re: pricing. again. applied to classes too!

So, yeah, here we are again with pricing.

 

It’s my fav-or-rite subject, let me tell ya.  Yep.  Favorite.

 

*whistles*

 

So, back in May, I did this whole blog post about pricing and ensuring that one is fairly compensated for you own time and effort.  The pricing formula I use for my pieces is also the pricing formula that I use for my classes (with some modification–it depends if all the materials are included or not on the materials list).  The reason that I’m talking about this (yet again) is that I keep seeing other artists that are teaching severely under-price their classes–which is fine if you’re independently wealthy, but most of them are not wealthy and are trying to make ends meet with supplemental teaching.

 

Let’s back up a second and remind everyone what the initial pricing blog and it’s follow-up-with-time-sheets said, okay?

 

Now, as any artist knows, pricing one’s work is the most torturous endeavor ever.  Critics, professors, fellow artists, openings, grant writing–all of these things pail in comparison to self-pricing.  And, a lot of it seems to stem from none of use ever being told a formula for pricing.  Anything our art school mentors tells us seems to be vague and unclear.  I think the clearest I had ever heard was something along the lines of “figure how much it cost to make and multiple that by seven” (*potentially a very bad paraphrase).
 
Mind you, this was not told to me.  It was told to ‘Lainy.
 
‘Lain’s fair-going parents (they’re Feywood) told her something similar about pricing, but it was more like “figure out materials and time and then tack an extra 50% on it.”  Again, I potentially really misheard this.  ‘Lain, please feel free to chime in with a clarification.
 
The most consistent–and probably fairest–pricing formula that I have found has been on Etsy by daniellexo with a complimentary article about discomfort in pricing by Tara Gentile of Scoutie Girl on Oh my!  Handmade Goodness, and it comes out to something like this:
 

Cost Price (Labor + Materials Cost) x 2 = Your Wholesale Price

 

Wholesale Price x 2 = Retail Price

 

So, basically, the price of materials and labor–how much an hour do we make as artists?  I’ve read it’s best to think in terms of $10-15/hr.  I don’t think this is terribly unreasonable since, as artists, we are highly skilled and trained practitioners.–multiplied by two equals your wholesale price, i.e., the price that people would pay if they were buying a large stock of your pieces to sell in their stores.  Multiple the wholesale price by two again and that’s the retail price, or as I like to think about it since I don’t make a whole lot of multiples (yet), the price for an individual, unique piece of art.  There was another pricing formula that I had that said that the formula should look like this:
 

Cost Price (Labor + Materials Cost) + 10-15% of cost price (to cover utilities used like electricity) x 2 = Your Wholesale Price

 

Wholesale Price x 2 = Retail Price

 
That 10-15% covers any utilities that you used like electricity or water–things that a lot of us take for granted in the art-making process.  I can’t really bring myself to use this second formula yet.  I barely can get myself to use the first formula, and I still end up short changing myself because I’m not used to keeping track of the amount of time or the cost of the supplies used to complete a piece.  I’m getting better, but it’s still really hard.
 
The problem is that under-valuing your own art doesn’t just hurt you, but it hurts other artists because potential buyers end up with a skewed notion of what art should sell for.  And, really, accessibly art for all:  isn’t that why we all have smaller, less expensive pieces or prints?
 
The formulas take a long time to get used to, and if you’re anything like me, you’re totally going to experience severe sticker-shock and thing “how can my pieces be worth this much and who in their right mind is going to buy them?”  I’m still thinking like that.
 
Also, remembering that if you show at a gallery, they take a percentage of your sale to support themselves, so you’ll likely have to accept the loss from your pocketbook or you’re going to have to tack on that percentage to the existing price.  <–I haven’t been able to make myself do this yet.

 

I’d like to revisit the under-pricing-hurts-other-artists-as-well-as-yourself part of this.

