Honestly this is how I feel!
Sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself.
Not because something is particularly funny, but because you’ve reached that point where you’ve tried just about everything you can think of and you’re wondering if anybody out there is paying attention.
Can someone throw me a bone?
I’m not talking about literally. It’s more of a figurative expression. Just a little acknowledgment that maybe I’m doing something right. Maybe something I’m offering has value. Maybe somebody, somewhere, sees something they like and decides to take the next step.
It’s been one of those weeks.
I’ve been trying everything. Promoting paintings, adjusting prices, offering discounts, including shipping, changing the presentation, and trying to find ways to make a few extra dollars in an economy where everybody seems to be watching their spending.
And I’m not complaining. Well, maybe a little.
But there’s something rather exhausting about continually putting yourself out there and waiting for a response.
You get website visitors. People look at your paintings. They click around, investigate, and move on.
Thirty views, sixty views. That’s great. Somebody is looking.
But looking and buying are two entirely different things.
And after a while, you start wondering whether you’re doing something wrong.
So you try another promotion. Maybe lower the price. Maybe include shipping. Maybe create a sense of urgency by announcing that the sale ends Sunday.
And then Sunday arrives.
Nothing.
Well, can someone throw me a bone?
But here’s where the situation gets interesting.
In trying so hard to make a sale, I may have actually been working against myself.
I’ve been offering original paintings for $250, including shipping, when the shipping expense alone could eat up most of what I’m asking for the artwork.
Then I stop and think about what I’m doing.
I have paintings that I’ve spent years developing, and I’m treating them like merchandise that needs to be cleared out before the next truck arrives.
Is that really the message I want to send?
I go back to another old expression: Don’t ever sell yourself short.
Maybe that’s the bone I’ve been looking for all along.
It’s easy to get caught up in the idea that if you just make something inexpensive enough, somebody will eventually buy it. But cheapening the price doesn’t necessarily increase the desire to own something.
And there’s a difference between somebody wanting a bargain and somebody wanting your artwork.
So the sale ends. The $250 paintings go back to $400. Shipping is no longer automatically included. And the larger originals remain priced according to what I believe they’re worth.
Does that mean somebody will suddenly come along and buy one?
I have no idea.
I might still be sitting here next week asking somebody to throw me a bone.
But at least I won’t be throwing away the value of my work in the process.
Maybe that’s part of the struggle of being an artist. You’re constantly balancing the desire to create, the need to make a living, and the sometimes uncomfortable realization that the world doesn’t necessarily recognize the value of what you’re offering.
You can create something wonderful and still struggle to sell it.
You can have hundreds of original paintings and still wonder where the next customer is coming from.
And sometimes you just need a little encouragement that you’re on the right track.
Not a handout. Not a favor. Just a little indication that what you’re doing matters to somebody.
Until then, I’ll keep painting, keep experimenting, and keep looking for that elusive buyer.
And if anybody happens to have a bone lying around, I’ll be happy to take it.
Just don’t charge me shipping. Lmao.
Final Response :
Something I particularly like about these two titles
They work together because the first is an observation about human behavior, while the second is an admission of human vulnerability.
And there’s a little humor running through both.
I especially like the ending of the second blog: “Just don’t charge me shipping.”
That’s your personality coming through. It takes a frustrating business experience and turns it into something relatable.
One other thought: I wouldn’t publish these as complaints about the art market. I’d publish them as observations about the experience of being creative, trying to make a living, and learning when to stop compromising your own value.
That’s a much bigger subject than selling paintings.
Me: Yes! My next blog would be: Trying to make a living not just as an artist. Some of us are doing just that. – to be continued…
