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Freelancing an Art or Commodity?
- mikegioia 17y agoI think this is true even with classical art forms, like painting and photography. If your intention when creating is artistic, then what you're doing is art. If it's strictly business or for money, then it's turned into a trade, imo. I think a cobbler can create a beautiful shoe if he puts his heart into it. I also think the same guy can make a bunch of utilitarian boots for people. It's his intent and motive behind what he makes that separates it between art and commodity. I think the same is true with web design or programming.
- timwiseman 17y agoBeautiful points. If you are a professional, the job is to get results for the clients/customers and deliver value to them. Now, if that can be done in an artistic fashion (and often it can if you know what you are doing) that is so much the better, but it is secondary to getting the actual job done. To a non-programmer, hideous code that solves the right problem is better than beautiful code that solves no problem at all. That non-programmer may be wishing for beautiful refactored code later if he has to bring in someone else to write add-ons or even decides to take the plunge and learn to extend it himself, but in the present that client wants working code.