Comment by munificent
1 day ago
> A good number of the inks are because of artists
I actually think you have it backwards. Hobbyists drive the economics of almost all gear used for creative pursuits. For every artist making meaningful objects and sharing them with the world, there are a 100 dabblers who fantasize about being that, buy a bunch of stuff, but never really use it.
This is a strange but ultimately harmonious economic arrangement. Hobbyists increase scale, which helps gear producers lower costs, which benefit actual artists.
I did not say "professional artists," I said "artists" which includes the dabblers with the dreams of becoming professional artists but does not include pen collectors with a cabinet full of ink whose lifetime of ink purchases might reach the yearly ink purchase of anyone remotely serious about their art.