Comment by bitwize

I think I've found a secret -- One Weird Trick that will allow you to bring an artist aboard your game project for the bargain basement price of $0. The secret is this:

Learn to draw.

It's a lot of work, and it's not for everyone. But I taught myself the basics of art so that I could have art for my game projects. It may not be the greatest art in the world, but it will accurately reflect my vision.

That said, I also find resources like OpenGameArt terrific -- as inspiration. If I want to create, say, a tile set for a particular scene, I might go look up someone else's tile set, and then create a similar one from scratch.