It’s not what you can produce, it’s what you can sell
Someone said to me yesterday “I can paint 10 of these a week and charge £250 a painting” to which I replied “but how many can you sell?”… unfortunately the answer was not 10, so what’s the point?
There’s no point in knocking out image after image if it can’t be sold, it’s a waste of time, resources and effort… unless your just doing it for fun of course.
If you want to sell your work though, then it might be best to find a balance between what you can produce and what you can sell, otherwise you will end up surrounded by unsold work which can be thoroughly depressing. So split your time between creating, selling and promoting to achieve the perfect balance… and if you are producing more than you can sell then it may be worth putting more time into making your works better, thus, producing less but better pieces that can sell better and for more money.
Featured Member – Joel Ava Makinson
Can you introduce yourself and tell us what you do?
My name is Joël Ava Makinson an arts organiser and artist based in Liverpool. I work a lot with different art organisations around the city in a freelance capacity and when I’m not working for them I am developing my own work and putting on and/or showing in exhibitions.
What inspires your own art?
It all depends where I’m working and what I’m creating the work for. The space I’m showing my work in often had a big impact on what I create, especially if I’m doing an installation piece.
I have been interested in the concept of space and the different identities spaces have since I was at university. I like studying how we interact with different spaces and how this can be documented and challenged.
For example for one of my projects I took the bedroom and bathroom doors off my house to see how this effected how people who lived there interacted with the space.
I also change the dimensions and proportions of different objects that represent space and explore how this affects the idea of space.
I know you are an independent arts organiser, do you feel the number of exhibitions etc has suffered during the recession?
I don’t think the number of exhibitions has suffered but I think it has been difficult for the organisations to get certain artists they might like to show or produce and exhibition/festival as big as they have before.
I think many organisations have suffered funding cuts which really affects what they put on, the scale of what they show and how it’s marketed. This can mean that the visitor numbers drop which effects funding further. This is just one side of the affects but it’s a bit of a viscous circle really.
How important is seeing art live and seeing the real thing?
I think it depends on what the art is. If it’s an installation or performance piece then I think it’s important to see it to really experience the piece.
I feel that sometimes even with 2D work it is better to experience it in person to really appreciate the scale, colours and textures of the piece.
However if the work is documented well then I feel this is useful when you are unable to see the piece in person.
How important do you feel a web presence is these days?
I think these days it’s very important if not essential to have a web presence.
I think the first place people look for information these days is on the internet and even when you are networking people are more likely to ask for a web address or an email than a phone number.
I believe the internet is a fantastic way to get your art work advertised and sold, and I am going to use it to my advantage right now and put details below of an exhibition I have running at the moment.
ART IS LIKE AN ADVENTURE PLAYGROUND
BY JOEL AVA MAKINSON
ARUMA Cafe, Bar
62 Mount Pleasant
Liverpool
A photography exhibition by local artist Joël Ava Makinson, described as scenic landscapes with a twist. All work taken on a residency in Loweswater, The Lake District.
ARUMA is a new exhibition space that wants to provide a platform for emerging artists and art groups. Giving artists a chance to show and sell their work.
Preview Night: 12/05/10 7pm – 9pm
Light Night: 14/05/10 6pm – 2am
Exhibition: 13/05/10 – continues until further notice
Opening Times:
Mon – Thurs: 11:00 – 23:30
Fri – Sat: 11:00 – 02:00
Sun :11:00 – 23:30
joelava@hotmail.co.uk
http://joelava.daportfolio.com/
http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=101328716577253
Achieve Success in Your Art by being Extraordinary
What would you prefer to see? Three pieces of art that really blew you away or twenty average looking and decent works of art? I think most would love to see the three pieces that were amazing as opposed to the average ones.
There may be a lesson here when it comes to creating your artworks. Why not try investing more time into making one piece as spectacular as possible instead of finishing it and moving onto your next creation? There is a common trend that when somebody sees something that really has the way factor they can’t help but tell people about it. Nobody ever rants about something bog standard and average, so think about how you can create more impressive works of art even if it means the you produce less.
In the long run, doing this is likely to give you a much better reputation and people are likely to talk about you much more…. which is always good!
What do you think? Is less really more….
New Contests Started!
Two new contests have begun on Artybuzz, a new t shirt design contest and a general art contest that anyone can enter.
All rules, prizes and how to enter can be seen on this page – http://www.artybuzz.com/contests-zone.php
Thanks!
Pass it on…
We’d like to ask a couple of favours that can hopefully make a few peoples lives a bit better in the process…
Pass on Artybuzz…
If you’ve joined and like Artybuzz, then if you could tell a friend who might be interested then that would be fantastic. You will also be eligible for our referral scheme if they join, which is good for everyone.
Pass on our Ebook…
We’ve heard some good things about the Artybuzz art marketing ebook from the people who have read it. So if you have read and like it, please email it on to a friend if you think that it may help them out.
Passing things on helps ideas spread, and when more people get involved in projects like Artybuzz it becomes better for everyone. So hopefully you like Artybuzz, or our ebook enough to pass it on to a friend or two, which hopefully will make their lives a little bit better.
Thanks!
Contest Winners…
Our latest contest has now ended, with our two lucky winners being the two pieces seen below.
Metamorphosis by Darrick Bartholomew
Blue Buddha by Adolph Hernandez
Both the lucky winners will win some free postcards, and a £5 spending voucher to use on Artybuzz.
Be sure to check back tomorrow when two new contests will be launched!!!