of time, you probably have developed a thick skin. So when people reach out to you looking for your talents for little to no money, you know how to handle it.

The best way to present yourself is to be steadfast in your pricing and then smile and be as polite as possible. They will either realize they need to pay you the asking price or move on.

Some artists have gotten so tired of dealing with people asking for work for free that they have developed a sarcastic response to any offer like this. It may not be funny for the person asking, but if you’re an artist of any type, you probably appreciate this person’s response.

After giving the artist gave a price, the fan stated they were broke. And so, the creative mind used their abilities to create a quick sketch that fit the price point the client could afford.

Many artists get corporate jobs so that they can make ends meet, but that isn’t necessarily where their heart lies. Doing company logos is actually a pretty well-paying job.

The fact that this company felt that they were going to get theirs for free seems a little crazy to us. Though the reaction that this artist had was priceless and a little funny, that is unless you were the person on the other end.

In this day and age, there are a lot of people looking to get art for free or rather for exposure. These people talk about the eyes that will land on the artist’s work as if it will pay their bills.

But most artists already know that this is not the case at all. Then when the artist stands up for themselves, they begin to belittle them and even, in this case, call them dispensable.

When you’re an artist, frequently giving gifts to family means giving them pieces of your artwork. This is one way to really show that you care about the people in your life. And also, it’s often less expensive than going out and buying a gift.

But just because an artist does this for their family doesn’t mean they are willing to do it for friends of the family. This person clearly doesn’t understand that and just kept harassing the artist until they had had enough.

When you’re dealing with doing artwork for influencers or other content creators, it should be understood that they will have to pay for them. Unfortunately, though, it isn’t always. And sometimes they think they can just offer a collab and not have to pay.

If this is the case, that is fine, but when someone refuses that offer and still requires to be paid, there is no reason to get mean and undermine their talent. That seems like a sore loser response.

Once you have reached out and asked for special treatment, including free work done by any artist, you should take the answer of the person to heart. Once they have turned you down and or given you the price for the work that you’re asking for, that is it.

Instead, this person chose to be rude and degrading because the artist would not do a commission for free. In fact, the way in which this person behaved is worse than a child.

OK, so the truth of the matter is most artists have to deal with being offered work for no payment at least once or twice. This can create some bitterness and, therefore, sarcasm when it comes to dealing with future issues of such a nature.

Though you should, as an artist, always be cordial and try to diffuse the situation. Occasionally, you have to snap back a bit, which is what this person did.

There are people out there who think that because they work for a place that is looked at as a public facility, they deserve special treatment. That includes expecting artists to bend over backward for them.

Take, for instance, this person who is looking for a photographer for a Christmas party and wants to offer them the ability to use pictures from the event as a marketing strategy. But just because it’s a marketing strategy doesn’t mean that it isn’t a paid gig.

We would be surprised if this person got any reply at all, seeing how the title of this gig is so offputting. The words free and commission seem to be contradicting each other.

As an up-and-coming artist, they might offer a reduced price but not getting paid for the time they spent creating a piece of work for a customer is not an option. Plus, the person who wrote this seems to be very patronizing and disrespectful.

For most artists, no matter their discipline, they will have some way to let their customers know their pricing strategy. We’re not saying that that pricing strategy is always going to be accurate, but for the most part, that is their price for their work.

Sometimes customers don’t understand why things cost a certain amount because they don’t understand the price of the materials needed. This person was just kindly letting the potential customer know and got berated for it.

Artists that work on creating products to sell offer varying prices depending on the size, especially if they’re dealing with clothes. No matter what size the customer is or who they’re buying it for, this still requires financing and, therefore, will cost something.

This person thinks that because the beanie was for a baby that there would be no cost it’s just a little naive or they were just trying to get something for nothing.

Streaming and gaming have become a big market. And so there are plenty of influencers looking for graphic artists to help them create assets and products.

Much like the influencers of other social media, sometimes they feel that they can simply offer a shout-out. And though some may be willing to do this, most graphic artists want nothing more than to get paid for their hard work. Seems fair to us.

It’s always a fun situation when the potential client questions your pricing strategy. Sometimes they think they know better than you do and try to give you advice on what you should charge for your services.

This person certainly did. And the artist’s response was to explain to them why they priced the way they do. It seems like the potential client still didn’t understand and decided they didn’t want to follow the artist anymore.

Some artists offer deals. Typically these are for things like bulk orders or certain holidays. Very rarely do artists decide that a certain person, because of their circumstances, should be the beneficiary of a deal.

This woman who wanted some ink work done thought that she would give it a try and play on her single mom card. It appears that that is not one of the reasons this artist would give anybody a deal.

It seems that it is going to be a perpetual argument for any artist to have some people value their work and time and actually pay for their services. Instead, many people just want artists to work for exposure.

But like with anything else, creating art is a job. And people do it so that they can pay their bills and live reasonably. So exposure isn’t going to really get them that far.

We’re sure there are people out there who want to have awesome art available to them at all times but just don’t want to pay for it. This is probably the answer to the question of why won’t artists draw for this person.

After all, depending on the size of the artwork, it could take several hours to get done and utilize a lot of supplies. If they don’t charge, how are they going to replenish those supplies and eat?

This almost transaction started out pretty well, including the fact that the potential client actually asked for a tattoo design and didn’t demand one. But when the tattoo artist said they would do it but that they would have to charge them, things turned South.

