# What terms should I use for internet artists who are unpaid without negative implications of amateur? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 22, 2023, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-terms-should-i-use-for-internet-artists-who-are-unpaid-without-negative-implications-of-amateur/994996 "2023-12-22T17:13:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2023, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-terms-should-i-use-for-internet-artists-who-are-unpaid-without-negative-implications-of-amateur/994996/41 "2023-12-23T16:55:56Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > But I don’t write to publish - it would be nice someday, but that’s not why I do it. As a writer friend once put it to me, “I would write if I was stranded on the moon.” You really are a good writer, why don’t you start a thread some time on " paragraphs from a book we are working on" Just post one or two paragraphs. I have the opposite problem, I love to write but I am a terrible writer, so I really do write like I am stranded on the moon. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2023, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-terms-should-i-use-for-internet-artists-who-are-unpaid-without-negative-implications-of-amateur/994996/42 "2023-12-23T18:10:31Z")
Outsider ---
**Author:** ![ColdBrew50](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9a140/32.png) [@ColdBrew50](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ColdBrew50)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2023, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-terms-should-i-use-for-internet-artists-who-are-unpaid-without-negative-implications-of-amateur/994996/43 "2023-12-23T20:22:15Z")
Artist. I don’t see the need for a qualifying adjective. Look back at the example of “musician”: all the time, especially on the internet, people describe themselves or others as “semi-pro” or “full-time professional” musician. I still don’t know what that means. In my experience a “pro” spends a _lot_ of time teaching, or selling books about teaching, and in some cases probably spends as much time on stage as a “weekend warrior.” Or they’re on the road 340 days a year living out of a suitcase or a glorified van by the river. That’s a “pro” but very different lifestyles. You’d have to look at their 1040SE forms to see what’s what. IMHO none of those are useful terms, so I’d stick to the neutral “artist.” Any further inquiries should be directed to their accountant. ---
**Author:** ![Oooklout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ba8739/32.png) [@Oooklout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oooklout)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2023, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-terms-should-i-use-for-internet-artists-who-are-unpaid-without-negative-implications-of-amateur/994996/44 "2023-12-25T08:47:04Z")
I like ‘side-earnings’ or side-income’ for the actual money from a ‘side-project’. Pretty neutral. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2023, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-terms-should-i-use-for-internet-artists-who-are-unpaid-without-negative-implications-of-amateur/994996/45 "2023-12-25T18:57:12Z")
Rather than labeling the artist, you could label the product: “Non-monetized content”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-terms-should-i-use-for-internet-artists-who-are-unpaid-without-negative-implications-of-amateur/994996.md?page=2)