On the back of the exercise of how should I price the prints and trying to work out costs vs not to be a rip-off I just accepted that it is either one or another. Sort of.
I want everyone to be able to enjoy my artwork in their home however if I would like to have £4 prints a) the quality would never be good; b) it just doesn't make sense (financially) to do this if I am trying to fulfil orders myself.
I have decided to start doing the prints myself (and keep only the stationery and lifestyle on RedBubble) as I wanted for someone who has decided that they want to bring one of my pieces to their sanctuary of home to have a highest possible quality print on an incredible paper (hence the giclée and because I have found it interesting, here is the page that explains the printing method and the papers that I use for the prints) that is responsibly sourced and used from recycled materials, to have the best possible personal service in the online world (with the stickers, handwritten thank you card, signed certification stamp on the prints and certificate of authenticity for the paintings) as genuinely for every sale here, I am beyond grateful as deep down it's not all about the money because you can never buy that feeling of someone sharing your vision or appreciating your work. Like, I cannot just go and buy it somewhere, regardless of how much money I will get/have.
And from my experience of selling 1/1 art for a few years now (I know, nothing in the grand scheme of things, but look at that wisdom!) - you can either start at a low pricing point and work your way up or come in at the price point that you want to be the bottom line.
There are challenges with both (and no, these are not - "every challenge is an opportunity" - influencer sales bs thing):
starting too low, will stick with you as a "low-price artist" and you will find it difficult to climb up so most likely churning huge volumes of low-priced items would be the future (I have been there, and if I could have started again, I would have done the below approach);
starting high will take a lot more time and effort to get sales at a higher price point as there is no "reputation" built up and people will question it, however, the right people will show up with time. Caveat on this one - it works if you don't have to make money from sales quickly, luckily I have my Dolly Job that brings a steady income so I have time to wait for the sale, but then I have only evenings and weekends to push and do proper marketing which I guess is the downside.
I believe as well that doing it full-time and as the only source of income makes you more determined to succeed and gives you a bigger drive (btw don't @ me - this is my opinion and they are like assholes as everyone has one) however, it all boils down to your individual goals and aspirations.
Just to reiterate, there is no right or wrong approach here, the trick is to find out what works for you at the beginning which is pretty much impossible. Yeah, I hit my 30s a few years ago and I still don't know what I really want and boomers, fuck off, it is okay not to know! Anyway, back to the main point, I appreciate that my pricing is on the higher end. I will be trying a few ideas on how to make it more affordable (maybe a £3.99 digital download and you can print it yourself, and will make sure that there are always some ways for the dedicated to score a free print). Still, I do need to make it financially feasible so it at least covers its own costs. I understand as well that talking about such vulgar things as money is inappropriate in high-end circles (I am not a part of one but I still cringe when it comes to that subject - oh, how British I have become!) but I feel like I want to put it out there, that when you do buy something from here, you are supporting a not that small (5'10" on a good day) human being that tries to share and spread their passion, creativity and hopefully inspire you to do the same, and not some big conglomerate (although, in the current world, we have to coexist with them - this website has been made on the platform created by a huge corpo and if it wasn't, I would only be able to advertise on the walls of the buildings around town).
Plus, I will make sure that you get some extra nice bits with every purchase (on top of the already provided free shipping in the UK - sorry ROW, it just won't work at current prices). Another thing is, that this is a want, a treat. If I would charge a high price for a necessity, that post wouldn't even be here, as people who do that, just sit quietly and count the coins.
Okay, so I hope I have not shot myself in a foot with this post (heavy start, why not) and that next time you will be browsing some internal decor pieces, you might choose to treat yourself and get something more than just a standard pre-printed insert that comes with the frame and purchase something from an independent living artist (and it doesn't have to be me but preferably, it would be).
Okay, to end this brain spew, in both instances when it comes to selling or buying, just do what you want to do (if you want to be free, and you want to get loaded).
M x
PS. No AI has been used in this point, as it couldn't get my point at all.
Comentarios