The following text is a dialog I had in response to someone who expressed his concern over people getting the art for a "materials fee" only, and then never paying anything more. And perhaps - even bragging to others about how little they had to pay for the art to their friends. I know these people exist, but - I'm not going to consciously give art to these people. I'm looking to the others, who think another way........ and I intend to create consciousness and awareness through this movement............. as people see another way..... Here's my response:
This concept just won't make sense if you look at it through the paradigm of what exists now. But - I'm not putting this art out there in this way, in "what exists now". I'm putting it out there with the intention of creating what WILL exist in the future. And in THAT reality - this makes perfect sense.
No way in the world am I saying my art is only worth "x" amount.
And - yes, people with limited consciousness will be holding onto art, and professing ignorant comments about how much they paid for something - and how little the artist got................... but do you think their friends will be impressed with this? Do you think people will continue to be impressed with these unconscious people? That's a separatist view of life............................... which comes from the ego. We are moving into a new world - people are awakening all the time, and realizing the interconnectedness of us all. When this is realized - that kind of behavior no longer feels right - and no longer stands.
You're also still of the mindset that these pieces of art are going to stay with these people for the rest of their lives........... again - that's another thing that I think is changing - and I truly believe we will be exchanging art much more readily with each other in the future - and the website we create for Prodigal Art will facilitate and support and ENCOURAGE these movements.
There will be many people who move slowly into the new consciousness - but - I am sharing this concept with people who are already in this place, or who are moving into it now................. When I think of the shop in Omaha - that doesn't feel like a good way to share the concept............. it's a little early to have someone who is selling art in a "traditional" way - also selling my stuff, and then having to explain the system.............. Yes - I agree with you - people there, who buy something in that shop - will already be spending money on "materials" for me - and "materials" for the frames from the shop................. and right there, they are going to believe that is "enough" for the piece............... and it will not seem appropriate at all to participate in any website for this piece for some woman several states away.............................
If - however, I were to come to Omaha - and connect with the kinds of people I am looking for - and share the concept with them directly - then I would believe the pieces would have the opportunity to live out with the intention I imagine....... which has changed a bit from my first vision. Now - instead of the split being on the "profit" - I believe it has to simply be on the SALE................. so - you can move a painting for whatever price each time - whether it is higher or lower than the time before - either way - half of that is shared between the artist and collector.
And it will - it still WILL be easiest to do this on the website! This is where all the info about a piece will be found - and you can know how much your neighbor paid for their piece........... You can know that the woman in Michigan paid $100 for that piece in an agreement to pay $750........... but that the painting now has X request.................
and the more popular a particular piece is - the greater the visibility......
Do you think a website which has all of this information on it - and people who are now WANTING to support artists with each movement - might just have an influence on what people do? Just the same as we give people tips for their service, such as waiters, taxi drivers, hairdressers................. yup - a lot of people tip well WITHOUT people knowing how much they tipped - because - they feel GOOD doing it......... but - I guarantee you - there are a lot of people who would tip BETTER if their tips were on display next to their name on a website everyone can see.
Some people will have their names on the website - some people will have descriptions of who they are............... but - for the most part - unless the person is a recluse, and never leaves their house - people will know who has what............... I mean - it has to get into their hands in the first place......... so - do they go to the coffee shop down the street? Go to work? Somebody knows them - somebody gave them the piece............... that info is on the website.......
Ah - I don't know. Maybe it won't have that information. My husband reminded me last night, that I can't worry about that. I can't worry about what happens to the art after it leaves my hands........ that's up to the Universe................... I have to remind myself of this all the time. It's such a trap to think of these things as needing to receive our "karma" in the form of money in this moment NOW - instead of trusting the Universe, for what may happen in the future, and putting our energy out there now.........
Are we being fed? Do we have a roof over our head? Do you have clothes on your back, and clean, drinkable water in your glass? Have you been paid for your art materials so you can make new art?
Well, that sounds like a complete system to me!
How much does the flower ask for in return?
Doesn't nature only take what it needs, and gives the rest as a gift?
Isn't it possible to trust in the Universe - and to trust in the good of some people?
Isn't it possible to trust in a different future?
Isn't it possible to trust that we, as a society, may evolve into a higher consciousness?
Remember the system of tips again? For the servers?
We have a system in place now, where servers are tipped 15% as a general rule.............. 20% if they do a really good job............ and then, some people tip even greater amounts at times, too.
You know, though - there are no policemen to ensure these people leave these tips - but I can assure you - I was a waitress before - that it almost NEVER happened that someone didn't leave a tip.
So..... in the future - when we have this "general rule" about art - and sending a kickback to the artist on each movement of the art............... I truly believe - it will almost NEVER happen that people will not honor this.........................
Imagine, if you had to pay for all of the tips in one time................ for all of the enjoyment you will be receiving in the future.... You're going to dine out this many times in the next 5 years............ That will be $1000.
