This question is coming from another post where I was asking what the intelligensia and petit bourgeoisie difference is (https://lemmygrad.ml/post/10748355)
This is a comment I left when discussing: “This one is really difficult for me to grasp, it’s probably my ignorance and lack of knowledge, but why would someone who is a small business owner that doesn’t employ any other worker be bourgeois? Are freelancers and struggling artists who are trying to get their foot in the door of an industry also in that class? I hope I don’t come off as aggressive (I just read back what I wrote and it sounds a bit like that, but I swear it isn’t :D)”
Why would this be delusions of grandeur? An artist is still selling their labour to work for those with capital are they not? Usually they are just trying to make a living wage.
Expecting art to pay a living wage is a misunderstanding of its use value. If an artist wants a living wage they have to get a job making art for the man. (become a proletarian) Or do commissioned work (become a petit bourgeoisie) but managing a business is hard work and the market is extremely competitive because there is not much demand.
if they work for a wage, yes. freelance artists control their own labour (they control price of product, their hours etc), which is why they are considered bourgeois.