status

[meeks]

I've just (okay, several hours ago ago - I started typing this and then wandered off before posting XP) finished reading the first instalment of haikujaguar's Three Micahs column on pricing, in which she does an excellent job of illustrating the distinction between value and price.

My Inner Artist was surprised to discover that her jaguar counterpart is the one who wants to charge more for her work. My Artist could not be less interested in money. For her, the value of art is that she enjoys making it, and (I hope) others enjoy looking at it. Marketer and Business Manager have to rein her in to keep her from working for free.

So far, I think I've been approaching my illustration work as a service as much as a product. That is to say that what I'm offering is not just a sketch, but the opportunity to have a sketch made. I believe that has a few of the market-valuable characteristics listed, but it doesn't provide much in terms of sensory input.

The traditional way for illustrators to make money is based on charging licensing fees for others to turn artwork into products. I do think that's fair; if you are making money from selling a product that includes my art, it makes sense for me to get a share of the profit. Most of my audience, however, is unlikely to have either the budget or the need for this type of licensing - which also means my Inner Marketer will have to work on developing products herself in order to get the Artist's work in the (literal and figurative) hands of more people. Stuff to think about...

in other news:
I finally added a sticky post to both my DW and LJ with links to the full call for prompts, so newcomers will know how to participate :)

I've got a story sketch to do, and then I'll probably do some more work on my Clopin & TARDIS piece. It's not something I can take money for directly, but the idea is too much fun to discard, and I might be able to use it to attract a few more followers from the HoND and Doctor Who fandoms...

Comments

Hmm...

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Most of my audience, however, is unlikely to have either the budget or the need for this type of licensing - which also means my Inner Marketer will have to work on developing products herself in order to get the Artist's work in the (literal and figurative) hands of more people. <<

You might ask people what kind of objects they'd like to have sketches on. (There's no reason you couldn't sell stuff yourself, like coffee mugs or mouse pads, and send a bit of the profit back to the authors to account for the inspiration.) On the figurative side, maybe consider online uses, rather than traditional things like book covers? I could see your art being useful on websites. It's usually too detailed to work as wallpaper, but could work as screensaver pages.

Give the project another month or two and ask for ideas on how to make it profitable. It takes a while to get the feel of a new project, both for creator and audience. But eventually there will be improvements that just sort of naturally occur to people, and they'll tell you if invited -- other times they'll just up and say, "Hey, can we do X?"

[ankewehner.livejournal.com]

I think the "others enjoy ... it" bit is where the price thing cuts in for a lot of people. "OK, they say they like it, but if they pay, I know they really do. And if they pay a lot, I see that they like it a lot."
Not saying that's good and right, just trying to figure out what's behind the mindset.

[meeksp.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the viewpoint! I can see that some people would think that way.
I do agree that giving large tips is one way to express appreciation, but thoughtful feedback and signal boosts are just as valid, even if the person can't afford to send money. Marketer and Business Manager like people who give tips...Artist prefers comments that show not just that people are enjoying her work, but what specifically they like about it.