The Cost of Being an Artist
Squares #1 ©2003 9.5"x7"
As I mentioned in a post a few days ago, I do not make my work with the primary goal of selling the work. I make it because I want to make it and I think I really have to make it to be happy. I also create art because I want to show it. I love seeing my work on a gallery or museum or art center wall and sharing it with others.
Every now and then I sell one of my pieces and it is pretty cool because it is a nice validation that someone liked my work enough to purchase it. It also supplies much needed cash to keep making more work.
Being an artist is very expensive. Supplies, photography, shipping fees, entry fees, office supplies, studio supplies, marketing, etc. It adds up quickly. My annual artist expenses are always in excess of $5000 and usually much much higher. So at this point my expenses far exceed my income because I don’t focus on sales and marketing.
I’ve reached a point where I can’t keep spending all of my disposable income on making art. Life as a software engineer has been nice as it has allowed me to just focus on creating a solid body of work and becoming the best artist I can without worrying about where the money will come from to do this. But I see as my kids start reaching college age and my car gets older and older I’m probably coming into some fairly big expenses and it’s time think about getting the art to pay for itself.
In my original post about my art goals for the year I hinted that this was to be the plan for 2007 with this comment:
Find money to pay for new computer and 2 week workshop. Preferably via some art related activity.
I have some specific ideas on how I might go about selling my work and the first of these to become reality is the creation of my etsy shop. I’m not really sure I like the name etsy very much as it sounds so crafty and quilts already suffer enough from the "too-crafty-to-be-art" problem but I’ve been observing how etsy works for a while and decided to give it a try.
I currently only have a few pieces listed at the shop but I hope to get more listed over the next few weeks and in time for my first studio newsletter release in mid May (it’s been delayed from my original goal of March for personal reasons).
My current plan is to only sell small work that I do not enter into shows on etsy. I create several of these pieces every year because not all of my work is large work in my major series (Structures and Markings - which are what I exhibit). I like to play around with other ideas and at times do hand quilting and beading. These smaller pieces are perfect for something like etsy.
The above small quilt is one of the pieces currently for sale on etsy.
Although I will be putting more effort into selling, my main goal for my art is still to become the best artist I can and to really focus on pushing my 2 current series as far as I can. I’m hoping to find a nice balance between these 2 activities.
Posted by Lisa in: Abstract Contemporary Textile Art, Being an Artist, Marketing
Vcki W said,
April 14, 2007 @ 4:28 am
Have you looked into seling at guild.com? I don’t know about selling there - jsut buying - but your work would fit in well there.
cynthia said,
April 14, 2007 @ 1:17 pm
I just saw that you listed a few things on Etsy yesterday and had to pop on over to see if you had posted about it on your blog. From what I’ve read on your blog, I know it was probably a tough decision to list some of your art for sale. I’m being very concious about what to list and not list on Etsy myself.
I am looking into The Guild myself, but am not ready. Or maybe I should say my work isn’t ready yet.
You’re right that Etsy is crafty, but more and more fine artists are hoping on the train. It’s still a young company. Best of luck to you.
Oh ya, I almost forgot, art is an expensive profession! I need to start a college fund for my daugther.
Lisa Call said,
April 14, 2007 @ 1:40 pm
Thanks Cynthia - good luck would be great!
And yes Vicki and Cynthia - I applied to guild.com in mid March (I was aiming for January but that wasn’t such a great month). Haven’t heard back yet. They have been on my radar for years as the first place to apply once I was ready to try to start selling my work. I really love their website and like how professional the entire operation feels.
Etsy seems to have promise so we’ll see how it goes. I’m not sure my prices are in line with what’s going on at etsy but I refuse to lower them down to below minimum wage levels.
If it doesn’t work out I might try ebay. Long ago I sold pokemon cards on ebay and made a nice pile of money. I should blog about the experience someday as it was art related in a way.
Diane Clancy said,
April 14, 2007 @ 2:51 pm
I LOVE the Squares #1!
i just heard about Etsy the other day (from Sue O’kieffe of Sacred Circle Mandalas) - I am definitely thinking about selling some work there too. She knows someone and said the place is ok to trust I believe. So, it sounds like you, Lisa, also think it is trustworthy. Good luck!
I am glad you are not willing to lower your prices below what you think it right. We have archival digital prints for sale - including in frames - nice frames. Someone can get a print and go get a frame at Walmart - but I am not going to try to compete with them - I will be paying people to take my work - and I am not going to do that!
Some us have been trying to figure out how to go online - whether to do ebay or what. I am selling from my regular website http://www.dianeclancy.com - but not surprisingly I haven’t made very many sales - I have no shopping cart or anything yet. Like all the rest of art (for me anyway) it is one foot in front of the other … and looking back there is progress.
I think I should talk about some more of these issues on my blog too - I have touched marketing in terms of licensing … but there is so much more ….
Keep us in the loop!
~ Diane Clancy
Sue O'Kieffe said,
April 15, 2007 @ 7:29 am
Hi Lisa~
I hope that you have some success at etsy. Your quilts are beautiful and I know someone will love some. Yes, I do know someone who has made good contacts at etsy. I hope the journey unfolds well for you.
Im not as certain about ebay, though, which doesn’t seem to be as kind to artists in my limited experience with them.
Best wishes,
Sue O’Kieffe
http://sacred-circle-mandalas.blogspot.com
jafabrit said,
April 15, 2007 @ 7:39 am
I know you don’t like the name but from what I have seen it has a good rep, the presentation is really nice and have liked the quality of work on the site. All the best with this new venture.
Ed Terpening said,
April 18, 2007 @ 3:57 pm
I can definetly relate as I am trying to balance art and a “corporate” career. I happen to LOVE my job (I manage the blogging/social media team at Wells Fargo), and although I work part time (30 hours/week) I am struggling to simplify my life.
I think focusing on selling–for me, at least–complicates my life since it inevidibly means less time CREATING. It’s a tough trade-off.
Melody Madden said,
April 21, 2007 @ 8:29 am
Lisa, I couldn’t agree wth you more. Art is something you create because of a deep passion you have for it……I also feel I could not be happy without creating. That being said, supporting youself does become a factor at some point.
I have heard good things about Etsy and I wish you well. I’m not so sure about Ebay. I tried it myself a few years ago and found it to be a lot of work with not much payoff….just my personal experience.
As a side note…….i think you work is fabulous
Chris O'Byrne said,
May 6, 2007 @ 6:07 pm
I have to agree, never lower your prices. In fact, I would say raise your prices. Premium products demand premium prices. As for eBay, I think it is a great way to get some free online marketing, but not the best format to sell art, especially good art. Perhaps just using the store and not using the auction format would be okay,