This post is long. Print it out, comment (what's your experience?), share and read on.  Let's talk about art, price, charity and rip offs. I'm saying it after a day full of emails with a fellow illustrator and an unexpected coffee chat with one of the most brilliant people I know, from a local, but nationally recognized design agency — Jim Rivett from ArketypeInc. (Thanks for the talk Jim!) Sometimes you don't know how things come to your experience, but I think today was meant to happen the way it did. It's meant to be heard. By me. By you. By Jessica (hold on, we'll get to her). THE TEASE I love looking at other artists' work. I'm in love with Stina Persson's and David Downtown illustration. Who's not? Could I paint you a portrait like Stina does? Probably. I know enough tricks to rip it off. Would I do it? Why? And no. Big fat NO. THE FOUNDATION Art isn't about knowing how to draw something. The technique or the way someone paints comes naturally, eventually. It takes time and soul searching. I have some embarrassing moments in my illustration career and I should have never post them anywhere online, but today I know they have been a part of my growth. I've been drawing all my life. Usually with pencils. When I was 15 I borrowed this book from my local library. It's a story full of complicated pencil fantasy drawings. Very sexual ones, actually. But I read voyeuristic Story of The Eye when I was 14. Go figure. I copied every one of those drawings. You could not spot a difference between the original work and mine. I never claimed they were my drawings. All this practice did for me was it taught me how to draw, shade and position things on paper. What it didn't teach me was a composition and sensitivity to the subject. Whenever I am at the museum with a friend and I hear  : Oh, I could have done that! I have a deep need for slapping his/her  big ignorant ego. Hey you! Maybe all you could do is to : trace, repurpose and copy what you see. Period. But Art isn't about it. You would not know what colors to paint with (because you don't understand the color). You would not know what composition suits the piece (because you don't understand the composition). You would not know how to connect with the viewer (because it's not your natural way of creating). Art is not about being able to draw an eye or a hand. The best art can execute the hand like it was done by a kid. (Basquiat) I admit that drawing/painting from magazines is a trap. Someone did all the difficult work of imagining the piece in terms of composition and the overall energy. All we have to do is to paint it. I take my references from printed and online sources, and I really try to rethink it as much as I can unless it's an iconic image and not worth to be messed up. Very often I photograph myself as well and that serves me as a starting point. On the other hand, it's a very long way from sketching (or placing the elements on the paper) to painting. Take a look at my quick sketch and the painting based on that sketch below. See how much more work it demands? Btw, yes, it's me, in the morning, without coffee and sex. And makeup. JK. Just me being creepy.   From sketch to painting is a long way. Marta Spendowska :: Creepy auto-portrait. So no, art is not about being able to draw an eye or a nose. And only practice can develop your style. Sometimes the best idea is to disconnect from an online inspiration for a month or three. And paint, paint, paint. And paint. One more month. I'm writing about this because of few recent events. So, let's start with the RIP OFFS. I adore Michelle from ArmasDesign. Her work is beautiful and I hope to get my hands on it someday. I also love her journey to painting full time and it's one of those journeys that make you understand what authenticity and integrity is. And, besides her genius work and helpful writing, her smile is so bright! What are you using Michelle? Zinc or Chinese White? :) But seriously. Just few days ago she published her interview with Jessica Durrant. It's a very warm intro to Jessica's art and life. I was aware of Jessica's watercolors before, but somehow never reached out to her. After I read her struggle piece I went on Etsy to check again what is she midwifing to the world. Beauty. Of course! Sometimes I'd love to be an art rep and scoop out all of these fantastic watercolor girls to promote their work. While on Etsy I've decided to do a better job for my Etsy account and actually start being more present again. Since the Etsy algorithm has changed it's not a matter of renewing the item to make it more visible, sellable. That I know for sure. And I still have no idea what's the proper strategy. Instead, I've decided to search for "watercolor" and see if any of my pieces comes up in the Etsy search even though I haven't renew anything for months. I found myself on page 6 (hurray!) , but what really grabbed my attention was this map...watercolor map...that wasn't done by Jessica, but I swear it looked like one. I researched the person who created them (right now I'm having a hard time to put this girl on the spot, in the position of public uncomfortable judgement even though Jessica and I already spoke about this issue on Twitter, so if you're really into finding out who I'm talking about — follow me:) and I emailed Jessica. Some time ago a fellow artists did the same for me and I consider this kind of support a good practice and an artistic duty. Those watercolor maps are Jessica's signature pieces. A lot of people love them, just google or Pinterest them. And may I say that watercolor blossomed in 2012? Oh yeah! This medium became the most loved one. It's so good to actually see it, because for so many years, being