I’ve noticed there’s a strange entitlement that has crept into the way people interact with artists online. Somewhere along the way, the idea took hold that if an artist shares their work publicly, they are automatically signing up to explain every step, answer every question, and respond on demand.
That simply isn’t true.
Artists choose what they share. Full stop. If someone posts a finished piece, they are not obligated to show the process. If they share part of their process, they are not obligated to reveal all of it. If they answer one question, that does not create an open invitation to answer a hundred more. Every bit of information an artist shares is a choice—not a debt being repaid.
Time, knowledge, and experience are not public property. Most artists have spent years developing their skills. That knowledge didn’t appear overnight, and it certainly wasn’t handed to them on demand by strangers. Expecting someone to package that up and deliver it instantly, for free, simply because you asked, is unreasonable.
And yet, I see this constantly. I’ve watched questions be fired off without even a glance at the caption (where the answer often already is). Information that’s already been clearly provided gets ignored. Websites with detailed answers go unread. Instead, people jump straight to the comments and demand a response—often immediately. When that response doesn’t come fast enough, or at all, the tone can turn sharp. Impatient. Sometimes outright rude.
Then there’s the accusation I see thrown around far too easily: “gatekeeping.”
Historically, “gatekeeping” referred to institutions that controlled access to industries or platforms. In recent years, the term has been diluted and overused online, often applied to individuals simply choosing not to share parts of their process.
Refusing to give away your process is not gatekeeping.
Choosing not to explain your methods, your materials, or your techniques does not make you a “gatekeeper” hoarding power. It means you are setting boundaries around your own labor. The term was meant to describe people barring the doors to entire industries, not individuals choosing to keep parts of their work, their own process, to themselves.
No one walks into a restaurant and demands the exact recipe behind a signature dish, expecting the chef to hand it over on the spot. In the culinary world, we call that a trade secret. In the art world, we’ve started calling it a moral failing. No one insists that a business disclose every detail of how their product is made just because they’re curious. Yet artists are expected to do exactly that—and criticized when they don’t.
Artists do not have time to spend the entire day answering the same questions over and over again. That is time taken away from the actual work that pays the bills and keeps a practice alive. Even when clear information is provided—on websites, in captions, in pinned posts, or in FAQs—it is often ignored. The same questions keep coming in regardless, and the expectation that an artist should repeat themselves endlessly because someone else couldn’t be bothered to look is entitlement at its worst. To then brand that artist a “gatekeeper” simply for valuing their own time and boundaries is a complete distortion of the word.
Artists do not owe you all of their time.
There is a difference between generosity and obligation. Many artists enjoy sharing tips, insights, and behind-the-scenes glimpses. That’s a generous choice, and it adds value to the creative community. But it remains a choice. The moment it becomes an expectation, or worse, a demand, it crosses a line.
Respecting artists means respecting their boundaries. It means reading what’s already been provided before asking for more. It means understanding that silence is not rudeness—it’s often just someone being busy. It means accepting that not every question will be answered, and not every process will be explained.
It also means recognising how one-sided the interaction often is. People skip past the caption, don’t follow, don’t engage, don’t support the post in any way, and still jump straight to demanding more information. It’s a one-sided exchange where the expectation is to take more, while giving nothing back.
Most importantly, it means recognising that artists do not owe anyone their time, their knowledge, or their expertise. Anything they choose to share beyond their work itself is a bonus—not a right.
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