 

Grace Dobush (2009) writes about pricing as “a terrifically tricky area. When you’re first starting out it’s tempting to charge just what you spent on materials…(c)harging for the time you spent making each item might make your sticker price seem high, but a person who makes things by hand can’t compete with big-box stores’ prices. Most people are so far removed from the manufacturing process that they have no idea of what making something really costs” (emphasis mine; p. 27). Dobush goes on to quote Samantha Lopez of Knotstudio on pricing consistency with “It’s important to keep in mind that, although lowering the prices may attract new customers, established clients may feel that they were ripped off and take their business elsewhere” (as cited in Crafty superstar, 2009, p. 29).

 

Which all leads to how de-valueing your own work causes problems for other producers.

 

What it boils down to is exactly what Dobush says: under-pricing (or over-pricing) skews people’s perceptions of what it costs to actually make something by hand. If, for the purposes of this example, two crafters made the exact same blank journal–same paper, same binding, same adhesive–and one charges what it cost her/him in materials alone and one charges what it cost in time, materials, utilities (cause you totally have to wash out those glue-y brushes when you’re done) plus a bit so that s/he was actually making a marginal profit on the deal rather than (maybe) breaking even, whose book is going to bought? And, really, is that fair?

 

Yes, yes, yes–I know. Capitalism. *thppppppppppt* Whatever.

 

Fair and consistent pricing by all independent producers so that everyone can win out in the end.

 

This also applies to class pricing. I know a couple of very talented artists that are teaching children’s classes for not-for-profits at ridiculously low rates (like a 4 hour class–materials included!–for $30, maybe $50 dollars). Unless the classes have 30 kids in them, these talented artists/teachers are barely recouping the costs of class time.

 

Forget about materials. Forget about their prep time.

 

The worst thing is, since they’ve set these prices now, they’re never going to be able to really raise them. Parents will continue to expect these classes cheaply because, in a lot of their minds, it’s just babysitting.

 

I think babysitters actually make more per child than teachers do anyway. *throws in towel and become a babysitter*

 

Part of the reason that this is coming to light again is that I’m supposedly teaching an Artist Book class on November 11th and 12th, and some people (not people that have signed up for the class, but other people who have not let me finish telling them what we’re going to do in the class) have been making an ado about the $150 price tag of this class, which is a 2 day workshop lasting 12 hours in total materials included.

 

Now, here’s a break down of the materials that I have to come up with for each students:

 

• PVA
• x-act knife
• x-acto blades
• awl
• bonefolder
• needles
• brushes
• book clothe
• book board
• linen tape
• utility knife
• utility blades
• binder clips
• clothes pins
• sandpaper
• wax
• thread
• paper
• cutting mats

 

Assuming that I dip into the materials ‘Lain and I already have and I make people share, that’s still close to $50 of materials per student. That doesn’t take into consideration the handouts I need to print (which are many), my prep time (which is already at three hours and counting), or my time in class.

 

Also? I’m going to be teaching them to make 5 forms of insta-books, concertina books, 4 kinds of Japanese stab-binding books, pamphlets, codexes, tunnel books, do-si-do books, folded structures, and “catepillars” as well as piercing cradles.

 

So, yeah, $150 is really, really inexpensive for a class. Has anyone looked at what classes cost at the local technical colleges?

 

Okay, I’m done being the whiniest whiner of whining-ness. But, I do think that accurate(-ish) pricing bears consideration.

 

On everyone’s parts. Producer or consumer.

 

This concludes the cranky!artist portion of y’all’s day.

 

Courage.

*waffles*

I think today’s post is going to be drive-by-y and preview-y–mostly, because I’m still the sickliest squid to ever be sickly (i.e., I have the Cold That Will Not Die And Makes Me Want To Expire).  <–It’s a wordy cold; it really is–ask The Husband and PA/Minion.  They’ve had to listen to me be up half the night for the last week with the worst cough ever.

 

*is a miserable whiny bug*

 

So, understandably, it’s been a bit difficult to do think-y things.  The most impressive things I think I’ve managed during this cold is reading The Court of the Air by Stephen Hunt and working on an edition of unnamed friends:  fungoid owlet artist dolls.  <–The proto-type of which went to my most excellent friend, Miss Hel, as an artist trade.

