This sections of the forum has been up here for a long time, maybe since the beginning but doesn't get that much activity.
I personally think it's a good thing that it's not that active, since I'm partial to having artist make a living and each "gift" of art someone did, takes away from some artist getting paid to create it. I believe that the "gift" sharing policy should be limited to items of less than a $20.00 value.
People say (you get more work from those who you've given to also). One artist believes in this as well. He now sells art packages and how too stuff and a sep program of sorts, but you can get a bunch of stuff from him for free first. This works for him. Years ago,He tried to convince me of the process as a business model but I'm not sold. I think it's a negative for the art industry as a whole. Sure, it could help you get more work or hey buy other products later from the person you give stuff to, but that doesn't help (the other artist around the world). For me, I feel (we artist) need to be in this together and watch our backs and our art industry's backs. Thats why there is such a thing called The Graphics Artist Guild and a few others.
Using the idea of giving stuff away occasionally,change it around and see how many times you feel it's advantageous for you the printer to give away a tee shirt order of 24 1 clr shirt, several times a week or month hoping you get more orders in later from that same person. It only takes you but an hour to do that right? An hour of artwork for an artist can be $25.00-75.00 for some. How much does a tee shirt order of 24 shirts (cost you)? Give that way a few times a week or month. Make sense? Someone in your town (printer) might then say,
you keep doing that and you're going to devalue what we do.Ya have to admit, in an extreme case, someone could post up some art that they created that is a $300.00 value (and feel they are simply helping people) but that takes a big chunk out of some artist income.
There is a lot of "VALUE" in art for apparel. Customers want art on shirts. Printers need the art to print....but when it comes down to paying for art, people choke. I can understand why. I'm not disputing the fact that customers choke when they see a $700.00 shirt invoice and then also a $300.00 art invoice.
I happened to be looking at my wall last night reviewing my own work
. (I stick my sketches on the wall where the customers can see what I've been doing and how it gets on a shirt.
People get excited to see the sketches posted and ignites conversation and sometimes even an order. It seems to have some value. So I thought, Yea, it has value... Value for customers and printers but not that much for the artist. Good art helps you sell more tees, but people don't like paying for it, so printers don't pay that much for it.
Art in the apparel industry is probably (THE) least valuable market in the art industry. It's even looked down on by many artist in other area of the art industry. Customers want it, but
if most had to chose between a $20.00 vector clip art thing and a $300.00 custom art job, they most often take the $20.00 vector.
The average ad agency artist probably gets paid near 45k a year while the average tee shirt artist gets paid 10K less. The tee shirt artist probably has more raw artistic skill than the average ad agency artist.
With all of that said, I do have a heart. I've given plenty away but behind the scenes. I don't make it known that much.
Just rambling.
