pricing my work – i mean, where TF do i even begin? & let’s be honest, as an artist, this is like the million-dollar question, right?
i pour my absolute soul into my kweenie’s & then i'm supposed to slap a price tag on them? ever tried to put a duffle coat on a squid? yeah, that’s what i thought!
so how TF do i tackle this one?
bazillion tears & snotters
do i charge by the hour? by the brushstroke? do i factor in my years of experience, the cost of my materials, the crazy ramblin’s of my mind that conjured up the work in the first place, or the bazillion tears & snotters i shed at precisely 2.17am when the paint went rogue?
erm spoiler alert: i think it’s all of the above & then some
& just to add something else to the mix if i don’t believe my work is worth it (which has tripped my ass up many a time before), no one else will
hmmm might be just the right time to bake inner voice no. 2 a “shut the f*ck up cake”? & get working on that mindset for sure!
sounds like a tomorrow problem
so, what’s a kween to do? when i started making my kweenie’s they were just for me, so i've always treated this like “that sounds like a tomorrow problem” but now tomorrow is here!
practically speaking i know more about paint & sparkles than i do about pricing but it’s time to get my ducks in a row (which believe me is pretty hard when you’ve got squirrels & they’re all at a f*cking rave!)
the one thing i do know is, i have to be able to live!
no time for nana naps
right then, no time for nana naps now cause it’s time for pricing research both practical & emotional:
ok so starting with the practical, according to the Visual Artist Association (VAA) all of the following is absolute gold
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scope out the scene:
visiting galleries & websites to compare styles, mediums, & prices is a must
kinda like window shopping but for aesthetics! getting the low down on how artists with the same vibe as me are pricing their stuff can steer me in the right direction
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time to value my hustle:
i’ve got to factor in all my time, skills, & expenses
keeping records of my time & costs is super crucial then i’m not pricing myself out of a living
the Scottish Artists Union has a great wee website that gives an hourly rate based on your qualifications & experience – turns out my tears, snot & creativity have a practical price tag after all!
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mix up the tags:
think about originals, prints, hand finished, merch & hunners more
if i want everyone to have the chance of scoring a kweenie then i need to spread the love to lots of different kweenie options
erm yeah, on that note some new kweenie merch will be dropping soon but be warned it’s definitely not for basic bitches!
at the mo i mainly sell my work on my website but i've also sold in galleries & want to sell at art fairs too
make your ex look generous
fun fact: galleries take a cut that would make your ex look generous: 40-60%
so whatever i price at on my website the prices have to be the same as gallery prices otherwise basically i hit a negative
i'm no mathematical genius but even i know that negative is only good when it’s pounds lost on my bathroom scales & not my bank balance!
now, while i’m on this tricky journey to price my work, i keep thinking about the gender pay gap, according to the GoHenry report women artists earn 22% less than male artists – fact! but even worse than that research by ArtTactic showed that female artists earn 53% less than male artists at auction – WTAF!
f*ck that’s HUGE when you say it out loud!
cheeky wee increase
it seems only fair to me that i make up for lost time then & embrace a cheeky wee increase in my prices, by at least 40%, right?
this way i'm do my bit for gender equality & closing the global pay gap quicker than the 135 years reported by the World Economic Forum
ok, so that’s some of the practical sh*t but what’s about the emotional sh*t?
no, this is not a therapy session for my emotional baggage it’s more about worth, ego & value – erm so yes maybe this is a therapy session for my emotional baggage!
deep for me?
contrary to popular belief i read big words, watch documentaries & TED Talks & listen to serious podcasts so please humour me with where i take this next
like gold dust
so, to start with worth then, sorry but going to have to refer to good ol Picasso here (or not so good if you’ve heard the recent gossip on him, i'll save that for another time though) reason being finding anecdotes of female artists is like gold dust – sadly
the story goes that Picasso was at a Paris market when a fan asked if he could do a quick sketch on a paper napkin for her
Picasso smiled, did his thing & as he was handing the napkin back (like it was no biggie) says:
"5 million Francs please?"
yep, this is back in the day when Francs were real cash, not Monopoly money
she was gobsmacked & says:
“How can you ask for so much? It took you five minutes to draw this!”