 

 

 

Now, the edition is coming along just fine. I’m up to four of the little owlets–using a sewing machine? so much quicker than hand-sewing, and I think I’m getting pretty okay at it–but I’d like to get a couple of more done before Friday, which is the Change of Quarter at the ARTgarage. That means that (theoretically) all the artists switch out their art for new art so that the gallery is full of new art.

 

…

 

It doesn’t always happen that way, but that is the theory.

 

The Court of the Air was–okay. Too much “it’s the end of the world,” and too little “cheesecake, jellybean, boom.” There are so many buried popular culture/popular literature references going on in there that I could only say that at least Hunt is well-read.

 

Really, every other page, I had any combination of “Really? Are you really doing this? Are you really going to moralize quite so obviously? Are you really going to be that awful with the punning?” responses going on.

 

There were very few things that felt unexpected (or were expected, but I was actually pleased about the presence of the expected). I wanted way more of the Steammen Free State ’cause, really, they were the most interesting characters for me; I wanted more character development because, seriously, the entire novel is about endings: the end of family, the end of security, the end of reality (quite literally), the end of previous identity, the end of life. There was only really one moment of “beginning” that happened for me, and that, of course, had to do with the steammen.

 

I wanted the world to actually be developed rather than all of these really, potentially great ideas being thrown together with little-to-no explanation or history.

 

But that’s just me. It could totally be someone else’s cuppa; it just wasn’t really mine. Your mileage may vary.

 

So, yeah, I veered of there into an elitist literature rant, I think. That happens on occasion.

 

What I’ve been thinking about is Branding. How artists brand themselves and their work, and how that branding can be extended to promotional/networking pieces like business card, website, yada.

 

…

 

I’m working on it, I swear.

 

Okay, so I’ll be think-y about Branding for the next week and get back to y’all on how that’s working out for me–probably, with references since I’m still Research Girl (no Buffy references intended).

 

And, so the calendar is delineated where everyone can find it (I’m not all-that-pleased with the inserted Google calendar):

 

Story Beads:  Beading to Heal–September 30th    $30.00

The ARTgarage has a class cooperative with St. Vinny’s, and this class is being offered through that program.  This class is also totally based upon one that I took with Lisa Kay a couple of years ago.  She’s totally as awesome as you’d think she’d be winning a Fulbright.  Share the love!

 

“Visualizing Your Hopes and Dreams”:  An Art Night for Freedom House–October 3rd, 6-8 pm

It’s basically an art class being taught for the families that Freedom House helps out.

 

IQ’s Fall Art Reception–October 8th

3-8 pm at IQ’s Bar 2105 University Ave., Green Bay

 

4th Quarter Artists Opening Reception AND the first Artists’ Demo-ing Night (hip name yet to be chosen)–October 13th

5-8 pm at the ARTgarage.  The Artists’ Demo-ing Night is something new that we’re trying, so if you’re an artist in the Green Bay area, come to Demo Night!  We all aren’t ARTgarage artists either, and we’re willing to share our windfall awesomeness!

 

Japanese Stab Binding:  Books to Heal–October 14th    $30.00

Also, a St. Vinny’s class.

 

Artist Books:  A Bookmaking Workshop–November 11th-12th    $150.00

Bookmaking techniques and artist books! \o/

 

Artists’ Demo-ing Night–November 17th

Same sitch (yes, I did use “sitch”) as the other one.

 

Artist Dolls–November 18th-19th    $150.00

Really, this is ‘Lain’s gig; I’m just co-teaching.

 

Black Friday Mixed Media for Kids Class–November 25th

Co-taught with the fabulous Miss Carrie.  Bring your kids to be babysat to learn about and make mixed media art while you get some peace and quiet some Yule/Christmas/Kwanzaa/Hanukkah/Saturnalia/insert-your-holy-day-here shopping done.

 

Artists’ Demo-ing Night (I really hope we come up with a better title soon.)–Decemeber 15th, 5-8 pm

This Demo Night happens during the ARTgarage’s annual Holiday Sale/Show, so it’s a double header.

 

Miss ‘Lain is also teaching a couple of other classes that I’m kinda helping out with (Mostly so that I can take the class without paying for it!  Don’t tell!).

