ArtLifting Reviews

On paper, ArtLifting seems great. The idea of supporting artists …….(“impacted by disabilities or homelessness” - this was a line you had to learn by heart to pull on client's and the team’s heartstrings, ie super exploitative and manipulative on all fronts- phony to the artists AND clients)…….. by selling their work to corporate clients is a good idea. But once hired, you realize that the entire business (which pretends to be a BCORP without proper certification, yikes) is centered around pleasing corporations like Amazon and Fox News rather than the artists, while manipulating everyone along the way. There is no trust or security here. I would say it is an unsafe space. It is unsafe because leadership uses manipulative tactics to persuade employees to work really hard for very little money thus creating a culture of burnout yielding turnover yielding insecurity yielding stress and constant fear for your job. ArtLifting can be summed up in one word: cringe. In my experience working in the corporate social enterprise space, this was the first time I felt part of something sinister, like a snake oil salesman. Working at ArtLifting, you either had to perpetuate the narrative of a “heroic mission” (once the CEO said “we look like heroes to our clients”) or bite your tongue if things felt morally wrong, which was a daily, constant feeling. ArtLifting claims to support artists (there are over 160 on the platform) yet in reality, leaves some artists financially compromised. ArtLifting’s business model is fundamentally flawed. As a team, we touched on some of these topics once in a while but it was highly illuminating when we “met an artist” on zoom who shared the financial difficulties of maintaining benefits and selling artwork through ArtLifting. It seems like that would be the FIRST thing you sort out when the entire company is based on the promise of financial success. Furthermore, we were encouraged to market the artist’s work in very patronizing language to convince clients, audiences, and contacts to feel like heroes and “life savers.” Each time we met an artist, the CEO would refer to them as “celebrities” saying “I feel like I’m meeting a celebrity!” while smiling and paying herself hundreds of thousands a year to take months worth of vacation days. In the woke era, how does this behavior fly? How do you ignore these hypocrisies? Working in a space that discourages and punishes criticism is the epitome of toxic, even culty. The culture can best be described as one of surveillance and fear. It’s like bad management 101. So prepare to have your mistakes documented and thrown in your face. If you make an error, it will not go unnoticed even if your bosses and those in power have flawed systems, lack oversight, and are plainly shortsighted. For one, the google drive is public, you can see other employees’ tax forms with their socials. There is just no oversight. Management leaves much to be desired. ArtLifting is also a place where there are no boundaries. prepare to receive phone calls and facetimes at any hour of the day including 5:00pm sharp and constant late night emails. The idea of "work" is played up as a gift, where an employee must act grateful to be working at such an "inspiring" and “UPLIFTING” organization to compensate for low pay, maltreatment, and just bizarre behavior like overcompensating with selfies and emojis on slack. We all know how much the top 2 make at this company. and let me tell you, the discrepancy is unethical. We are talking 6 figures to some employees (at a roughly ~10 person company) making in the 40s. It’s scary to call out places where we feel indebted. The culture surrounding employee-management relationships is unequal, unhealthy, and abusive. I have been inspired by friends in many fields who bravely share their negative work experiences. And these negative experiences are common and universal. And it’s a scary thing to share your side. But it’s about looking out for each other and if I had read all these things, maybe I would have known this organization was not the right place for me.