after i wrote about publishing into the public domain, some people assumed i am against making money from art. but two weeks ago i opened an etsy store of minimalist greeting cards, and last week i put up a donation section on my chapbook website
there are a lot of reasons artists may be opposed to selling art. some artists have clearly defined reasons, and a lot of artists have vague feelings about it. i have thought a lot about it, and i believe in making money from art under certain conditions
reasons people may be against selling art
one reason is that selling art may require you to conform to what is in demand. this concern is similar to why i don't want donations for my vegan activism. veganism is a direct effort to change society, and accepting money can make you accountable to what someone else wants. some donor-funded activism groups have assimilated into mainstream values over time. if you make art and try to sell it, there is a chance you will assimilate to styles of art that sell more. i used to be more concerned about this than i am currently. when i write something that is exciting to me, i have found that usually other people like it
there is also commodity fetishism, which i understand a little. once the goal of selling is introduced to a situation, selling can become the main goal. then a conversation with a blog reader (for example) becomes a means to an end, selling something. something that was deeper or harder to objectify or replicate (like friendship, a lifestyle, or social change) becomes a commodity
also many people are annoyed by always being sold something. instead of people just sharing what they like, most communication and media is actually attempting sell an idea or product. economically, tv shows exist to sell advertising. any show you like, it is actually being broadcasted because it attracts a target demographic (you) to watch commercials. if an artist is very concerned about selling, it is possible their conversation, presentation, or actual art may become inauthentic
why i am against the usual ways of selling art
i don't want to withhold my art from anyone. i want to share and spread my writing and art. in practice, a lot of poets are really nice and will share their books for free, but usually charging a fixed price for a book means that you will withhold the book if the person doesn't pay. i want to share my writing whether or not people pay. if i withhold my writing from people who don't pay, then i have let payment come before sharing my writing
there is not much in this section, but it is actually the main point of the post
positive interpretations of selling art
people also say paying for art is beautiful because it supports the artist. paying for something is a way to show appreciation because money shows value. if i go to a restaurant and the food is wonderful, the payment can show appreciation and allow the chef to be able to cook for people every day
i think getting money for art can be beautiful if it is a free exchange (see below). the usual way of selling is just not ideal to me because it is conditional. instead of openly sharing and accepting support in return, you may become actively involved in selling. then if someone is poor or they don't have money with them, you refuse to share with them or help them
if people want to support me as an artist, i want to allow and encourage it. i need money for food, shelter, and other things. i would like to spend as much time as possible on my writing, blog, and etsy store. if i don't make money from any of them, i need to make money from something else. i can do that, but it is less fun for me, and most jobs seem to actually be involved in worse social practices. i think spending my time on writing and art is beneficial for myself and others. so i will accept the support people offer
donation-based income from art
my main idea is that i want my writing income to be donation based. when i have a full-length book, the text will be online for "pay what you want." you can read all my writing for free if you want. or you can support me if you want. i am also soon posting the high-res files for my etsy designs for free if you'd like to print your own (to me, this makes buying the printed version seem like a donation). if you buy something from me, i want it to be an open offer of support
if a full-length artwork is not available for free, then excerpts, free mp3s, poems at literary journals, readings, blog posts, and music videos can just feel like advertisements. in dreamworlds 3, sut jhally said the main point of music videos is to sell cd's. economically, that is true, even if the artist is still able to express themselves through it
if the full-length artwork is available for free, a lot of the commodified feel of making money from art is gone for me. i can try to get it to many people, and it doesn't feel bad to me, because people can experience all of it for free in some form. i am still gaining something from readers: i get the joy of higher hits, the ability to direct more readers to what i post, and probably more donations in the end. but if those people like what i post, that is a mutually beneficial situation. i am not building up desire for something and then charging a fixed rate of money to access it
trying hard to create a better way
my etsy store is not perfect by my values. it would maybe be better if it didn't involve producing and shipping physical products, and it would maybe be better if the products were as cheap as wholesale cost. those might be things i try to change in the future. but even as it is, i think i am making a solid effort to create a better way
donation-based income often involves the artist more directly with money than publishing with a press, so it might seem more like turning the artist into a business person... my poetry may be dismissed because i sell things like greeting cards. but actually for my values, i think it is more transparent and ideal to handle all selling/donations myself in a way that i believe in, rather than having a press do it the usual way
more than talking critically about the system, i am trying to change the way things are. i think artists can be supported as artists without compromising their values or being exclusionary to their (potential) fans. maybe there is something wrong with my ideas; i don't know yet. but i am trying hard to create a better way
thank you very much