Circuit Bending 101–October 28th    $60.00

Puppetry–December 2nd and 9th    $150

 

Courage.

*impotent tentacles of fury*

*insert rant about Apple and their outrageous prices on, oh, just about everything and the irritating-to-enraging AT&T/Verizon 3G option for the iPad rather than it being an ad-hoc-wifi user like everything else on the fricking planet*

 

Okay, that’s maybe a gross over-generalization, but–come on!–all hail the open source revolution!  Either get on the boat or hop on the lifeboat, and stop making all of us completely nuts already. kthxbai

 

/rant <–for now, at any rate

 

So, that actually wasn’t what I was planning on posting about this week (neither was it being Sunday before the real post was written–I mean, seriously folks, how did that happen?–but it’s been a rough last week+ *hands*).

 

I was going to open the floor to a discussion of  the artist persona and societal acceptance thereof as well as tell y’all what classes I’m teaching this Fall at the ARTgarage and how SAW went.

 

Let us begin with SAW.

 

Quite possibly the most awesome concept ever (except for the entire lack of real classroom space and lack of sinks).  I was co-teaching Painting and Mixed Media with Dark Carrie (we have a lot of Carries at the ARTgarage; Sandys too).  We had 12 students who ranged in age from 6 to 9.

 

Handful.  Thy name is kids between 6 and 9.  *is exhausted from the mere thought of them*

 

But, I must admit, they totally made awesome work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We completed (more or less) 6 projects:  Sample Media Books, Mixed Media Assemblages, Mixed Media Sewing Assemblages, Concentric Shape Studies, Art/Music Composition Studies, and an Impromptu Weaving Experiment.  We also introduced several (like loads) of different types of media with an accompanying conversation about how anything can be an art medium, artist introductions (Kandinsky mostly, but also Joseph Cornell, Nick Cave, Mandy Greer, and Joan Miro), a gallery walk (in the ARTgarage), an explanation about how artists price their work, a talk about how art is never really finished, and a talk about working around the unexpected during art-making.

 

Really, any place that says “a talk” insert “repeated at least 7 times”.

 

That’s a lot of stuff to do in 3 hours a day for 5 days.  That was all accomplished in just 15 hours!  It’s very exciting.

 

I totally think I’m going to be doing this again next year.  It’s kinda like giving birth, I think:  it’s horrific to go through, but you kinda forget/romanticize/drugs kick in; then you want to do it again.  Oh, irony.

 

The classes that I’m teaching in the Fall are actually all geared towards more of an older group, but I’ve tried to leave them open as much as possible to a younger audience too (i.e., 12 and up is the age range).

 

I’m going to be teaching

 

Story Beads:  Beading to Heal–September 30th    $30.oo

The ARTgarage has a class cooperative with St. Vinny’s, and this class is being offered through that program.  This class is also totally based upon one that I took with Lisa Kay a couple of years ago.  She’s totally as awesome as you’d think she’d be winning a Fulbright.  Share the love!

 

Japanese Stab Binding:  Books to Heal–October 14th    $30.00

Also, a St. Vinny’s class.

 

Artist Books:  A Bookmaking Workshop–November 11th-12th    $150.00

Bookmaking techniques and artist books! \o/

 

Artist Dolls–November 18th-19th    $150.00

Really, this is ‘Lain’s gig; I’m just co-teaching.

 

Miss ‘Lain is also teaching a couple of other classes that I’m kinda helping out with (Mostly so that I can take the class without paying for it!  Don’t tell!).

 

Circuit Bending 101–October 28th    $60.00

 

Puppetry–December 2nd and 9th    $150

 

So, yeah, I’m going to be a busy little squid.  Dare I say, bee-like?

 

And, I don’t know about the rest of you, but this post is getting into the epic-feeling category.  We’ll leave the artist persona talk until Tuesday.

 

But, a final thought/question:  what do y’all think the artist’s persona has been and is becoming and how has this been fostered/rejected by society?

 

Also, what are some stereotypes of The Artist?