“No”, he replied, “It took me 40 years to draw this in five minutes.”
moral of the story? draw on napkins & charge a cool 5 mill? nope, the moral is real worth comes from your skills & grind not the time it takes to whip up the work
what about value then?
sustenance for the soul
actor Ethan Hawke sees art as:
“not a luxury but in fact sustenance for the soul. it’s not about just about pretty pictures on walls; it’s about how art connects us, helps us process emotions, and keeps us sane”
Hawke went on to say creativity gives value to our lives & is essential for everyone to live a meaningful life
also, Rick Rubin the music producer reckons creativity is not about outcome or ego it’s about mindset & the "authenticity of personal expression" that are key to "creating great work that inherently holds real value"
straighten out my crazy wee red head
for me this is defo true, i think i make my best work when it’s work that i NEED to make to straighten out my crazy wee red head, not something that i think someone else will think is amazing or will buy
a wee example of this is when i created my collection “something on my mind”
i LOVED my job but my workplace became soooo toxic that in the end it felt like the breakdown of a lifelong relationship for me
i don’t know why or how really but i started to create again & “rose tinted” appeared
kweenie rebellious unapologetic painted collage pop art portrait original featuring Rita Hayworth - "rose tinted"
she bigs up the start of the breakup. you know that stage at the beginning when you're in denial about it all?
you’ve got those rose-coloured glasses on, like everything's still rosy & perfect, you’re still hanging onto that ideal, even when it's slipping away!
then came “blue for you”
kweenie rebellious unapologetic painted collage pop art portrait original featuring Audrey Hepburn - "blue for you"
created in that dark, moody period, when all you want to do is wear heavy duty shades to hide the tears & bags
your head hurts from overthinking & believing you’ll never love again!
finally, i created “in the pink”
kweenie rebellious unapologetic painted collage pop art portrait original featuring Dorothy Dandridge - "in the pink"
she is the face of where the healing begins. no rose tint, no shades, no hiding, no tears. she's all about the comeback baby!
you can & will survive ‘cause you are you! when you realise you don’t need someone or something to validate you
so, egos aside & create from your heart kweenie but holy f*ck how do i put a price on that?
1980s throwback
hmmm time for a 1980s throwback, i think
let’s play the kweenie edition of "The Price is Right"?
“COME ON DOWN!” (shouted at full pelt in my best Leslie Crowther voice!)
can you feel the buzz & smell the stale sweat on cheap polyester clothing yet?
get ready to channel your inner Leslie Crowther & "control yourself madame!”
here's your items to price & no peeking at the answers
(oi i said no scrolling!):
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a designer handbag:
crafted from aligator skin, adorned with a famous French logo, & flaunted by celebs & influencers, guaranteed to be out of style as quick as you can say tik tok trend
what’s your guess people?
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100ml of celebrity-endorsed face cream:
you know the one, claimed to be made from the sperm of a unique pigmy civilisation, promising eternal youth but probably made in the same factory as the bargain Aldi brand
bang in that price!
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an hour of personalised life coaching:
from an acclaimed coaching “expert” aka someone who’s just read three self-help books & thinks they’ve found the meaning of life but has theee best sales pitch
come one, take a stab at the price?
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an original kweenie:
a one-of-a-kind artwork made by an artist from a renowned art school with over 20 years creative experience. this kweenie portrait embodies hours of painstakingly handcrafted layers of collage & paint. telling her unique story of self-empowerment & resilience
what do you reckon the price tag is on this wee bad girl?
now, drumroll please, "the actual retail price is..."
- designer handbag: £10,000 - £150,000
- face cream: £910 - £7,500
- life coaching: £750 - £2,500
- original kweenie: £380 - £2,000
how many did you get right? were you even in the ballpark?
drop your answers in the comments & let's have a laugh
the reality? just like "The Price is Right" our perception of value can be literally all over the shop
the designer handbag might have an eye-watering price, but does it hold the same unique, rebellious spirit as an original kweenie?
F*CK no, but the point is, sometimes we’re willing to pay top dollar for a hot name - but real value? well, that’s priceless!
brucey bonus
oh & here’s a wee Brucey Bonus for you (oops sorry wrong 80’s game show but it's too late i've typed it now!)
unlike the bag, my kweenie, in the words of the great Taylor Swift, won’t ever "go out of style!"
love you, bye
kx
PS things i've learned on my fearless quest to price my work:
- pricing art isn’t a one-size-fits-all kind of deal. it can take some trial & error to find that wee sweet spot
- the price of my art is sooooo much more than just the costs of the materials used to make it
- a price tag is what someone is willing to pay but it’s not necessarily it’s true value
- pricing my work is hard AF & it’s something i'll always find crazy hard to do
x
3 comments
ngl i have no idea what the price is right is, defos well before my time lol. will have to do some research on that.
Ffs I never got any right in the price is right, maybe that’s because it’s a bit before my time? Kweenie’s seem very cheap though?
Thanks for sharing
This is GOLD! Entertaining and informative words of kweenie wisdom. I love how you make the comparison to other luxury items – so, so true!