First things first, I want to produce affordable art that everyone can enjoy. I do not believe that art should be locked away in a high tower where only the rich and elite can view or enjoy it.
Everybody needs and deserves to enjoy different culture and have something to inspire them and make their dreams upon. That is what art does for people. It expands the boundaries of their own dreams and helps to make their own dreams greater. That it why art is such a personal thing and the more that you are exposed to it, the more rounded as a person you become.
Because of that, I wanted to make art something that everyone can afford and is something that they can incorporate into their own lives. I decided to quit trying to sell my art only in the traditional channels such as prints.
I figured out that I don’t really want to be a guy that sells prints or coffee mugs with my work. It’s not that I have a problem with doing so, it’s just that I want to continue to do what I like to do best, which is making photographs.
I also wanted to make it as easy as possible for people to gain access and incorporate my work into their lives. Give them access to the image. That’s what they want. Not everyone wants a 3-foot wide framed piece hanging behind their couch.
So, why not give them access to what they want? Why not give them the very thing they are looking for, rather than making it conform into the medium as you see fit. Maybe they want that image on a coffee mug… even if that’ s not what I want to sell. Why not just give them the very thing they want and let them decide how they want to display it or enjoy it?
Next was price. Why it is that art has to be so expensive? Because it creates exclusivity which helps to allow for charging more for it. That exclusivity keeps art out of the hands of most people and goes directly against everything that I’ve already said.
So, I researched and researched, a lot… trying to find the price point that would allow as many people as possible to afford my work, while still allowing me to “do my thang” in the meantime, so that I could continue to keep bringing in new work for everyone to enjoy.
So, I’ve decided to make all of my work available for one price to simplify things and I’ve made the price at a point that most people would classify as “discretionary income” or something that they can afford to spend without sacrificing anything. That price for all of my work will be $29.00.
For this price you gain immediate access to the high-res print-ready artwork and you receive a license allowing for all private use including printing. There’s actually less stipulations about it’s use than what you can’t do with the images, which is not to re-sell, distribute publicly etc.. Which is covered in my Royalty Free licensing if that is what you need.
I am going to stop there, so that this doesn’t come off too much as a sales pitch rather than a discussion of where the image art industry might be going, and how I am positioning myself for that future.
Some might ask me about NFTs which I have only just entered the space recently. But I do have a few of my pieces minted, but I am promoting them as original RAW/exclusivity packages which warrant the higher prices.
All of that said, I would love to hear your thoughts on any of these matters. Do you think I’m nuts, or where do you see the photo industry going? Should art be exclusive?