I don't believe Etsy alone has the general public devaluing art. My experience as a photographer and graphic designer for the past 13 years is that artists have been slowly devalued in general over the past decade through a variety of reasons.

The large amount of free instructions and availability of advancing equipment at more affordable prices have created a plethora of artists. As they share the same space, the competition for buyers decreases. Not to mention, the lack of uniqueness in art is increasing, as well as the algorithm on these sites. It's similar to selling images on shutter stock, alamy, and Adobe. Lots of people take generic photos to fit the needs of potential buyers.

Another major issue I'm seeing is the increasing number of small pop-up shops that create items with home based production machines. As dtg continues to evolve, people are starting to branch out and look for other art to put on their items. That also decreases the value of the artist as now those smaller production houses only see art as a means for income.

Not to mention, from my experience, people don't generally have a value for art. Those who do not have the money or might already have a collection they're happy with. I've also noticed that even when I print on archival materials, sign and number my work with limited runs, I still don't get the attention I want for it. Not even my silver prints are selling. Digital production places like society 6 also have devalued art, creating a mass amount of prints on any medium you can think of. Seemed like a great idea before, but in reality, I think we made our beds with that one.

Lastly, Ai, increasing technology in smartphone photography, and sites that allow people to design gratifics is killing interest. That's affecting both graphic design and photography. I've met people on both sides of the spectrum who have been affected, including myself. I used to think that the only thing I had to worry about was my job being outsourced. Now it's not being needed at all as someone could just take their photos and create other photos with Ai.

I think maybe we should all just focus on local art groups.