All of a sudden, this person was not that great at what they do and was conceited because they wanted to charge for their work. Something doesn’t quite seem right here!

Artists don’t just sit around waiting for people to contact them, they actually have a lot of work to do other than their artwork. So when you have contacted an artist, and they haven’t gotten back to you, they may just be busy.

But that doesn’t mean that the question you asked isn’t important to them, nor does it mean that you can assume that you can use any of their work for free.

Shouting out to an artist on any social media is nice, but it doesn’t quite serve much of a purpose other than maybe gaining a few followers. That is why most artists will not do free work.

So, this influencer took it upon themselves to offer the artist one penny. But hey, a deal is a deal, and you get what you pay for, so this artist delivered what he thought a penny was worth.

Sometimes when you’re young, you find a mentor and want them to help guide you so that you can be as good as they are. This is not a bad thing, but when you expect them to mentor and tutor you for free, then it becomes a problem.

In this case, the artist simply told the young person that there were tons of tutorials that he could do online for free, and suddenly the artist was being threatened by being taken out by the Japanese mafia.

It is one thing when non-artists try to get art for free, but when the culprit is artists, this seems like a sad state of affairs. Any artist should know better because they understand what goes into crafting a piece of the work.

The fact that this artist is trying to get something for free and is using advertisement as a form of payment should make them feel ashamed. We would expect better from another fellow artist.

There are many intricate steps that go into any form of artwork, including music. So when you are unsure of what you’re doing, you often reach out to artists who know their stuff, and when you do, you should expect to pay.

Unfortunately, not everybody feels that way, as you can tell by this interaction where the person looking for something free didn’t like the answer the artist gave.

It seems that one of the biggest things that most customers don’t understand is the costs. And the fact that the price also includes the time spent designing the artwork, as well as all of the expenditures that go into it, seems to go right over the top of many people’s heads.

That might be why many people think that they should get something for cheap or for nothing, even though it takes a great deal of time to execute.

If you’re looking for any professional that has any experience expecting them to work for free seems not only ridiculous but a little insulting. This person looking for a professional producer to help mix down their song should know better.

If you want someone to do this type of job for free, we are not sure that you will end up with a genuinely legit person. After all, you do get what you pay for.

Understanding an artist’s process is key to also understanding why they charge what they charge. Many artists are kind of laid back and are willing to work with you, but you have to understand where they’re coming from.

Unfortunately, this person does not understand it and seems to be insinuating that they did not do the work themselves. We think this might be a ploy to get something for nothing.

Sitting down with an artist for a consultation is usually the first step to any project. This is where you sit down and decide what you are looking for and spitball ideas. The consultation, however, is not a let’s see what you can do scenario.

This person wanted a graphic artist to create some logos, and if he liked them, then they would pay for them. That is basically asking for free work which as we’ve already established, is unacceptable.

Many artists do commissions and then also accept tips. This practice is very big when it comes to tattooing, and it is customary to give some sort of tip. Of course, these tips typically are per session and not per project.

Tips are even more important when the tattoo artist is willing to do work for free, which is almost unheard of. So the fact that this person was mad that the artist asked for a tip seems super childish to us. Grow up!

When you first look at this post, you think it is an honest question and one that is clearly done by someone who loves reading. But in a second, this question turns into a slam directed towards the artists.

Most artists do their work for the love of it, but just because they love their work doesn’t mean they don’t intend to make a living doing it. How else are they supposed to make an honest living?

If you’re lucky, you find an artist that understands that sometimes things happen, and maybe there may be a hiccup in the payment schedule. Because they have been in this situation, these artists still choose to work with you, but eventually, they do expect to get paid.

No matter if you’re using the piece of artwork or not, you still have to pay the artist, and that is what this creative was kindly saying to the person who hadn’t paid.

It’s always fun to get an artist’s rendition of yourself just so you can say that you are someone’s muse. If you’re lucky and the person is someone you know, you may be able to get it for free as a gift, but unless this is the case, they will expect some form of payment.

Of course, if you aren’t going to pay, you’re going to get what they think free means, and that may include them taking some liberties, especially if the image you give them is not complete.

Just like with any commissioned piece, most artists are willing to accept a down payment and then the rest when the project is completed. Typically a down payment consists of 50% of what the final price is.

Most artists will discuss this upfront with the client, but this person seems to be very forgetful. Their rhetoric also seems to be making the artist feel like they don’t have the money for the project in the first place.

In the past year and a half, a lot of things have changed. This includes how much people are willing to pay for a piece of artwork. The price that this artist is quoting is not really that high, but for those dealing with limited funds, it may seem a bit much.

Even though the person seems to think this is a high price, there is no reason to get mean. After all, everybody has to make money.

To get your name out and about, most artists look to market themselves. This is typically done by taking on projects and using the work from that project in their portfolio on their website. This is the only type of lead generation an artist really needs.

So the fact this person is trying to pay the photographer for free publicity and lead creation without actually paying them seems a little counter-intuitive.

One of the things that artists have to look at is how they will reach a wider audience. This is often done by finding themselves in publications, or social media feeds so that more people see their work.

Typically though, these people do get paid for being in those posts or magazines. So the fact this person is asking the artist to pay to be in the publication seems a little sketchy.

When an artist begins to sell their work, they sit down and decide how much they think they’re worth per hour and use that as a measuring stick to give quotes on what any particular piece will cost.

The artists know what they’re worth and know how long these projects tend to take. And the fact that this person is questioning the artist on how long it took them to make this piece is just childish.