Making A.R.T…………….Reality B.I.T.E.S…

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art, art as a living, art career, art for sale, Artist, cheap art, creating art, custom art, inflation, making it as an artist, making money with art, successful art career, why is art so expensive

The other day someone asked me if I would lower the price of one of my custom paintings. She said that she knew it was a “labor of love” so she would understand if I wouldn’t. I didn’t. It isn’t because I am greedy about my “love”. It’s actually due to the fact that creating art is a “labor of expense”.

A lot of people do not realize what goes into that painting you hang on your wall. Aside from a lifetime expenses like education, I am talking about the day to day. We have to pay for our inventory such as canvas, frames, mats, texture mediums, varnish, brushes and paint, but we also have to use a ton of electricity and water. We buy paper towels by the pallet. My studio requires plastic sheeting, special flooring, butcher’s paper to cover my table. I constantly need to purchase equipment and supplies such as tables, chairs, printers, scanners, printer ink, paper, pens, pencils, staplers, calculators, spray bottles, shelving, computers, cameras, containers, lighting, gloves and a special ventilation system (so I do not breath in toxic fumes all day). And when one of those breaks or runs out, I have to call an expert to come fix it or I have to buy a replacement.

And then there is the “F” word:  Fees.  We pay listing fees whether a piece sells or not, marketing fees such as CPC, yearly fees for art sites, fees when we sell a piece and fees to receive payment like PayPal and Credit Cards.  Social media are starting to charge fees if you want to be seen too.  There are so many fees that sometimes you just feel “F”d.

Very few artists get rich on their work alone.  Yes, there are famous success stories that we can all fantasize about, but for the average creative, the best you can hope for is to make some sales now and again.  If you are really fortunate, it might get to be your only job.  But that is even more rare.   Sharing household expenses with my husband has allowed me to make this my full-time career.  But a lot of my artists friends work regular day jobs and create on the side.  That is typical.  It’s just ridiculously expensive to produce artwork and the income gained is too low in comparison.

Everyone feels the sting of inflation and artists are no different.

My hope is that this blog comes across as”informational” and doesn’t just sound like a rant.  I rarely get on a soapbox because I am too busy working.  🙂  Maybe, when someone that is not into creating art reads this, they will gain a new appreciation for our labor and expense…Just maybe…

Artists: Are You F.L.E.X.I.B.L.E.?

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art, art for sale, art marketing, artist's resources, artists, best selling practices, career, earning a living, fine art america, flexibility, how to sell art, how to sell art online, income, make money with art, making a living with art, making money with art, online art sales, pod, print on demand, print on demand sites, prints, Redbubble, sell art, sell art smart, sell artwork, selling art, selling art online, sharon cummings, society 6

There was an article released yesterday that has a lot of artists in a panic. You can read the article here:

http://fineartamerica.com/newsletters/five-percent-commissions.html?fb_action_ids=10201203263082635&fb_action_types=og.comments&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582

I will summarize it for you to save you some effort.  Fine Art America is warning artists that all other Print On Demand (POD) sites are moving to a percentage business model.  By in large, the new payment to artists will be a mere 5%. That definitely sucks.  Fine Art America claims to be one of the few remaining POD sites that still allows a “set your own price” model.  Some sites like Society 6 do allow us to put in our desired profit for some of their products.  Others are set for us. The same is true for Redbubble.  I agree that it is not ideal, but I find benefit to those two sites nonetheless.

I like Fine Art America and am currently making an amazing income with them. I am making more selling prints through FAA than I ever have for my entire print career.  But what I have learned with online selling is that all good things can come to an end.

So are you flexible?  One thing is constant in online art sales and that is change.  Things WILL change.  Sites that are booming today may go belly up tomorrow.  But there are always new business models to take their place. Years ago I was on a site called Boundless Gallery.  It was the BEST art site going for years and I made a TON of money with them.  It was perfect and all of the best selling artist were very happy.  Then they changed their business model and I saw the end coming.  Instead of bitching and moaning about the inevitable failure of a terrific site, I made sure I was FLEXIBLE and I branched out into new territory.  I tried different things until I found a few ideas that worked.  And those same ideas that worked back then no longer do.  But new ones have taken their place.

I have NEVER been without steady income in spite of things like eBay changing to a model that completely demoralizes artist.  I got off of that horrible site.  Boundless Gallery died a quick death and I survived.  Other sites have come and gone too.  The housing market crashed and I STILL made a great income every single month.

Why?

I remain flexible.  I do not panic and worry about the future.  I simply keep creating and marketing myself.  I focus on the tools that are available to me today and I use the hell out of them!  If new tools are offered in the future, I will use them too.  I will always find a way to get my work out to the people that desire it.  Always.  The selling platform doesn’t matter to me as long as I am willing to market myself.

If Fine Art America changes their current business model to artists disadvantage, it may be that I set up my own print shop in my garage.  I have enough space and enough money to invest in my career.   I’ve been poised for this for the last 3 years.  I already KNOW how to market myself!  Or another site might come along that is even better.  I am ready to bend and adapt.

For now I believe FAA is the best POD site out there.  I hope it STAYS that way!  If you have not tried them, have a look: http://www.fineartamerica.com

As an artist, I implore you to constantly be willing to change.  Do not stay stuck in “one way” mentality as it will be your downfall.  There is so much out there for us!