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When Original Works In Art Sell Too Cheap

Know The Value Of Your Art

The curse every artist faces is trying to sell their artwork while knowing the value of your art. Yet when original works sell too cheaply it has repercussions the artist does not realize.

There is nothing like having many hours in an original work and someone wanting to offer 40 dollars. We have all had that happen.

There is a difference in someones ignorance and then aiding to create a brand culture where your work is no longer profitable.

We all must survive, but how survival is done can hurt you and others. In fact it already is hurting many within the market today.

Low Price Point In Art Is A Bad Thing

I do understand there are many problems within the art community today. Yet undervaluing yourself and your artwork should not be one of them.

Some years ago as these big online Ebay and Etsy style platforms came to us, many saw an opportunity. Indeed it held great potential.

It did not take long for prices to plummet for many artists. There is an idea which exists that if one makes a low price point to their art then it will sell.

This is not true. In fact you attract the wrong kind of people to your portfolio.

Over the past few years these ready made online shops have been flooded. Less focus is placed on quality and more is on volume for the corporate owners.

Good competition is not a bad thing and in fact it can make you better. Yet when it becomes unhealthy it will create issues in that market, and the platform itself begins a death spiral.

On Etsy I have seen original works offered at 40 dollars. Do you realize I see artists on Twitter offering fan art at the same price?

Why would anyone do such at thing? It comes back to a lack of confidence and belief in the artists value. This must be fixed.

What brings someone to this point? The artist has tried and feels as if they have failed. In turn they think if the price drops then magically a buyer will appear.

There is a wealth of education needed to know how to market ones artwork. Removing the value of the art is equally diminishing the artistic meaning to it.

Most of these artists will eventually wash out of the system with enough time. The Etsy or Amazon store will close and they will disappear.

It is due to lack of knowledge and experience that what could have been a viable platform for someone is slowly ruined. The greater problem is this same issue exists across the entire platform of places like Etsy.

These locations can be a great first step in learning. Nevertheless they have been reduced to the dollar bargain bin of a superstore.

Where Should You Set The Price On Your Art?

Knowing where to set the price on your art should be easy. In its most basic form calculate the materials cost plus the time it took to create it.

The question then becomes, what is your time worth? If all you have ever worked is a minimum wage job, that answer will be different from others.

Do not undervalue yourself or your time. You are giving someone a piece of your life, so treat it as such.

Unfortunately there are more artists out there who are bent on self sabotage. Seriously some cannot be helped.

There are those who will land a gallery where an agent or curator helps them market their work. Meanwhile the artist will be selling their work out of the proverbial back door at near a quarter of the price.

If you ever want to make someone mad who is trying to help you, using a back door is one way. It will not last long as they leave you to be on your own.

Too many do not understand the market nor how marketing themselves works. It is a lack of experience, education, and the willingness to learn how to solve these problems.

I understand that you are an artist. So am I. Yet this does not remove the responsibility to educate yourself. You owe yourself that.

Failure is ultimately a result of quitting, yet it is most often due to being unwilling to take that next step.

Allow me to put it like this. It can take years to master art. Marketing yourself is also an art and this too can take years to master.

Selling your artwork is not about low prices in an attempt to get your name recognized. We are not the craft and maker community.

There is no way in this world you will be able to produce enough original art to compete with those people in high volume. Get out of their box.

When there is no profit to be had the model will fail. The mathematics behind this principle will always be true.

As someone walks away from these online hubs they can try to blame others for this cut throat pricing. Ultimately this is not the real reason of why any artist fails.

One must accept failure as a part of life rather than a reason to quit. Then move forward to success rather than quitting.

Art Giveaway Gone Wrong – An Art Promotional Disaster

I once knew an artist who was truly amazing at her work. There were few I have seen that could match her.

As time went by she became frustrated in that few sales had come. Her home was filling with her art as she kept working away.

It was impressive that each piece was an original work. Not to mention each was absolutely beautiful as she was a talented individual.

She began a promotion in social media giving away art. Requests flooded in and she soon gave away all that she had.

The sad part is after it was over this attempt did not help her in any way. In fact the opposite happened. It destroyed her work.

She had given away free art to anyone that could have been a potential buyer. She had no art left. Add to this she gained nothing in recognition by name, status, or added followers.

In mere days depression set in. She disappeared from social media and many began to worry. Later she reappeared but was never quite the same again.

In this case the artist went with free instead of low prices. The moral is that you cannot obtain success by giving yourself away.

Value does not magically appear. It requires work. The problem is too many are great artists but have never stopped to learn how to get to success.

As one begins they often set out chasing the same methods as so many others they see. The online hubs and social media become their vehicle.

How they see the world is wrong. These things are not vehicles but rather tools. They are not an end in of themselves.

As this artist ran out of art to give away she also ran out of money to continue her art. The blame fell on everything that is wrong with the world.

The world has always been messed up. It is never fair. It never will be fair. The blame fell in the wrong place.

What Is The Value Of Original Artwork?

