Microstock, Stress, and Creativity

The stress of the photography industry, including the conditions of working in microstock, can negatively affect a photographer’s creative drive and mental health. However, photographers that find smart opportunities in stock can see their creativity soar.

Every person working in an artistic field knows how important finding a creative spark is to creating good work. Hard work, practice, and training are important, but creativity is what helps photographers create unique work that stands out.

Some artists compare creativity to a muscle. Like a muscle, it must be exercised through regular practice and nourished through inspiration and creative input. Also like a muscle, the creative drive can be over-exhausted and strained, which not only affects a photographer’s ability to do good work, but also their mental health.

Any aspect of a creative’s life can cause stress and creative blocks. However, it is often the conditions of the photography industry itself, including working in microstock, that cause stress and mental health problems. The stock industry can also provide opportunities for developing one’s creative muscles, but only if photographers figure out a way to make it work for them instead of the other way around.

?

The Link Between Creative Industries and Mental Health

While there is a stereotype of the “tortured artist” or the “moody photographer,” it is untrue that creatives are inherently more prone to mental health problems than people working in other professions. To disprove this stereotype, the Indian Journal of Psychiatry conducted a study comparing writers, musicians, and the general population and found that there is no significant difference in mental health problems reported among creatives or the general populace.

However, this study was conducted in 2007. Since then, scientific research in other parts of the world has found a higher risk of mental health problems among people working in creative industries. A study conducted by Ulster University and the charity Inspire found that creatives working in Northern Ireland are three times as likely to report mental health problems as the general population. Similar research conducted by researchers from The Centre for Social Impact Swinburne in Australia, focusing specifically on creatives in the live music and performance industry, also saw elevated levels of mental health problems among creatives compared to the general population.

Looking at social factors can help us understand why so many creatives are struggling with their mental health. In recent years, more and more psychologists are moving towards a social model of understanding mental illness, or looking at societal aspects as potential factors in a person’s mental health challenges. Social position, low income, trauma, and other unfavorable social circumstances make a person more vulnerable to mental illness.

In the past 20 years, the structure of most creative industries has changed drastically. The financial crisis in 2008, increasing digitalization, a decrease in traditional funding sources, and other factors mean that creative careers are far more precarious than they used to be. The precarity and stress affects the mental health of those working in these industries, in turn impacting their ability to do creative work. In both of the studies of creative workers mentioned above, people listed the high cost of living, low income, irregular working conditions, and burnout as causes of their anxiety or depression. The conditions of work in creative industries are directly linked to the mental health challenges of people working in it.

?

How Microstock Can Contribute to This Problem

The challenges creatives in general face affect photographers as well. In informal surveys and on social media, photographers report elevated levels of stress, depression, and anxiety, in part because of the increasing precariousness of the industry.

The conditions of microstock are part of the reason why many photographers are feeling more anxious. Photographers earn money through microstock by publishing large batches of photos which they add to the agency’s collections, where they can be licensed for low fees. Paul Prescott shared that during his time working in microstock, the royalties he earned per image decreased drastically. “For one photo I got 38 cents, then I would get 10 cents. That’s nearly four times less, and the algorithms changed so that my photos and videos that were bestsellers started to disappear,” he said.

For Paul, a travel photographer who used his stock earnings to finance his trips, microstock began making less financial sense. “Previously I could travel to a different country, do a photoshoot, come back, then get my money back and more, but gradually as the royalties went down I wasn’t getting any return on investment,” he said.

With such low fees, the only way to earn money through microstock is by uploading large batches of content, including photos and videos, to stock agencies. This pressure to constantly shoot and upload new content also causes stress and can negatively impact creativity. Instead of working on developing their skills, photographers are focusing on shooting in bulk, which leaves many creatives feeling stuck. “In those days it was shoot, upload, get your check, shoot, upload, get your check, so it kind of became a rat race, always trying to do more,” Paul adds.

