“It's absurd to think about how many internships are still unpaid, and how elitist and morally corrupt it is to hire unpaid and underpaid labor." Pg. 15
As Drew explains her experiences with working at internships, this quote stuck out to me in particular. This is something I always thought of and it has also angered me because I've gone through a similar experience. I worked for a film company
for an entire summer a few years ago and I had to organize files, make calls and go out into the city to pick up orders for equipment. For these three months, I was paid nothing and I felt like I was doing an insane amount of work just to have "experience". Since I am a media arts major, I feel like I witness this unfair treatment a lot in the industry. People get overworked for either low or no pay at all but it's considered okay because they now have something to put on their resume. I really appreciate that Kimberly Drew added this call out in her book because it's nothing but the sad truth.
"His pieces helped me think about how I could bring tenderness to my work and that I didn’t have to divorce myself from my own identity" Pg. 33
While referencing Gonzalez-Torres' art and its impact on her and how she views her own work, I thought she made a beautiful point. Anybody can create art and have it be an extension of themselves. Reflecting their happy moments, struggles, love etc. I think the idea of art having to be easily commercialized and "aesthetically" pleasing is what stops people from creating art. They are afraid to be vulnerable and honest, to create something that is "ugly" and in this, they stop themselves from creating something that means something to them and reflects who they are.
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