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Being the cook in my household is something I take pleasure in. Not only do I love to cook, but also shop. Edye, my wife of 15 years, loves this about me. It doesn't matter whether it's for food, clothing, tools, or anything else. I love to shop! I've been called a Metro sexual, even though I don't carry a purse.
In the past several months, I'm finding that food prices are climbing higher and higher with greater frequency. To add insult to injury, not only are the prices escalating, but the weight of packaged goods is getting lighter. Frozen vegetables that were costing $1.00 per pound are now $1.33 - that's a 33% increase from six months ago. Let's not talk about gasoline prices - we all need it, use it, depend on it to get where we need to go - so we just pay the price. There's really not much in today's world that hasn't increased in price and always will, for that matter.
Art supplies aren't getting any cheaper, either - canvas, paper, paints, brushes, etc.
Which brings me to my point - WHY HASN'T THE PRICE OF YOUR ART GONE UP? When was the last time YOU gave YOURSELF a RAISE?
Sadly, I have to admit that not one artist I've represented over the years has called or mailed me a revised price list. Now that doesn't mean that all artists don't raise their prices once in a while, I'm just suggesting that most don't!
Sure, you can think up all sorts of excuses. The slow economy, you don't feel confident enough to ask a higher price for your art, or people won't pay more for my art (even though you keep selling it month after month, year after year). People keep buying art - admittedly not as much or as frequently, but they continue to buy it.
You deserve a raise - don't you? You're paying higher prices for just about everything these days just like everyone else. So why aren't you asking for more money if even just to keep up with the rising costs of materials? I'm not suggesting to double or triple your prices. A modest amount will not stop you from selling your art. It will however, tell your collectors that your career is evolving and you're art is getting better - the more art you sell, the more value they're getting. Yes - add value to your art and don't be afraid that sales will come to a screeching halt. They won't. I'm willing to bet your collectors have taken home a raise lately. They can afford your art.
If you're not keeping up with the increased costs of art supplies, framing, and shipping fees (if they apply to you whether to and from a gallery or client) you're losing money.
A modest seven percent increase (plus or minus) will not affect sales. Asking for a raise has nothing to do with ego, (forgive me Jack) otherwise I'd be suggesting to ask another 20 percent for your art.
Why not take a step back and look at what you create? If you handed one of your collectors some raw materials and asked them to make a painting for you - how good a job do you think they'd do? They couldn't come close to doing any better than a fifth grader, I know I couldn't - I sell art and just about can't draw a stick figure. That's why I represent artists. Your collectors most likely can't paint - otherwise why would they be paying you for what YOU do best?
If you haven't done so for while, consider Giving Yourself A Well Deserved Raise.
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