In studies of mental health in creative industries, one of the main factors creatives reported in their mental health problems was feeling as if their work was not valued. The low prices that many microstock agencies offer photographers makes many photographers feel as if their skill and efforts are not appreciated. “When you take a photo, it’s a part of you that you’re giving out to the world, and there’s a bit of ego inside there and people have to feel confident,” Paul explains. When stock agencies act as if they do not value the work that photographers put out, it can affect their self-confidence and resilience, important factors in maintaining mental health.

Even the most successful microstock photographers sometimes experience burnout and stress. Reezky Pradata is a marketing professional and full-time stock photographer with approximately seven years of experience in the microstock industry before he joined Amazing Aerial. However, he admits that he found the initial transition to full-time photography difficult to navigate, especially in periods where his income fluctuates, and sometimes feels stuck creatively. “This feeling of being stuck can be frustrating, as I occasionally struggle to figure out what themes or concepts to focus on next,” he says. By working on shifting his perspective, he’s managed to turn even these blockages into ways to develop his creativity long-term. “I see them as opportunities to grow,” he explains.

?

The Positive Impact of Stock on Creativity

It is also worth looking at the positive effect that working in microstock can have on creatives and their mental health. Many creatives have found positive validation in stock, especially at the beginning of their career—even many established photographers today made their first sales through microstock. Learning that you can make a living through your creative work can have a positive boost on confidence.

Others have learned to navigate the stock industry to create a career where they can work independently, which is one way to preserve your creative drive and mental health even in a changing industry. For Paul, working in stock gave him greater freedom when planning his photos. “It gave me a lot of freedom, whereas when you’re working directly with clients they might have more expectations,” he says. “Stock actually gave me creative freedom to do what I wanted and just see my photo sales grow.”

Other photographers have figured out ways to make microstock work for them. For Reezky, transitioning from marketing to microstock helped him develop his creativity. “As a microstocker, I now feel a greater sense of freedom in expressing my creativity and setting my own schedule,” he explains.

Having the freedom to showcase the beauty of his home country of Indonesia has also been a rewarding experience. “One of the aspects I truly enjoy about this field is capturing the beauty and diversity of Indonesia,” he says. “I have become more confident in traveling to explore Indonesia’s stunning beauty without worrying about financial constraints, as I can monetize my travel documentation through microstock.”

Reezky has been able to build such a successful career because he’s found ways to make the stock industry work for his career goals. “I’ve learned that making stock work for me isn’t just about uploading large volumes of images—it’s about strategy and understanding the market,” he says. This insight allows him to strategize which images he shoots and photo trips he plans, opting for content that is not just visually stunning, but also commercially viable. “By taking this approach, I’ve managed to avoid the trap of low prices and oversaturation,” he adds. Careful planning and building smart business insights may not be what most photographers dreamed of doing when they embarked on this career, but it can go a long way to mitigate the stresses that arise from being part of an unstable industry.

Paul made the stock industry work for him by transitioning to exclusively working in premium stock. Premium gave him a renewed lift in his creativity by making it easier to earn a living wage and even helped him find pleasure in different parts of the creative process than earlier. “I felt a sense of relief that I didn’t have to be in the rat race, I could do a lot more curation and there’s a lot more pleasure in editing,” he says, since premium stock photos sell for higher royalties and require smaller portfolios.

That is part of the reason why Paul founded Amazing Aerial Agency, which focuses exclusively on premium offerings. The higher revenues, which value the work that photographers put in, allow Amazing Aerial team members to focus more on developing their shooting and editing to a higher level, and gives them space to take more pleasure in their craft. Amazing Aerial also connects photographers to publishing opportunities in world-renowned magazines, which is the type of recognition many photographers seek as validation for their creative work.

Even experienced microstock photographers such as Reezky are switching to premium stock. By joining Amazing Aerial, Reezky is pushing his gorgeous photos of Indonesian landscapes to a premium audience as well, which is not only a smart business strategy to diversify his income stream, but also ensures that his creations get the recognition they deserve.

Falling into the cycle of creating work for low prices, the way many do when working in microstock, can impact a photographer’s mental wellbeing and in turn their ability to produce creative work. The general precarity of the photography industry is also taking a toll on the wellbeing of its workers. However, with the right know-how and by making savvy choices, photographers can make microstock work for them and make themselves more resilient to mental health challenges.