considered unstable, it wasn't that popular in the mainstream, even art stream. So, high 5 for that! But some people take an inspiration too far. Let me just post those maps side by side and you can decide for yourself : Jessica (right) That Other girl (left). Jessica Durrant (right) That Other girl (left). It's clearly a rip off. Would you agree? Fact : watercolor, if done loosely, will flow and mingle. Fact : world maps are pre-created (by God, nature, people, Buddha mind or by Spiderman if that's who you belief in) and you can't develop a new world map. I would argue that That Other Girl chose to paint them after knowing how successful they have been for Jessica. Don't like that strategy already. But it's obvious what's happening here. The drips, the idea, the obvious rip off... How could she...? How can someone rip off something that blatantly without feeling bad it's a mystery for me....Don't you feel less of an artist, fake, crappy artist, a big fat fraud doing such rip-off? Don't you feel like William Dorrit when he get's out of Marshalsea? (oh, how I love Little Dorrit!) Long story short, I emailed Jessica and we exchanged some good conversation. She's been aware of this issue already. That Other Girl has been surrounded. There is a funny follow up to this story. I think world wanted me to write this blogpost today and it just poured over me all of these weird situations. So, let's move to PRICING And by pricing I mean pricing artwork, especially if you're a full time designer, artist or illustrator. Today I was contacted by a dear friend asking if I'd like to work with her friend on a ... map in watercolor. Aaaaand you guessed it! Like the map Jessica painted. I've always believed in synchronicities, but this started getting too spooky. Let me just start with a plea to my friend so she doesn't take that personally (we discussed this over Facebook) , but our conversation is a perfect start point for bringing up pricing. The request mentioned that Jessica's maps are too expensive ($90 for a large archival print) and this other friend would like that kind of work being done for her apartment  for $50. *sigh* *pause* *vodka shot* (JK) Because I'm assuming mostly artists will read this, I'd like to explain you how I approached it, very specifically. So. I got pissed. Professional reaction, right? But I wasn't pissed at my dear friend, but at the whole idea of requesting any sort of discounts on artwork or creative work. Especially from the person working in the creative field, even though this particular request was meant to be a private request. For some reason art hasn't been placed on the same level of deserving as — let's say — Apple computers. Or a tv. Or a good hair extensions. Ok, I'm getting weird here, but I'd like you to engage and joke here and there will keep you awake. Pricing is a challenging issue for most artists. I'm a member of few private Facebook groups and most of them are full of entrepreneurs, solopreneurs to be exact. The most common topic seems to be : How much should I charge.  Even though Tara Gentile and Megan Auman explained this so well already. I agree, it's hard to grasp it. What I can say  for sure is : You charge whatever you think it's/you're worth. And here the problem emerges. We don't know how much we're worth. It's not just about the time we put into work, it's not about how much sweat we extract into this art piece, it's not about how much taxes we need to pay, or sleepless nights, or college loan . It's about you/me not knowing the worth of my work. I think it goes hand in hand with the crisis of authenticity (or the easiness of plagiarism for that matter). It's like we're in the free flowing world of endless opportunities where and when we can buy, exchange, sell whatever we want, but at the same time we haven't grasp the basics. We ask the same questions over and over : who am I, how do I paint, how do I price, how am I supposed to position myself. And the problem is those questions should be answered before you post your work for sell. And I admit, it's not easy. So, pricing. Back to the email request and what happened next. First of all I stated that I can't do a similar work. It's not ethical and if this person adores this type of watercolor, she should contact Jessica and speak to her. As I expected — Jessica didn't give a discount. There are specific times when she decides to do promos or discounts, like any other business. Additionally, I mentioned that this kind of work, in the future, in even possible, would be a custom work on my end and it's not possible to price something custom lower than a print, so why to request something like that for as cheap as $50. My friend said that by having this attitude I might be missing out on the future opportunities. Oh, the future opportunities...... How many times have you heard : "If you do this for free/for this cheap we'll hire you later, because we have much more work for you and additionally it would put you on the map, thanks to us!" Oh, the future opportunities with working on the project that produces significant profit for the client and you just need to sweat your ass off and pray it will come back to you, in a sweet grateful karma. Oh, the future opportunities of working with a demanding client that pushes all the buttons in you and you know, you KNOW it's not getting you anywhere, but maybe it will, in the glorious future....Even though you have bills to pay next month not in the future. What a fucking future opportunity. Let me tell ya. Let me just be frank. If someone comes to you, no matter if it's with a design or an art project and approaches it from the place of discounts and price issues, you better run. You better glue those November due bills on your computer and you resist this vision of glorious glorious artistic hallelujah in the future. It ain't coming. 