Do you think there might be some people who would always say - well................... I can't afford that! And so - they would NEVER eat out??
We are treating our art in the same way...................... and there are so many people in the world who see original art and think................ I can never afford that..................... and they NEVER enjoy original art in their homes.
We can change that.
We create a different way to pay.
We pay over time - with each movement.
We enjoy MORE original art - and exchange for different art more often.
We have new art being born all the time.
We grow together as a society.
We feel GOOD about sharing the wealth with others..........
We are a different type of person than we were in the 20th century.
Those who feel different, are increasingly left on the sidelines of modern society.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
A New Vision for Prodigal Art
Shared Royalties is the process by which artists and collectors may earn income from the lifetime of an art’s movements. Artists request royalties from the sales of their original artwork, and share those royalties with their collectors.
Gone is the idea of an artist making money on a piece all at one time, with one person. It is replaced now with the idea of artwork earning money over it’s lifetime - not before its lifetime begins.
This is an idea I have had for the sales of my own artwork for more than 5 years now. And for five years, I have been sharing this concept with others. Many people have resonated with this concept, and have joined me in the vision. And yet, I have been hesitant to produce an extensive body of work to put out in this way. It is now, in this evening, that I have realized two important reasons why I have not been able to propel this concept as I had originally envisioned. For one - my vision of the compensation was complicated. I had one foot in the idea of a gift giving society, and the other in one of expected compensation. I could not move forward with this vision, without letting go of the old paradigm. Now that I have done this, I have realized how simple this vision can be. And as a result, I now have a simple way to portray this concept to others.
I have also realized the importance of receiving some compensation up front. I realize that part of my hesitancy in fully implementing this vision myself, was the fact that I would pay so much for materials to produce artwork, and could go potentially forever without receiving compensation. So I have now decided to charge a materials fee for each piece I put out.... so it is only my time in the creation of the art itself, which I am giving "before compensation". In this way, I am free to continue, because I will always have consistent support of my materials needed for the creation of new artwork.
I can imagine a lot of people suggesting that I simply SELL the work - and I would then be compensated for the materials, and THEN some. But, I can tell you from my recent experience, when selling traditionally, then that money is STILL not being replenished, as art is displayed in galleries and restaurants all over, with the public ADORING some pieces, but not buying them, because they cannot AFFORD that large amount needed to cover the cost of materials and time and marketing and everything else we are putting into original art these days. And as the economy falls further into a recession - selling artwork will only become more difficult - if we continue to do it in this old WAY.
And along these lines, one "no no" I have heard, is in the pricing of original artwork: it is never a good idea for an artist to reduce their prices. So tell me, how is that supposed to work for an artist who is selling during a recession? Suddenly, the artist becomes the one the collectors are criticizing, because he or she has devalued the art THEY own by reducing their own prices to create sales.
In this way, Shared Royalties eases this burden for the artists and the collectors. Because when the artist relinquishes the "pricing" of their own artwork, and leaves it up to the public market to create, then the prices can more naturally move in rhythm with the prosperity of its environment. And this fluctuation in price will more clearly be recognized as a product of economic conditions, rather than a possibly "languishing" artist.
So with Shared Royalties, gone is the pricing of one’s own art - often said to be the most difficult thing for an artist to do....
Instead, trust is given to the collective of people who are now the collectors of your art. The more art you can produce, and get into the public, the greater your chance of earning income in the future. And - the more desirable your pieces are, again, the greater your chance of earning income in the future. And, the larger your body of work becomes, the greater your chance becomes that you will be producing desirable artwork.
To help illustrate this concept, I’d like to share a story. It is of a ceramics class instructor, who divided a class into two groups. One group was to be given a grade based on the number of pieces created by the end of the semester. The more pieces created, the higher the grade. The second group only had to produce one piece by the end of the semester, and they would be graded on the quality of that single piece.
At the end of the semester, the most beautiful pieces, were of course, produced by the group which was only being judged only on the number of pieces they were creating. Through their efforts to produce more, they had perfected their technique, and were able to produce far superior pieces than the people who had been struggling to produce perfection in only one.
And this is precisely the type of creative "stagnation" I believe our current process of selling art has imposed on our society. We have many artists who seek perfection, and wish to sell X number of pieces in order to recoup costs of materials and time, before they can move forward and continue to produce more. We also have the idea that you must be quite obviously talented at producing something beautiful or realistic in order to be "an artist" - and have "reason" to participate in the creative arts at all. This is a sham, as we are all creative beings, and we are ALL meant to express ourselves. And when we recognize this, and begin to support each other in our creative expressions, and reward each other for the beauty we do create, then we will open the flow of our creativity. We have been dormant for decades. It is time for us to awaken to our creative potential, and to allow ourselves to create our own "perfect" pieces.