 

Courage.

exhausted. come back tomorrow.

I know I had planned for the blog today; however, I am still the most exhausted squid that ever exhausted. I think I used the last of anything related to energy I had getting photos shot and sending them and contracts off to Awesome Carrie of the ARTgarage.

 

I hope.

 

*hands*

 

So, I can finally reveal the classes that I’m teaching for the ARTgarage in the Fall, and I’ll tell y’all about SAW.

 

Tomorrow.

 

When I’m less Land of the Dead and more Captain Cthulhu.

 

Courage.

playing catch-up. always.

I’m still playing catch-up from last week, and this week is bordering on the craptastic as well.  Oh, as they say, well.

 

Part of that catch-up was telling y’all about what it seems like I’m going to be teaching at the Art Garage in the Fall and a couple of thinky-thought questions I’ve been contemplating about how artists achieve success.  <–This one is totally due to the epic search for my certified birth certificate and car title so that I could get my Wisconsin driver’s license and plates for ‘Renn (my car).  *cues epic quest music*

 

I found them and have spend an inordinate amount of The Husband’s money making sure that I am a properly Wisconsin-licensed squid.

 

I have a collar and everything.  I’ve had my shots too.  /facetious

 

Now, I haven’t signed any teaching contracts yet for the Art Garage, but I have been given some tentative dates (which I’m not disclosing until I’ve signed the contracts), but it looks like I’m going to be teaching a story bead class like the one I took with Lisa Kay at Bliss Beads in DeKalb for St. Vincents as well as a book-making workshop in which we’re going to learn Japanese stab-stitch binding with each student contributing a page for the book so that everyone will have part of everyone else.  <–The Art Garage has a art therapy co-operative with St. Vincents.

 

Since these classes are in coordination with St. Vinny’s, they’re going to be more intentionally autobiographical in intent with an expectation that many of the students with be performing trauma writing.

 

I’m also supposed to be teaching a two day book-making workshop that I’m hoping to get people to think about artists books as well as making their own blank books.  The idea is to teaching them a variety of book-forms on the first day in conjunction with an introduction into artist books and non-traditional book-forms and then, on the second day, get the students to start creating artist books.  Or even artist journals since they are inextricably linked.

 

This should be interesting since I’m a very non-traditional-book-form book artist on occasion.  For example, this is a wearable book that I made.

 

 

Pardon the craptastic image.  I just recently found it again, and I haven’t had a chance to re-photograph it.

 

So, *insert segue here* as for a few questions about how artists achieve success.  I ran across an old Chicago Artists’ News (2009, XXXVI.7) that, I think, Lisa Kay gave me.  <–Again, thanks to the epic quest.  The cover story is “Is Art School Worth the Cost?”.  Now, the artists that were interviewed seem to come out to a “it depends” since some think it was amazingly important and others were very meh.  What caught my eye about this article was this quote:

It’s (art school) has been disillusioning.  A brutal wake-up call.  I’ve realized how many jerks are in the art world and how often success is based on connections instead of talent. (p. 1 & 11)

I know a lot of professionally trained artists and a lot of self-taught artists and a few who are both (I know that seems impossible, but mix a discovery-learner with art school and both can happen).  I’m technically one of those discovery-learner-art-school hybrids as is my friend and sometimes collaborator Elain.

 

Art school was important to me more in terms of space, facilities, and other people–not so much connections (though some of that happened), but more people to talk to about what was in my head trying to come out in my work.  This often didn’t go well because of my theory training which dictated a certain respect and negotiation of concept when it comes to audiences (reader-response theory) and that we are each going to approach a work depending on our cultural upbringing and the cultures with which we identify ourselves (autobiographical theory).
 

Ask ‘Lain.  I annoyed people a lot with that.

 

So, the question for y’all is this:  do you think that artist success is a matter of talent, connections, pandering to an audience, something else, or a mix?

 

I always lean towards “mix,” but I hate the idea that connections can over shadow talent and feeding an audience art that is safe and stayed and boring will get an artist further than hard work and skill.  Therefore, I think I’m coming out undecided at the moment.

 

What do y’all think?