Writing about my work is one way that I inform appreciators, collectors, and possible buyers about the significance of my professional activity as an artist. Creating content for my website and social media allows for the creation of connection points and a deeper sense of meaning. One desire I have is that my practice expands the viewer’s understanding of the world and makes engaging with it more enjoyable. The artwork is the thing you see, the story, and even its impact.
I recently went to a well known shipping company to get a quote on sending ‘Love Hunt’ to Houston. They had a box for art, though it was significantly larger than it needed to be and quoted me around $300. After giving them dimensions of a smaller box the quote went down to around $200, but the store wouldn’t sell me cardboard to make it myself. They wanted to charge me around $20 a sheet and use three pieces to make the box themselves.
I left determined to find a cheaper option. After a couple phone calls, I found out that an art store sells sheets of cardboard for $4.10! I came up with an even smaller box using two sheets. Constructing a box is pretty straight forward, yet knowing how to do so is an asset in itself. The total came out to $135 to ship ‘Love Hunt’ from San Francisco to Houston, saving more than $150. The painting arrived safely.
All the stages that go into making a work of art have similar decisions to be made in quality, optimization, and consistency. I work hard to provide a competitive product that is enriching conceptually. I’m writing this because each artwork poses unique challenges to their creation and acquisition, and I believe that solutions are obtainable in pursuit of my career goals.
From purchasing materials to time spent creating, establishing a studio space to developing the best context to sell work (even clean up), marketing to community involvement, these factors are what the artist and buyer should be considering. I’m learning as I go, because I’m not great at everything. I’m learning to be transparent and upfront about the work I do. The story around the making of an artwork is as much the narrative as its branding, iconography, or iconology.
