Bye, bye Instagram - hello from my life. How did it happen?

It all started with a radio interview I was supposed to give back in October. After being asked again if I wanted to read through a 500-page comic and talk about it, someone spontaneously dropped out this week, so I could just come along. I found that a bit strange, since I'm working and not sitting at home twiddling my thumbs. That means I have a day off. Read the book, prepare, drive there, do the interview, drive back. Day over. Then I thought about asking about payment, since it hadn't been mentioned, and I was told that everyone was doing it for free with joy and passion, and I was apparently the only one who didn't want to be on the radio without pay. That's a strange mentality. 2025 tops everything that artists, authors, illustrators, and comic creators have to put up with. So I'm supposed to cancel my job, run to the radio, talk about a work and an author, share my knowledge, without getting paid. Because: I'm on the radio, after all. 0+0=- daily rate.

Illustration bye, bye Instagram. copyright Gottlieb.

It's no wonder so many creatives lose their nerve and gradually disappear. Where is the appreciation? The appreciation for people who share their knowledge. And how the hell am I supposed to pay my bills?

This isn't a humanitarian event where I'm collecting donations for people in need, but rather a public broadcaster that wants it to be free. Although such organizations should serve as role models.

Illustration What I eat in a day. copyright Gottlieb

The disregard and appreciation of creative people in Germany reached another peak in 2025. Cuts and savings are being made as much as possible, but it is consumed every day by the people of our country. Since comic artists in Germany don't even get an advance like authors who write children's books, creative books, or novels - that means they spend years working for free out of intrinsic motivation, only to then be consumed by readers (if they're lucky) - and then of course they're supposed to make radio interviews, illustrations, and other ideas they have available for free - because that's reality. Because then you hear yourself speak on the radio. I then briefly wondered how anyone could come up with the idea that it's so great to hear yourself speak on the radio, and then it dawned on me: It's the age of Instagram, of absolute self-expression. And you can have it 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, for free.

Why should we pay creative professionals like lawyers or doctors when we get everything for free - as the social media world shows us.

It just showed me again how exploited I am, how little appreciation I often receive, how hard I have to fight for fair compensation as a creative, and that now, after 20 years of struggle, I simply won't work for free anymore, unless it's volunteer work. And I think we should all join forces on this—after all, our work is just as valuable as everyone else's. What would a world be without graphic design? Gray.

Bye, bye und bis zum nächsten Mal!