THIS week, supermarket behemoth Sainsbury’s felt the wrath of artists the length and breadth of the country. In what looked like a parody article from The Onion, a newspaper advert on behalf of a Camden branch asked for an artist to “volunteer their skills” in return for developing a reputation and building “particular skills”.

Woolly words aside, we’re not talking about a doodle on a wall here – they were soliciting for someone to refurbish their canteen, with not a dime on offer. The only remuneration was “exposure” and the honour of contributing to their “success”.

All this from a company who paid their CEO a hefty £1.5 million last year.

Understandably, this didn’t go down well, and their PR department have subsequently spent all week copying and pasting the same sheepish response.

Having spent the majority of my adult life in the creative industries, I’ve watched artists of all types get shafted by people who don’t want to pay for their skills. Mention spec work to any artist and you’ll likely get a first-hand account of being given the run-around by someone who wants the world from you, without having to put their hand in their pocket.

Why is this such a problem?

Frankly, the arts make the world a better place. They make us laugh, make us think, please us, move us, and motivate us and challenge us. The arts are how we respond to and engage with the world around us. Artistic output is a resin-cast of a moment in time, capturing cultures, life experiences, feelings, thoughts and moods. Without the creative industries, we might as well be living in a hermetically sealed plastic box, devoid of any stimulus or response. What sort of life would that be? Fine if you’re a piece of steak, not so great if you’re a human being and consider your time on this earth to be something more than a journey from A to B.

Take a moment to look around you. Everything man-made in your environment is the product of someone’s creative vision. Everything from the building you’re standing in, to the curve of your coffee cup, to the elastic holding your pants up: they’re all someone’s time and ideas. Others’ creativity underpins the fabric of the human experience. Without it, it would be pretty much nothing but death and taxes.

Not paying for creative work is an unethical nightmare. This goes beyond just the visual arts. It stands for make-up, comedy, music, poetry, hair, architecture and everything in between. To save yourself of a Sainsbury’s-style public embarrassment, here’s a handy list to refer to the next time you’re thinking of procuring something arty:

It’s a job

If you’re deluded enough to think a fresco on the wall of a staff canteen is going to produce the next Frida Kahlo, think about how many pivotal people are going to see it. Exposure is a rubbery term – in the arts, it means “I’m not going to pay you”. No one will fall for your promise of an amazing opportunity, because it doesn’t exist. “Being seen” is not a substitute for money, and the last time I checked landlords don’t actually accept it. Financial security is the number one concern for most creatives – most have to do other work to make ends meet. As we live in a capitalist society, and not a Star Trek world based on trade, treaties and figure-hugging spandex, things cost money. Don’t contribute to someone else’s poverty by being cheap.

No, you can’t try before you buy

Hosting a competition isn’t a solution either. In recent years, entire business models have sprung out of crowdsourcing creative work. These design mills require huge investment on the creator’s part, for no guarantee of work in return. Asking an artist to create something before you commit, via a competition or otherwise, is like going to a restaurant, not paying and promising to come back if you like the food. In any other area of work, this sort of bartering would see you swiftly ejected and blacklisted for the rest of eternity.

Not paying devalues a profession

As a friend once said, “yir no a carpenter because yi just f*** aboot wi wid”. Anyone can call themselves a photographer or a designer or an illustrator; but if you’re not willing to pay for a professional you will not get professional quality work. And if you are not confident enough in their abilities in the first place, then you need to look at why you’re hiring them.

You also won’t be able to input to the process or ask for revisions. If the artist draws a jotter-style anatomically inaccurate penis on your wall, you’re going to have to live with it. You get what you pay for, and if you don’t pay for it, you get a significant helping of risk.

Just because it seems fun, doesn’t mean it is

Remember when you passed your driving test, and offered to give lifts because it was fun to do? Think about how quickly that novelty wore off. Just because the job looks like fun doesn’t mean it wasn’t a total headache to produce. When you’re paying for creative work, you are buying an artist’s time and ideas. Contrary to popular belief, there is no magical font of endless brilliance to drink from. Ideas require research, revision and a lot of effort to see through to a finished work. Don’t assume your face/website/canteen wall is going to be such a career highlight that it’s worth doing for free.

You’re investing in the future of the arts

It’s no secret that creative work requires a leap of faith on behalf of the artist. Unless you come from a privileged background, or have somehow come into money, you’re likely to be working with little financial security. There are no workplace pensions, no sick days, and no guaranteed wages at the end of the month. To put up with such economic uncertainty and still find the time to create something is already a labour of love: don’t make it worse by offering nothing in return. The arts are poorly funded as it is. Investing in creative skills makes the industry healthier, and encourages more brilliant people to keep doing what they do.

And one final suggestion to Sainsbury’s: if you’re having second thoughts about the mural, I’ve thought of another way to boost staff morale. Maybe you could try paying them more than £7.36 an hour? Just a thought.