An example for a series of 12 watercolor works. Let's say you decided to create a collection of landscapes, still lifes, portraits, abstractions. And you start from scratch. Calculate the costs of materials to paint them (prices are conditional for example): 3 brushes, flat and two round, thick and thin, all for $30. A set of 24 colors in pans for $40.
Cotton paper with a density of 300, 3 sheets 56x76 cm for $14. A glass for water, paper towels, another $1. A simple pencil, eraser, tape, another $1. Let's say you learned from free videos, you draw at home, you have a table, a chair, cardboard, and glass under the sheet, water from the tap, and sunlight from the window flooding the room.
Oh, and one more important point. You draw without preliminary sketches, directly on a clean sheet and with an expected result. That means there's no stack of paper for sketches. Total $85. At first glance, it's logical to divide $85 by 12 and done! A clear price of $7.1 each! I smile.
This is only at first glance. Out of 12, only 1-2 will be bought. Two. So, divide $85 by 2 to get $42.5 for one work. $42.5 for one work and that's only material costs! And now add your expected profit, and you'll come to a price starting from $100 for a 30x40 cm painting. Plus, add the complexity of the subject, the presence of a story, and the degree of your fame as an artist. The price starts from 200 coins if there's anything to add, of course. The logic is clear enough? Attention question: "Does your level of mastery reach these prices?" No? Then grab a pencil. And learn. What happens next? With a competent sales system, the ratio increases. And you keep the same price or increase it. Thus, you achieve increasing profits from your creativity and become a commercial artist.
How decisions about purchases are made
Usually, when it comes to sales, people hear and see only themselves as sellers. Today, I want to draw your attention to how you buy and how. I'll give an example, the price is hypothetical. And you track your feelings and situations.Take two books on the same topic, with the same volume. One costs 5 coins. Reaction: normal, probably interesting, should buy. The second one costs 50. Reaction: how much? And what could be in it? Yes, for that money, I can find all this for free on YouTube. It's clear it's just nonsense and money-making scheme.
Take two dresses of the same model and size. The first one costs 100 coins. Reaction: normal, worth trying on, should buy. The second one costs 1000 coins. Reaction: how much? And what could be there? Yes, for that money, I can buy 10 in the neighboring store. Look, it's not even a very original design, fabric with synthetic additives. And look, the seam is crooked, obviously sewn in a small atelier. It's clear it's just nonsense and money-making scheme.
Educational courses. I smile. Shall I continue? Take two courses on the same topic. The first one costs $25. Reaction: normal, something interesting, should buy. The second one costs $1250. Reaction: how much? And what could be in it? Yes, for that money, I can find everything for free on YouTube. It's clear it's just nonsense and money-making scheme.
There's another way of making decisions. When you have 120 coins in your wallet, and you buy a dress for 10, and spend the rest of the money on cafes and movies. I smile. Tell me, who has been in similar situations, no matter from which side? What do you think this mindset is called? Why does it arise? What feelings are actually involved?
Here's the translation of the second part of the text:
Geniuses, Dilettantes, and Professionals
Now let's talk about those who declare in their creative endeavors the idea of 'I'm an artist, this is how I see it.' I'm also an artist. I also see. And here's what I see. All discussions and critiques of the works of novice artists are dedicated to. I smile.
Genius
It's unique and inexplicable from the point of view of logic and the set of your knowledge and experience data to date. They are bright. They are easily recognizable. What's the complexity here? You can't replicate their path. Copying their actions will yield the opposite effect or zero at best. Therefore, it makes no sense by definition to repeat the path of a genius. Even if you do the same thing, just green or with pearl buttons, it won't be interesting to viewers and buyers. I'll repeat. it won't be interesting. Because viewers have already seen it from someone else.
Why should they watch the same thing again, now from you? Let's say you like the creativity of Lev Leshchenko. And you are offered to listen to songs of his clones instead of him or after him. How do you feel about such a situation? Another Salvador Dali. Another Van Gogh and Picasso. Have you grasped the idea, yes? Then let's move on. If suddenly you're not a Genius (for example, I'm not a genius), then you have 2 options left: dilettante or professional. It's going to get tough now.
Dilettante
To loudly declare "I'm an artist, this is how I see it" and simultaneously demand recognition and income, you need to have basic settings. First, learn to draw properly, and then create works with your own vision, handwriting, and style. And you can learn to draw properly and become a professional.
And what is a good work? There is an opinion that a good work = an inspired work, done with love. After all, the main thing is love. Very ambiguous. Not a fact. Therefore, I have a number of questions. Inspired by whom? With what love? To whom? To what? The main thing is where, in what, when, for whom. In what time frame and space? How will you understand that this is love? And how does the viewer consider it?
In reality, this is an excuse for not wanting to learn and a demand to become a mommy for the author of the masterpiece, admiring and sighing with each curl and spot. I've already mentioned a couple of times about the requirements for the quality of execution, in the context of watercolor. A good work equals productivity plus quality. This is closer to me, of course. I don't discuss the quality criterion by default.
But what about productivity? Well, the main glitch of the dilettante is a fairly large number of works, all of the same level. There are many of them, and they are not needed by anyone, primarily by themselves. And at this stage, I usually hear that you just need to draw a lot, and then… Who gives these pieces of advice and why? It's a mystery to me. Then it will never happen. There's a joke. When a person is asked at an interview how many characters per minute he types. And the answer is 2500 characters, but it turns out to be complete nonsense.
So it is in creativity. The process of drawing itself is not an end in itself. It should result in a clear and high-quality work. It's very desirable that it reflects the original and nature. And it's very desirable that it reflects as accurately and without errors as possible. And not just me doodling here. A lot of low-quality work is meaningless. Accept it as a fact. This is the stage of the dilettante. And we smoothly move on.
Professional
An artist who produces and creates quality works. And this can be learned at any age. I'm very glad about this and I know a lot of inspiring examples of wonderful artists. This is the artist's labor.
Artist, Give Me a Discount
"Give me a discount." This topic is as old as life itself. Our song is good, let's start over. And what's there to draw, think of a brush on paper. And why are you tired, just give me a discount. And why not draw with a pencil, it won't cost you anything. Do you recognize it?
Usually, I joke it off. Of course, I'll give you a discount, and you'll come to my house and do the dishes and clean up. Or yes, sure, here's a stack of my bills, go to the bank and please pay them. It's a great idea to suggest they buy groceries for me at the store and bring them home for me. They might as well cook while they're at it.
– "Give me a discount!"
– "Of course, I'll give you one. Will you pay my bills, at least for the phone or gas? Would you like that?"
Oh, and this phrase works! Try it! Or answer like this:
– "Of course,