Again, the more art you can produce, and get into the public, the greater your chance of earning income in the future. And - the more desirable your pieces are, the greater your chance of earning income in the future. And, the larger your body of work becomes, the greater your chance becomes that you will be producing desirable artwork.
So start producing - sell your art for the materials fee - trust in the process........
If this idea resonates with you - help to create this - write to me - let’s join together.
Amanda
***("Shared Royalties" was previously called "art caretaking")
Gone is the idea of an artist making money on a piece all at one time, with one person. It is replaced now with the idea of artwork earning money over it’s lifetime - not before its lifetime begins.
This is an idea I have had for the sales of my own artwork for more than 5 years now. And for five years, I have been sharing this concept with others. Many people have resonated with this concept, and have joined me in the vision. And yet, I have been hesitant to produce an extensive body of work to put out in this way. It is now, in this evening, that I have realized two important reasons why I have not been able to propel this concept as I had originally envisioned. For one - my vision of the compensation was complicated. I had one foot in the idea of a gift giving society, and the other in one of expected compensation. I could not move forward with this vision, without letting go of the old paradigm. Now that I have done this, I have realized how simple this vision can be. And as a result, I now have a simple way to portray this concept to others.
I have also realized the importance of receiving some compensation up front. I realize that part of my hesitancy in fully implementing this vision myself, was the fact that I would pay so much for materials to produce artwork, and could go potentially forever without receiving compensation. So I have now decided to charge a materials fee for each piece I put out.... so it is only my time in the creation of the art itself, which I am giving "before compensation". In this way, I am free to continue, because I will always have consistent support of my materials needed for the creation of new artwork.
I can imagine a lot of people suggesting that I simply SELL the work - and I would then be compensated for the materials, and THEN some. But, I can tell you from my recent experience, when selling traditionally, then that money is STILL not being replenished, as art is displayed in galleries and restaurants all over, with the public ADORING some pieces, but not buying them, because they cannot AFFORD that large amount needed to cover the cost of materials and time and marketing and everything else we are putting into original art these days. And as the economy falls further into a recession - selling artwork will only become more difficult - if we continue to do it in this old WAY.
And along these lines, one "no no" I have heard, is in the pricing of original artwork: it is never a good idea for an artist to reduce their prices. So tell me, how is that supposed to work for an artist who is selling during a recession? Suddenly, the artist becomes the one the collectors are criticizing, because he or she has devalued the art THEY own by reducing their own prices to create sales.
In this way, Shared Royalties eases this burden for the artists and the collectors. Because when the artist relinquishes the "pricing" of their own artwork, and leaves it up to the public market to create, then the prices can more naturally move in rhythm with the prosperity of its environment. And this fluctuation in price will more clearly be recognized as a product of economic conditions, rather than a possibly "languishing" artist.
So with Shared Royalties, gone is the pricing of one’s own art - often said to be the most difficult thing for an artist to do....
Instead, trust is given to the collective of people who are now the collectors of your art. The more art you can produce, and get into the public, the greater your chance of earning income in the future. And - the more desirable your pieces are, again, the greater your chance of earning income in the future. And, the larger your body of work becomes, the greater your chance becomes that you will be producing desirable artwork.
To help illustrate this concept, I’d like to share a story. It is of a ceramics class instructor, who divided a class into two groups. One group was to be given a grade based on the number of pieces created by the end of the semester. The more pieces created, the higher the grade. The second group only had to produce one piece by the end of the semester, and they would be graded on the quality of that single piece.
At the end of the semester, the most beautiful pieces, were of course, produced by the group which was only being judged only on the number of pieces they were creating. Through their efforts to produce more, they had perfected their technique, and were able to produce far superior pieces than the people who had been struggling to produce perfection in only one.
And this is precisely the type of creative "stagnation" I believe our current process of selling art has imposed on our society. We have many artists who seek perfection, and wish to sell X number of pieces in order to recoup costs of materials and time, before they can move forward and continue to produce more. We also have the idea that you must be quite obviously talented at producing something beautiful or realistic in order to be "an artist" - and have "reason" to participate in the creative arts at all. This is a sham, as we are all creative beings, and we are ALL meant to express ourselves. And when we recognize this, and begin to support each other in our creative expressions, and reward each other for the beauty we do create, then we will open the flow of our creativity. We have been dormant for decades. It is time for us to awaken to our creative potential, and to allow ourselves to create our own "perfect" pieces.
Again, the more art you can produce, and get into the public, the greater your chance of earning income in the future. And - the more desirable your pieces are, the greater your chance of earning income in the future. And, the larger your body of work becomes, the greater your chance becomes that you will be producing desirable artwork.
So start producing - sell your art for the materials fee - trust in the process........
If this idea resonates with you - help to create this - write to me - let’s join together.
Amanda
***("Shared Royalties" was previously called "art caretaking")
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