99% chance is it ain't. What's coming is a resentment and unpaid bills. And I said : If Stilla McCarthy would contact me and ask for free or cheap work I might consider it, because of her huge influence and possible fun work. But, I like to think she wouldn't ask for free/cheap work, being a creative herself.   We had a little argument and I was called an art snob, but at the end I said : Sorry to hear that. My arguments are not even an attitude, it's rules I have for my small business to make sure I pay my bills on time and can afford art supplies to make more work. My goal to go on my own in 2010 (after being with two awesome ad agencies) was to make sure I grow in the direction I want to grow. It's not about taking any job at this point, that's for sure. Otherwise I'd be employed. That's the advantage of having your own business. You get the stirring wheel and you make sure the vehicle travels to the success the way you want. First of all, it was a private request. Secondly, if someone doesn't appreciate the work Jessica put into the piece and wants to bargain it's a red light for me. So it should be for you. It's not an opportunity for me. Or her. Or the art/design world. It's not my first NO and I'm still doing fine. An example of giving people opportunities to experience my work instead of cheapening it : I have this e-course and from time to time I give discounts. On my BDAy I gave a 50% off. I also had NAME YOUR OWN PRICE (the beloved strategy that Danielle LaPorte uses so well) and sold some of it for $10 a piece instead of $149. But there were rules and I was the one who made them. Mostly, it was a 1 day promo. So, when last week this awesome girl emailed me (thank you Mattea!) , first complimenting my work so much, then asking if I still have the promo code, I needed to think about it. First I wanted to give her a discount, just because she was so nice. But it wasn't fair towards all those people who got the program after the promo for a full price. At the end what I did is I've decided to give her more private help with the e-course, but no promo. It can apply to any kind of work you're doing. If people are paying a regular price, why would you discount it for a specific person? Isn't that unfair? And, to finish this part of the post — it's always going to be about money if you run a small business. I'm not a charity. I don't walk into the store and ask for 50% off. Especially if it's a small business. I choose products I can afford. If not, I save or dream about them. Like this spacious white studio with huge windows and pink storages... I'm also excited about making art. I'm not excited about scraping money to produce new art... Which, at the end, benefits YOU, the buyer. As Ann Rea says : The artwork is a luxury item. If you’re not sure if it’s a luxury item then you have bigger concerns and need to clarify your market. Which brings me to CHARITIES. Few weeks ago I was contacted by a delightful lady who found me through Etsy. She wanted to commission me for few t-shirt designs. She loved my watercolors and she thought we're a great fit. I agreed. After a phone call and quite a few emails we parted. At the end they didn't want to pay. Surprise surprise. But let me explain how I approached it. Charities are awesome. I do believe in human heart and I do donate a lot. Either to friends with broken wallets and teeth (Hi Heidi!) or RoomToRead organizations or any other cause that can benefit people or animals in need. Let me specify what they wanted and what I wanted, in contrast. They : 4 custom t-shirt designs for the charity being sold during the fashion event. Additionally an invitation for the event. Me : A specific $ amount  for those custom t-shirts designs, priced accordingly to a situation (I can't say how much to not abuse the privacy, but I was flexible) and I've decided to donate (free) few of my prints for their auctions. Any here is the thought process behind my strategy... Or, let's rather talk about my already mentioned at the beginning chat with my former employer, Jim Rivet from ArketypeInc. We met today by coincidence or because Kavarna coffee shop rocks. (Thanks for that Sumatra brew today! ). Having meetings there is painless and I try to leave my house at least once a week to socialize a bit. Jim is a president of ArketypeInc, Green Bay based ad agency, nationally acclaimed and honored. A huge, and I mean huuuuuge percentage of their work is IN-KIND work, which is a pro-bono work, which means it's a donation based free work. I've been amazed by this approach for a long time and asked myself : How can they stay in business? But they can. Jim is like a Willy Wonka in the Chocolate Design Factory. He gives away golden tickets. Or you can call Jim a Santa. And he's right. What goes around comes around. But, sometimes you need to be able to afford to give. Ad agencies or any other not solo-based businesses might be able to afford to donate. As Jim explained it to me today, this kind of donation based work goes to one designer, but there is always another one who works on regular, paid projects. This illustrates well enough how a solopreneur doesn't have enough recourses to accommodate this idea. If I would take this charity project on myself it means pushing everything else away, which sums up to no revenue this month which sums up to a loss this month. Is that even a sane approach to a business that is based on profitability? Is that even fair towards my husband?  