I realize the tagline of this blog says writing, art, etc. but is 90% writing and 5% etc. Today, to shake things up a little bit, I’m focusing on the OTHER 5% (finally) and talking about art. Actually I’m asking you guys some questions about art, which is totally the same thing. Lately I’ve been giving heavy thought to the question how can I make a steadier income with my art and my lovely fellow human on Facebook and Instagram have been throwing out some frankly genius ideas.
Here’s the thing – art takes time. It takes years of practice. It’s hard work – and people like art. Some of us even love art. We love seeing a favorite character come to life, or one artist’s take on a film concept. Art makes life better – but it can also be expensive. I’ve had so many people tell me, “If I had the money, I would so commission X piece from you.”
As someone who’s definitely never fallen into the ‘rich’ category, I can say from the bottom of my heart, I feel you. And I want to do something about it.
Some of the suggestions tossed out to me are as follows:
• Why don’t you sell pages of your sketchbook once you’ve finished them?
• What about blind date with sketches — someone buys a sketch from you and doesn’t know what they’re getting until it arrives? (This would probably be a monthly thing – think OwlCrate or BirchBox, but with sketches — possibly multiple sketches per ‘envelope.’)
• What about accepting commissions for those color sketches you do?
• What about offering custom trading cards? (These would be available in various mediums.)
I LOVED these suggestions, and when I publish my ‘commission info’ page on this site, you’ll see these options available for purchase. However, my Facebook and Insta peeps aren’t the only ones out there – I want to hear your ideas. What would YOU like to see? What artsy dream do YOU have?
Check out my art on….
And because I like to be a little unconventional, I’ll be open to unusual methods of payment. Have an unused Target/WalMart/WHEREVER gift card lying around? You could totally trade that for some art. Have a product you sell, or something unused-but-neat sitting in a dusty corner? Feel free to suggest a barter!