|
Print Stalls Near Notre Dame on the Seine in Paris
Additional Abundant Artist
Categories of Interest
Art Books
Art Business
Art DVDs & Videos
Art Education
Art Galleries
Art History
Art Marketing
Art Materials
Abundant Artists
look real good sporting a
Global Leather Art Portfolio
You've worked hard to build your portfolio, so showcase it against
a background that's as impressive as the artwork within. Global Art Leather Portfolios are handcrafted from the finest top grain leather
by skilled artisans. Every portfolio is beautiful, functional, and designed for
a lifetime of service. And, just like artists, snowflakes and fingerprints, no two portfolios are exactly alike.
Art News
Arts Organizations
Art Schools
Art Shipping
Art Travel
Art Workshops
Art Writing
Artist Career Planning
Career Coaching & Motivation
Framing & Conservation
Grants
How-To's
Licensing Art
Photographing Art
Public Art Projects
Shows and Exhibitions
|
|
An Interview with Art Marketing and Artist Career Development Expert, Caroll Michels continued
return to page 1 / 2
Chris: So one thing that’s critical for the artist to understand
is the more they know about the business, the more control they
have over their art?
Caroll: Absolutely. Absolutely. Yes. And while there are
artists who get into a rut where the dealer will say, “OK, birds
are in this year. We want 15 birds.” And some artists will do this,
and it’s a shame because I think this is where the border of fine
art and commercial art comes in, if someone’s dictating to you what
to create. It happens. I’ve seen it happen.
Chris: So how does the artist go about pricing their work?
Caroll: OK. Most artists price their work in a very unscientific
way.
| |
Chris: The dart board?.
Caroll: The dart board. Yes, exactly.
… Back to the Internet again because there’s so many online galleries,
and you can see how artists price their work. It’s totally all over
the place for the same medium that’s the same size. An artist with
the same similar sort of background in terms of exhibition history
or whatever, it’s all over the place. …
So I really work with artists on an individual level to help them
ascertain what would be a fair price for their work. And ultimately
it depends on them. I don’t tell them how much they should charge.
I give them some guidelines.
|
I don’t tell them to follow what other artists are doing. This
is the kiss of death because then you’re following somebody else’s
psyche. And it’s very important to develop your pricing strategy
for yourself.
Unfortunately, dealers tend to like to price on the low side because
they feel that if a work is priced low it will sell quicker. I have
a very different approach. I don’t correlate … low prices with quick
sales. I think it’s just the opposite. … It’s saying to someone
that, “I really don’t have much self-confidence in my work.”
Most people buy art for the purpose of they like it or for decoration.
They’re not buying it as a hedge against inflation, although they
might have a fantasy that somehow the artist is going to become
very, very, very successful. But if immediately they’re getting
a bargain-basement price, it doesn’t give off a good message to
your potential client that you have the self-confidence that someday
you’re going to be a well-known artist.
So I deal with it very pragmatically in terms of pricing, also
understanding that, for example, works on paper go for less, unfortunately,
than works on canvas. It’s just one of those rules. You price by
the size which is totally crazy, but … you can say, “This little
painting is a better painting than this big painting,” but people
don’t understand. Let’s say dealers don’t understand. … It’s a value
judgment. And as visual art, it’s very, very subjective.
| |
So for this reason, the pricing aspect of career development, career
management, is very, very crucial, particularly if someone really
wants to make a full-time living as an artist. …
So I’m coaching them to be able to stand up and say, “This is
what I want for my work.” But … as I said, there has to be a comfort
zone, and they have to feel comfortable with those prices in order
to defend it. And oftentimes they are asked to defend it because
people will say, “Well, gee, your resume isn’t long enough to warrant
these prices,” and then the artist will get very, very insecure.
So it’s important that they feel good and confident about the prices
that they’re charging.
|
Chris: You mentioned insecurities. Are there a lot of psychological
barriers to success?
Caroll: Yes, … because I also work with very well-known
artists who have difficulties with success, and it seems to be,
if you’re having difficulties with rejection, you also will have
difficulties with success. Not always does that correlate, but I
just kind of notice these things over the years that I’ve been doing
this. …
I think the biggest psychological barrier is the fear of rejection,
putting your stuff out there and being judged. … This is very, very
scary for many artists. I think it’s so important that, for example,
in art school, the students have … opportunities to defend their
work, to give presentations in public, let’s say, amongst other
students. I know not all students do that, but I think this kind
of public criticism in a good way is very, very important for when
they leave school. They’re able to talk about their work and feel
more articulate. And … that kind of practice will overcome some
of the psychological barriers that artists experience.
Chris: Now, for any free-lancer, self-employed person,
small businessperson, it’s important to track expenses, your costs.
How about for the artist?
Caroll: It’s very important, and I ask them and they go,
“Oh, oh. Oh, I don’t want to do that.” I ask them, OK, for example,
“How long does it take for you to create a sculpture or a painting?”
“Well, I don’t know.”
“Well,” I said, “Well, let’s guesstimate. Can you just kind of
guesstimate?” And I push and push and push and push, and eventually
they get there. And then I ask them to give themselves a salary,
and that’s a hard -- how can you -- because so many people are raised
to believe that art is cosmic and how can you put a dollar figure
on it? And then -- but then on the other hand, they want to sell
the work so then you have to put a dollar figure on it .
So there’s a lot of misconceptions and gobble-de-gook going on
over the pricing issue. … But once artists can really get down to
the pragmatic issues of pricing work and how much this costs, and
how much the overhead is, and what a profit margin should be, and
where they’re fairly compensated -- then they get used to it. It’s
just a big struggle at first to get the information out of them
or get them willing to do that kind of an exercise.
Chris: Now, Karin sometimes makes a little extra income
by waiting tables. What about the second job and the artist?
Crieky there's more? Yessirreebob. Read on? / return to pg. 1 / 2
|
|
For a unique gift of enduring beauty? Fine art gifts are a perfect way to celebrate special occassions.
Art Marketing Book Stacks:
click here for the full selection
ABUNDANT ARTIST'S 5-STAR MAGAZINES ON THE ART WORLD
"ArtForum", is one of the best at covering the contemporary arts world. They're soooo good they dont even need a cover shot!
"New American Paintings", is an Abundant Artist Favorite and a Great Source for checking out what's happening in contemporary painting in various regions of the US.
"Fine Art Connoisseur", is a very well done magazine targeted towards Plein Air and traditional painters. Nice articles and historical pieces. Note: A fair bit of editorial snobery towards any form of art outside the traditional style. Otherwise a recommended magazine.
Abundant Artist highly reccomends, "Sculptural Pursuit". A good mix of technical and review type articles covering the world of sculpture.
|
