Comments on: Deep Thought Thursday: Ego or income?

By: Art H

Art H — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 18:28:27 +0000

Ego or Art Screw the Art. Take the money. Your Ego and your stomach will thank you for it. I’m not one of the anointed. My work sells for 200 to 1000 dollars and I crank out about 150 plus pieces per year. There are dozens, maybe even hundreds that do it better. My ego cannot be raised above my betters. I am an Art whore. I do commissions I don’t like—sometimes wearing a low cut red dress, though that causes problems with saw dust and wood chips collecting in my chest hair. Do I get tired of it? Damn right, I do. Sometimes I take a day off and I sculpt something for me, something that will gather dust and crack in the far reaches of my studio corners. Something that will make my heart grin. Yesterday it was sculpture of an eagle, its wings wrapped around a screaming skull shameless copied from Edvard Munch while flames leaped from a base inscribed with the word IRAQ. It won’t sell, but it satisfied me. It will be ridiculed, but it satisfied me. It was political and artistic and plagiarized and lonely, but it satisfied me. Feed your belly with your art and your soul will express itself—but do not expect to sell your soul—at least not to mortals.

By: shea

shea — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 16:35:02 +0000

Income, Who cares if you’re called a sell out? You’ll have what you need and be able to create more art freely.

By: Patricia Oblack

Patricia Oblack — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 12:46:04 +0000

I thank you all for your comments. Fine art is by far the most mysterious of directions in art. I learn more everyday as I travel its path. My goals are to be the best & most successful artist I can be, to produce work that continues to evolve & grow in excellence without giving up my true self. Thank you Alyson, for placing me & my work in your blog.

By: Alyson B. Stanfield

Alyson B. Stanfield — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 21:49:08 +0000

Wow! Some fantastic comments here. Lisa and Daniel: You’re right. It depends on the artist’s goals. Michael wrote “A great marketer focuses on the customer not her/his self.” But what does the great artist focus on? Christine, you’re right. You don’t have to limit yourself these days to galleries only. To me, ego isn’t necessarily the right word here. It’s goals and it’s values. What do you value as an artist? That will take you on the path you should walk.

By: Christine DeCamp

Christine DeCamp — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 20:36:16 +0000

I think the question should be–”Do I need to limit my exposure by choosing one outlet over another?(galleries vs reps)” And I would say in today’s market, with more and more options to choose from—you don’t need to limit your choices. We are blessed to be in a situation that gives artists more power than ever before to direct their own careers. Where the Ego comes in is within your own personal belief system concerning yourself and your work. You might ask yourself–what do I want from my art? What is it that makes me feel good about my art career and myself? What are my dreams? Expectations? Financial needs? I believe that there are as many different ways to thrive as an artist, as there are kinds of art.

By: Dede Peters

Dede Peters — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 17:28:21 +0000

I’d like to approach this from the gallery side. I have a degree from an art school where “fine art” was instructed, but more emphasis was given to producing commercial art, i.e. art used in media markets like advertising. I had planned on making my income from being an artist, producing “fine art”, but making my living as a commercial artist. Fellow art students felt similarly. A lot of our critiques were about how successful we thought our pieces were – with success being determined by such concepts as: 1)Does it sell the product? 2)Does it satisfy your personal artistic drive? I translate these ideas in conversations with my artists. What is most important to you? 1) Creating work that fulfills your artistic drive. 2) Creating work that sells – no matter what personal aesthetic sacrifices you must make. I then strive to work with the artist to make the two concepts meet in the middle – for he or she to create work that fulfills the soul and is sellable. Also letting them know that it takes a while to find the right fit, with both the style of the created work and with representation (self, gallery or agent). In my opinion ego should have very little to do with income. The artist continues to create, trying to work out ideas, technique, etc. And should do so with a critical eye – it is fine to look back at work and not love it. That work brought you to where you are now. It is process. It is growth. Personal growth leads to professional growth. Something that plays into the ego vs. income discussion which I struggle with as a dealer is accessibility – both financial and intellectual. I’d like people of all income and intellectual levels to be able to live with art. They can collect or create. But everyone should be inspired daily with original visual art, performance, written word, music and handmade food. I could go on and on about this topic, as I see creative programming being stripped from education. Creativity feeds the soul of ALL people, not just creative people – it could be inspired by creating an outstanding grilled burger, a bronze sculpture, a movie with brilliant special effects, or the perfect melody – hummed. It just needs to happen everyday to everybody.

By: Tammy VItale

Tammy VItale — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 11:38:58 +0000

As a self-supporting artist I have to say the first thing my eye went to was “40% to the IRS.” If you’re payin40% to the IRS you’re in a pretty hefty income bracket, and I can see why this question might come up. Me? I’m with the “cover your expenses however you can” group. Sell where you sell. I also agree that is a business decision: what are you willing to do yourself in exchange for the gallery showing? And where, by the way, do you find those corporate agents? And what does your style have to be to interest them? Is it any different than selling to the couch matching folks? And that’s great if it makes your heart sing. Mostly my clients fall in love with my work, and they tend to be a fairly narrow niche – but passionate. I’m just not sure I have enough lifetime left to find them (Daughter says “don’t worry, Ma. I’ll take it over after you’re gone” – she means the sales and collecting money part. =])

By: Robin Ann Walker

Robin Ann Walker — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 02:24:43 +0000

That’s easy! Paint all you want and take the money. Use agents, not galleries. I’ve been painting for 10 years, and have been self-supporting the whole time. I am a bit more discerning now than I was in the beginning, but occasionally I still accept commissions for things I don’t particularly like. That’s a small percentage of sales, however. I find that my most popular series are ones that I love doing. On the plus side is that I have also accepted commissions for things I’ve never done before and learned a new skill.

By: Michael Lynn Adams

Michael Lynn Adams — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 19:02:03 +0000

A great marketer focuses on the customer not her/his self. If your income depends on sales, two questions come to mind. Where are your collectors/buyers? Does the venue effect the price? If your work attracts high end collectors and those high end collectors buy their art at high end galleries, then your art needs to be in those galleries. Whether that boosts your ego or not is not has nothing to do with a collectors decision to buy. The same is true for any customer. If you are not ready or not interested in the high end market your work will probably not end up in those venues anyhow. You need to have your art where your customers are. Not where it feels good for you. Does the venue effect price? Absolutely! But, this has much more to do with the buyers ego than the artist’s. Some collector want quality art at a reasonable price to decorate their home or office. An art fair might be a great place for that buyer to go. If your art fits that need, that is where you work should be. And priced accordingly. If collectors with deep pockets are looking for great art, they are going to go to high end galleries where the perception is that all the work is high quality and priced accordingly. The perception there is the higher the price the better the work. If your name is known enough and your art is the quality and type that it can carry a hefty price tag then your work should be where those collectors go. It always seems to comes down to simply knowing your customer. Where they are, what they love about your work, and why they buy, whatever the venue or price. Simple but never easy.

By: Daniel Sroka

Daniel Sroka — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:53:11 +0000

There is no one answer. Every artist needs to establish their own goals, then establish a business plan that lets them achieve them. The hard part is sticking to your own plan, since it is too easy to get distracted by the paths you chose not to follow.