Heck, no. And why wouldn't some board members consider working for free? That's why I responded : I can't donate my time, but I can donate already produced work. And the project died. Surprise surprise. Don't get me wrong. I'm sure they found some other artist who was ecstatic to do it for free. Good for her/him. Or not. See, the idea of what goes around comes around works on a broader level as well. Whatever you do can bite my ass. If you're the one who accepted the free work, it affects how the rest of us are going to be approached in the future. If you're the one who sold the illustration for 50 % off, the rest of us will be expected to do the same. It's all about us, designers, artists, creatives. Sometimes it's about letting go of an opportunities for the good of the rest of us. ART SNOB My friend mentioned a world art snob. Two words, actually. It was about me, I think. I'll take it further. I'd say an art snob is anyone who thinks they are so much better by giving away to businesses built to profit or whoever demands discounted art disregarding a small 1 person artists/design studio who sweats that piece in their own small art studio or bedroom hoping for better times (Hello Annette!). Art and illustration is hard. So hard. It's not about the time you're resting your butt comfortably on the chair, when the light is on, paints are ready and the piece is just channeled through you by the God. Or that Spiderman you believe in. Art is that moment when you were a kid and you've tried and tried to draw an eye and it always looked like a scary starring circle, not good enough. Art is those dollars you spent to find the perfect shade of green and believe me, it might have been even hundreds. Art is those days when you see it in your mind but for the fuck sake you can't channel it onto paper. Art is sweat. I said it already and it's my mantra. Next to : Art is my life-hood and I expect it to lift me up and lift you up—the spectator, the buyer, a friend. And so be it. And so be the 100% price. ******************** WORTH READING : Jessica Hische :: The dark art of pricing. Ann Rea :: Should I discount my art?   Pst. If you consider my English to be annoying, please email me so I can hire you. Thank you.    

I don’t dream about swimming pools, yachts or my own jet. I don’t even dream about dresses, fancy perfumes or parties. But I dream about white, spacy studio space, apps, and new iPhone5. Maybe Solestruck shoes a bit. Or too much. Feel free to send me those for Christmas. I dream the best right before I fall asleep. I can visualize everything I want. Very often I dream that I’m flying. They say it’s a good sign. Gwen Bell, just recently, wrote about her daily routines. So I thought I’ll share mine, but — instead of telling you, how it really is — I’ll tell you how it will be. Once. My perfect day. So, it’s a lie, but it’s quite beautiful. So — why not. *** I wake up around 6am. It’s still dark ad quiet outside. I can hear my favorite chipmunk chirping. I go to see him and I feed him with sunflowers. I pet him, he isn’t afraid at all. I hope he won't hibernate this winter. I put my favorite calendula cream on my face and brew some coffee. Coffee, actually, is the best nutritious beverage that have ever existed. It tastes like this Tribute coffee from Starbucks last year — the best stuff ever. I grab my Pantone 021C mug and I go to my office. It’s right across the street, white modern building. The bottom part is for design, business errands, the top strictly for painting. Big windows, white walls, orange and black accents. Schiele is hanging just above the bird cage. The bird cage is white and Lola, colorful parrot, is chanting :” Hi Marta Hiii Marta”. I brought coffee pot with me. I sit down and for undisturbed 3 hours I work. It’s usually web work and fashion illustrations. I like to interwind them, so I’m never bored. Or wiped out. At noon it’s time for a break. I take my car and drive for some Ashtanga yoga, to this colorful studio in downtown Seattle. I sweat, I stretch, I'm present, I check-in with myself. All good, no worries, no rush, no pimple. After that I walk to this cozy coffee shop for some chai and vegan chocolate cake. Sonia is right there, waiting for me, so we can discuss the new venture. We’re preparing a workshop, but I won’t say a word about it yet. It involves Stefan Sagmeister and Jessica Hische. Around 2pm I come back to the office and I work there until 4:30. At 4:30, Annie is coming with fresh flowers and two new CDs. It’s new Bjork and Morphine. Yeah, Mark Sandman isn’t dead, it was just a hocus-pocus. At 5pm I start painting, it's more like exercising the paint, until 6pm. I’ll be back here a little bit after 8pm. At 6pm I craft some delish nori rolls with macadamia nut cheese, celery, tomato, cucs and green onions. Hubby is bringing some friends over and my family is coming tomorrow for lunch. So I make few more for them. We eat, have some wine, comment on this bad joke about Steve Job's illness. Of course he's alright. At 8pm, while they’re still chatting, I go to my upper studio and paint until 9pm or longer. It’s for my upcoming show titled : “All women are welcomed”. At 9pm I take my bath with salts and mud. I play some music or an e-book. I can hear scraps of the radio downstairs. Jeanette Winterson got a Nobel Prize this year. Around 10pm I check my email, Twitter, and Google+. I read some analog book or go through the latest art magazines. I’m so happy Facebook got bought by Google+. Around 11:30 I close my eyes, say my Polish prayers and visualize another great day. I didn’t have any sex*, because my Hubby is downstairs preparing some things for our trip to Portland tomorrow evening. *** What's your perfect day? *in my perfect day, he's upstairs massaging me first....