Samu-kun wrote:
In practice, "creative equals" doesn't really work that well. It's a lot more efficient to give artists creative input, but to have creative control myself.
"Creative Equals" does not mean that no one person has control over any aspect of the creative process, and it doesn't mean that your project has to flounder in indecision forever. It means that you actually listen to your artist when they suggest things, and consider their suggestions, and in turn they'll listen when you suggest things and consider your suggestions.
You have a writer, who is in charge of doing the actual writing, but that doesn't mean that the artist can't say "have you considered that this character that you're getting me to draw is woefully under-used in your plot, they only show up for two scenes, and they don't serve much purpose; could you consider either expanding their role or writing them out entirely?" The writer listens to the suggestions and considers them, but ultimately he decides what goes into the writing. The artist respects the writer, so he doesn't get pissed off when his ideas aren't used.
You have an artist, who is in charge of doing the actual drawing, but that doesn't mean that the writer can't say "hey, wouldn't it be cool if everything had a kind of art-deco look to it, it would fit well with the setting of the story and give it a unique look". The artist listens to the suggestions and considers them, but ultimately he decides what goes into the art. The writer respects the artist, so he doesn't get pissed off when his ideas aren't used.
You seem to be suggesting that the writer side of this is a good thing, but that the artist side isn't; the artist should just draw whatever the writer tells him to draw, because the writer has a grand vision and he isn't allowed a vision at all. This, you see, is
inequality. It's treating the artist like a replaceable commodity, it's arrogant, and it pisses people off. The fact that you apparently presumed that 'creative equals' meant some pesky artist meddling with your story and couldn't mean anything else speaks volumes about you.
And frankly, if I was considering doing art for one of your projects and I heard that you considered me disposable because your own art was adequate, I'd feel pretty insulted by that, too. And not just because of the standard of your art. The way you're talking basically suggests that you
don't really respect your artists, as much as you might pretend to in public, and this is a surefire way to have them leave your project.
Samu-kun wrote:
So far in my experience with working with artists, I've had the greatest success by giving artists what they want to draw
I suspect this is because if you find an artist who already wants to draw what you want them to draw, the fact that you brook no deviation from your grand vision will be less obvious to them. They won't be trying to deviate in the first place, so it'll take them longer to realise that you don't respect them as a creator.
Samu-kun wrote:
I've found it much better when I know what my artist wants to draw, because then I can just include lots of them in the story.
So instead of treating your artist like an equal, you're treating them like a dog whose concerns and desires can be ameliorated by feeding them treats...
Samu-kun wrote:
for artists this may generally not be the case since they are the most concerned with a) what they draw and b) the technical merits of their art.
You're obviously not an artist, so I'll be blunt with you: genuine artists are not just concerned with 'the technical merits' of their work, and they're not just concerned with the subject matter - drawing is an equally creative task to writing, and you need to recognise this if you want to keep an artist happy.
Samu-kun wrote:
In terms of partnerships I've had, money generally hasn't been a factor. We both know that neither of us are going to get paid for this and both of us have already agreed that the project will be distributed for free, so there's not much point in discussing money.
You missed the point. The point is that artists also need to eat, and so if you pay them money they'll put up with a lot more than if you don't. If they're doing something for free, they want it to be fun, and it's not fun to follow someone's precise intruction and direction without any creative control of their own. They want something they can be proud of, and it's hard to be proud of something when all of your ideas have been shot down by some egotist who thinks he knows visual arts better than you do despite apparently not being able to draw himself. On the other hand, if you commission an artist for money, that's exactly how they expect to be treated, and they'll put up with it because even if it's not fun, they're getting paid.
Samu-kun wrote:
I think a large part of being professional is that we just have to swallow our pride and do what must be done without complaining.
You're confusing the two meanings of 'professional'. A large part of being a professional
as in, one who does something as a profession is swallowing our pride and doing what must be done without complaining. But that kind of professional, by definition,
gets paid. See my previous point.
The other kind of professional is what people mean when they say 'professional attitude', which means doing things in a productive and sensible manner, organising things well, not holding up other people for no reason, not acting childishly or out of spite, behaving as if you want the project to succeed. Which is fine to expect of your co-project-workers to a point, but if they're not enjoying themselves at the same time, there's no motivation for them to keep at it... and the thing I would expect someone with a professional attitude to do at that point is tell you they're quitting.
Samu-kun wrote:
(Although this is a job that both of us care enough to finish without getting paid for it.)
You're expecting your artist to care about your project without giving them any reason
to care.
And seriously - I'm being blunt, but I'm telling you these things so that you (and anyone else reading the thread) can learn from them and try and do better in the future. If I was trying to insult you, I could have done so more effectively with a hundredth of the words - so while I appreciate that it's easy to just go on the defensive, try and take this post the right way.
[EDIT: typo]