One must at some point come to realize that the value of original work does not equate to marketing or being noticed as an artist.

Knowing how to price your art is a simple mechanic. This price is determined by cost and time to produce the work. Add to this whatever other personal investments that were placed into that piece.

VALUE though is a different metric. Value does not always equate to price.

The time you spend in something you can never get back. The heart you put into something is something that cannot be measured.

These parts of who you are cannot be measured by materials and time. What comes next is rather interesting.

I have discovered that often the price an artist will select will reflect where the artist finds their confidence. This in turn impacts all else they do.

Value and price point can be two separate metrics. Both can be argued. Yet ultimately it is up to the artist to develop their platform to find those who recognize both.

This will require patience. It will require time and investment into new paths and education. It will require new skills.

The value should be known at the beginning and set accordingly. It does not matter if anything sells or not.

Learn how to be seen and present yourself. In the meantime to survive find another way than selling yourself short.

Even if this requires a regular day job in art then do it. Always maintain your value for sustainability.

What Should An Artist Do To Be Known?

If you are presently stuck in one of those Etsy hubs where you are surrounded by cut throat prices, then develop yourself as an artist .

Some artists may not be able to leave immediately, this is understandable. There are specific strategies for selling art on Etsy.

Just do not give in to pressure feeling like you must do the same as others. Ensure that you protect your intellectual rights within these hubs, social media, and forums.

Stop chasing trends. Just because something is popular does not mean that you should jump onto that idea. Let your work reflect you.

To stand out you must be unique not only in work, but also in methods. You never break away from the pack by running with them, so be different.

The best thing you can do is to discover your strengths. Is this your personality? Do you have technical skills? Are you also a writer?

The gifts you have is your real vehicle. Employ those gifts to your benefit through the tools available.

While I personally hate social media, you may love it. In fact a magnetic personality can abundantly thrive there. Each of us have unique gifts.

Know that creating your path to get you where you want to be will not happen overnight.

Begin to learn technical skills to build what you need for an online art gallery. Start meeting new people locally to open new opportunities in spreading your work.

Find small niches and cracks to get your name in places. Maybe you could help teach an art class helping underprivileged kids.

Become known for who you are more than what you can do.

It is a series of building blocks. Each block is laid upon the other as you continue building. It takes time.

Focusing on getting a million followers and being obsessed with one tool will ultimately fail. Vanity metrics never yield real world results for long term growth.

Vanity metrics is an event that cannot maintain the course through time. Certainly who you are is not tied to such things.

Too much time spent on one tool is like having one string on a guitar. You might can hit that string better than anyone else but you miss the whole song.

A lot of becoming a success is more about growing you than it is anything else. It requires stepping outside of the comfort zone where you are huddled down into your artwork.

Unfortunately for a while you will spend a lot more time on outreach than you will art. It will seem like art takes a backseat to your other efforts.

As work comes in suddenly you begin to struggle finding time to balance these two worlds. When this happens, congratulations, you have arrived at your artistic life.

You Cannot Be A Follower As An Artist – Learn To Lead

If one is looking for a model that works you will be hard pressed to find a detailed explanation online.

This is not like putting together a model toy with a list of parts and a chart for assembly. Certainly there are components to this which one must know and use.

Knowing the value of your original works is one of those components. It should be one of the easiest parts.

The loss of art galleries across the nation, and the decline of that old model, has hurt many artists. It was here where many early lessons could be learned.

If there is a point I could stress, it would be to not follow other artists. I will define what I mean by follow.

If your see an artist jumping off of a bridge, don’t follow them. This sounds silly doesn’t it?

Yet this is what happens professionally. Their path is not your path.

Your value is not their value. Likewise their value is not your value. The methods they employ are also not unique to you.

Do not ask others to follow you. Do not seek permission to make your own path. It is a good idea to obtain guidance, obtain real metrics and research.

Yet if you are looking for approval from others, stop doing that now. Being data driven is different from being opinion driven.

Being a leader is about leading yourself. You are the only person to worry about whether or not others think it is good.

If the path has the metrics to back up the choice, then do it. Make educated decisions, smart decisions, and calculated risks within reason.

I will advise that your model should incorporate the ability to sell directly to the customer. For so long many artists have relied upon guilds, shows, galleries, and other events to sell their work and name.

These have suffered in recent years. The world now focuses on fear, and they are told to fear, so people do. Victories and success are never obtained by the timid.

Within your model should be an alternative to traditional means. An online outreach of some kind becomes imperative to keep the model moving forward.

Ignore The Cheap Art Prices

As you are on the path ignore the prices that you see from others. As you begin to perfect your model you should also be perfecting your work.

Know your value and also perfect your outreach to be seen. The moment you begin selling your original work too cheap is the moment you begin to fall apart.

Keep developing who you are.

Keep working on your model.

Do not stop because something failed.

Failure is an event, not a person.

Maintain your self worth, confidence, and value as you move forward.

Know your artworks price point and be patient.

Keep working.