History Main / DoingItFortHeart

* The first season of ''WebVideo/TheKateringShow'' was made with an arts grant and the stars and director didn't get paid at all. The second season had backing from Creator/TheABC but even then, the money was basically all on screen. Their joke about the difference between the two seasons being that they were "on minimum wage now" wasn't far off the mark.

-->'''Tumblr Anon:''' [[https://jelloapocalypse.tumblr.com/post/189803718947/hey-quick-question-why-bother-making-the-show-if
Q:hey quick question? why bother making the show if you ultimately lost so much money?? and know you're not gonna get anything for it?? like what's the point]]\\

* Steve Scott from ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCity'', who treats porn like this.
* GameMod ''VideoGame/RedAlert3Paradox'' has the Electrical Protectorate, a race of software programs who inhibit robot chassis' designed in the style of TheFifties. They don't look like this to give people the impression of how robots should look like, they do this because they learned that's how people think robots look like and actually like doing it.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Roommates}}'', Rakesh's main motivation for doing pretty much ''anything'' is that he thought it would make good art. He says that he follows nature's example: nature doesn't ask you if you like its flowers, or expect you to pay it anything in return; it merely blooms because it feels like it.
* One of the {{Apocalyptic Log}}s in ''VideoGame/BioShock1'' is from Bill [=McDonagh=], a plumber hired for the construction of Rapture. After being paid to use cheaper tin pipe fittings instead of brass, he went ahead and ordered brass anyway and planned to pay the difference on grounds of professional pride: "Profit or not, no man bails water out o' privies built by Bill [=McDonagh=]."
* In ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsOnline'', the House of Reveries is a theater troupe in Summerset that's all about this trope: while most artists in Summerset are hoping for fame, the members of the House of Reveries give up their identity, donning a mask and a new nickname (such as "Alchemy", "Feathermoth", "Clever", etc). It's to the point that if the face of one of their members is seen, that person is kicked out of the troupe.
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature Harvest Moon: (More) Friends of Mineral Town]]'' has a random event scene where Won offers to buy Jeff's painting for 10,000 G. Jeff declines this offer because he says that he made the paintings with his heart and selling them would be like selling pieces of his own heart.

* Natalie Rhodes of ''Series/{{Castle}}'' goes well beyond the call of duty, to the point of trying to seduce Castle ''for the sake of getting to know her character''. The rumor about her living in her crawlspace for a week to prepare for a horror movie about a crawlspace was just a rumor, though. [[spoiler:[[SeriousBusiness It was actually a month]].]]

* ''Manga/DragonBall'' creator Akira Toriyama. Though he hated the weekly format of the manga, the ExecutiveMeddling, and being obligated to make his work a FranchiseZombie, his works never declined in quality--in fact, it became even more complex and interesting--and he always took special care about making sure no {{plot hole}}s were created. What's also notable is that he had already become very financially successful with his previous work ''Manga/DrSlump'', and yet he chose to keep going with another work.

* ''Manga/GiantRobo The Animation: The Day the Earth Stood Still'' was made over a period of nearly 6 '''years''', ran massively over budget, and the finale was practically financed out of the production staff's own pockets. ''And it was worth it.''

** This is one of the defining traits of Imagawa. ''Manga/GiantRobo'' and ''Anime/ShinMazinger'' are both incredible stories that tanked in Japan, and ''[[Anime/MobileFighterGGundam G Gundam]]'' would have been a shameless set of 22-minute toy commercials had he not held his ground.

* While preparing for his role as Halbrand in ''Series/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower, ''Creator/CharlieVickers''got so passionate about his role that started learning blacksmithing for good just for the heck of it, without being a demand for the role.

!This trope is [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1642083014050037800 under discussion]] in the Administrivia/TropeRepairShop.

Those from outside the art world usually associate this mindset with what is visibly present on the work. If there is an immense amount of detail present in a work, many feel it has to be because they are committed to pure artistry. However, this is a misconception, as plenty of artists will do this even if a paycheck is the ultimate motivator. Artists that do it for the art will be the first to admit they stretch their personal limits because that's their ''only'' motivation. Any work they do will be work done for its own sweet sake, even if it is never expected or intended to make money.

Creators in this mode often put far more effort into a project than necessary, so this can go hand in hand with DifficultButAwesome features such as CastOfSnowflakes, SugarWiki/AwesomeArt, and ShownTheirWork. Indeed, sometimes the amount of work being put in is a little creepy. Sure, it's a great vision and all, but does anybody need ''that'' much detail? While plenty of artists will do this even if a paycheck is the motivator, these artists will be the first to admit they stretch their personal limits because that's their ''only'' motivation. Remember, though, that the central point for this page is that a work is done for its own sweet sake, even if it is never expected or intended to make money.