My husband and I never relied on art sales as we chose academics. Teaching. He has continued to produce way more than I, which is fine aa storage has become an issue. We produce more than we sell. Hahaha. Pricing always an issue. My husband is afraid to raise his prices. We haven’t found a gallery in our small city to be a rep. Show the work but not rep it. Our son, also an artist, raised his. And he has a gallery or two but not where we live. It’s so interesting. I think what you’ve written will be helpful to younger artists or an artist beginning a career as an artist.
Thanks for your comments Mim. Academics, yes, a lot of artists, poets, etc. have traditionally gone that route. There are a lot of good reasons to do it. I guess I am more of a capitalist. Next week there is a nice interview with an older artist who spent a lot of years in the academic world and a few years as a monk! You might like that one. Yes, I am mostly thinking about the 25-45-year-olds and trying to provide some sober encouragement. At the same time I am writing a lot of the articles to anybody who just doesn't want to deal with mixing business and their creativity but are compelled to keep working at their art. That's a different strategy for the creative lifestyle.
This is one of my favorites of your writings so far. It is reassuring knowing that you didn't price your art high, at first. I recently took on a commission for twice what my mother was paid for the same work, and the buyer didn't flinch, so I know I should/could have doubled my number again. UGH. Also, as my friend said, "you're LilyHopeWeaver, OF COURSE you should double your first instinct prices." So wild.
Yeah! And when your mom was working the value of money was higher. She was getting pretty much top dollar at the time for her weaving commissions. There has been a massive devaluation of the buck since that time via inflation. In your case Lily, I was wondering, what if you made like 6 x 8 foot paintings of your designs and sell those for 50K or more through galleries? Paintings are the king of the art world market. Don't tell me some version of a chilkat or button robe design wouldn't make a killer painting. With the speed of painting you could cover a lot of ground with new designs. We live in a faster world and a global community now-a-days. Spread the love. Spread the song of the ancestors. I am sure from a traditional point of view that seems uncomfortable (your mom grappled with that) but think about the vision of Lloyd Kiva New and IAIA. Look to the future.
My husband and I never relied on art sales as we chose academics. Teaching. He has continued to produce way more than I, which is fine aa storage has become an issue. We produce more than we sell. Hahaha. Pricing always an issue. My husband is afraid to raise his prices. We haven’t found a gallery in our small city to be a rep. Show the work but not rep it. Our son, also an artist, raised his. And he has a gallery or two but not where we live. It’s so interesting. I think what you’ve written will be helpful to younger artists or an artist beginning a career as an artist.
Thanks for your comments Mim. Academics, yes, a lot of artists, poets, etc. have traditionally gone that route. There are a lot of good reasons to do it. I guess I am more of a capitalist. Next week there is a nice interview with an older artist who spent a lot of years in the academic world and a few years as a monk! You might like that one. Yes, I am mostly thinking about the 25-45-year-olds and trying to provide some sober encouragement. At the same time I am writing a lot of the articles to anybody who just doesn't want to deal with mixing business and their creativity but are compelled to keep working at their art. That's a different strategy for the creative lifestyle.
This is one of my favorites of your writings so far. It is reassuring knowing that you didn't price your art high, at first. I recently took on a commission for twice what my mother was paid for the same work, and the buyer didn't flinch, so I know I should/could have doubled my number again. UGH. Also, as my friend said, "you're LilyHopeWeaver, OF COURSE you should double your first instinct prices." So wild.
Yeah! And when your mom was working the value of money was higher. She was getting pretty much top dollar at the time for her weaving commissions. There has been a massive devaluation of the buck since that time via inflation. In your case Lily, I was wondering, what if you made like 6 x 8 foot paintings of your designs and sell those for 50K or more through galleries? Paintings are the king of the art world market. Don't tell me some version of a chilkat or button robe design wouldn't make a killer painting. With the speed of painting you could cover a lot of ground with new designs. We live in a faster world and a global community now-a-days. Spread the love. Spread the song of the ancestors. I am sure from a traditional point of view that seems uncomfortable (your mom grappled with that) but think about the vision of Lloyd Kiva New and IAIA. Look to the future.