No big surprise…Getty will cull images from Flickr for licensing. Smart move on their part–most of the people on Flickr will probably agree to get pennies on any dollar earned via Getty, if anything, leaving more $$ for Getty in each transaction. 

Not to get all “think good thoughts and the world is your oyster” or anything, but have you ever noticed how people who give are often the very same people who are very successful, especially in the creative industries?

Sure, there are total jerks who make great money out there, but I think they aren’t half as successful (read: happy, liked, peaceful) as those people who also give of themselves, just to help. 

I’ve been pretty lucky on a recent project–I’ve asked some people for permission to use parts of their work and not one has been even the slightest bit difficult about it. And all of them are successful (yes, on various levels) and all of them certainly had the right to make demands, but none exercised that right. They were each gracious.

We talk all the time about not “giving it away” when it comes to your work, but I think that sometimes we accidentally lose the compassion and humanity that giving can engender because we lump together not commercially giving away work with not giving at all. 

Something to think about…

Gary Matoso sent me links to the fabulous Ira Glass discussing what it means to be a creative and, more importantly, to make creative work. In these videos, he talks about how persistence is the greatest virtue and how you need to make a lot of work, and dump the crap. And about taste.

I couldn’t agree more…on everything.

Don’t let the fact that he’s talking about a different medium…you are doing exactly the same kind of work he (and his colleagues) are.

(Oh, and there are more of these vids in the series…on YouTube, of course)

For some of us Americans, a British secret decoder ring might help a bit, but you’ll still get enough out of this to have a good laugh anyway:

 

Hat tip to Barry Schwartz and artsjournal.com

As I mentioned in some previous posts, I have been looking for ways to monetize this blog and a few other things I have been offering for free to you fine readers. What with law school eating into my time to work one-on-one with clients, I need to shift my revenue generation sources a bit, doncha know.

I really did not want to start a subscription-based service, but I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of running ads either. While they are getting much more acceptable on blogs, I still think they look kind of cheesy. I have also been approached by some photo-related vendors about sponsorship, but again, that’s still essentially putting ads on my stuff.

Then I thought about what NIN and others have started doing: offering their products for free or whatever you want to pay. Ding! Here’s a potential solution! So, starting today, you will find a button there on the right (when you are on the main page, or click here to see) where you can make a contribution. 

It’s a simple system: Like what you read here? Then pony up some buck-os, if you want…or not, your choice. The contribution will be processed by e-junkie.com and GoogleCheckout, so it’s safe and legitimate, and pretty simple to do, too.

If you listen to Creative Lube, there are similar buttons on that page (this one, actually, not on iTunes) too. Again, totally voluntary–nothing has a price. 

As I’ve already noted, hopefully this system will permit me to NOT add advertising to any BAP items. That would make me happy, too.

Thanks, as always, for reading and being a part of this. I couldn’t do it without you. 

P22 type foundry did a cool deck of cards a while ago and sold them. They were, essentially, promos, but because they were just so fabulous, people bought them up and they sold out very quickly.

Now they are doing it again and I was lucky enough to get one of the decks (click for much larger version):

This is just beautiful. Each card is a work of art. And yes, I paid for it. 

This is the kind of thinking I want to encourage all of you to engage in. When you have a great idea, figure out some way to make it happen–like selling the promotional piece or how about making a contest where the winners get the high-end piece (reducing the number required to be produced and making it a limited edition!). 

Seth MacFarlane (creator: Family Guy) is a creative. Whether you like his taste or his aesthetic, he definitely is a creative pro. And he is mind-bogglingly rich because of it.  

Well, because of it and the fact that he has recognized the value of his own creativity and has fought for it every step of the way.

And he’s not afraid to let the “money” know what he really thinks. For example, during the writers’ strike (and this was before his huge deal with FOX), FOX finished an episode of Family Guy without his final creative input (and he withheld making the voices, in solidarity with the strikers). When they announced they would air it, MacFarlane said, “It would just be a colossal dick move if they did that.” That takes some guts to do! Yet even after speaking his mind (and, it should be noted, still being respectful of individuals with whom he worked at FOX), he got a reported 7-figure deal with FOX. Huzzah!

Now he has cut another groundbreaking deal. This time, he will be creating content for Google to distribute directly. Brilliant on his part–it give him an outlet where the FCC can’t censor him and creates yet another revenue stream (and a big one at that). Also, note in the linked article how advertisers will be integrated into the work. While the last bit bothers me on one level–I think ads and content should be clearly separate, personally–from a business perspective, it’s a very strong idea on his and Google’s part to offer the integration.

Kinda makes you think. 

Maybe the trick to all this is creating unique work and believing in it enough to fight for it, even when it’s harder than hell to do. Respecting your creativity and thus creative work is the foundation of your business.

Do any of you think for a second that MacFarlane would be anywhere near as successful if he changed his creative vision to make it what others had (probably repeatedly) told him it should be?

If you’re a wedding photographer or thinking about adding it to your repertoire, then you should read this Wharton Business School (UPenn) article about a new book on the wedding industry (in general). It sounds fascinating–and if it doesn’t help you think big (and maybe raise your prices), then nothing will.

A new Creative Lube podcast is available. Try iTunes or go here.

Last evening, I had my first law school class. I’m taking one course over the summer–sort of an introductory “how to be a law student” with special emphasis on some constitutional material. The only people older than I in the room were the professors (it is a team of them), but I really didn’t care–I was excited to be there, and a bit intimidated by the workload…already. 

We had a couple of readings to prepare before our first class, and I was struck by something in them. Over and over the authors referred to the Art (cap. A) of the Law (cap. L). Then the lecturing professor said something to the effect of this:

Does understanding the rules of color (for example)–blue plus yellow equals green, etc.–make an artist an artist? No, that is but a small part of what it is to be an artist. It is the application of those rules, the interpretation of them, the ability to see beyond them and use them to create that makes an artist an artist. Same for the rules of law and being a lawyer. If you only learn the rules, you are only going to be a hollow shell of a lawyer. You must learn the rules, of course, but also learn how to use them and interpret them and go beyond them to the benefit of your client and, more importantly, society as a whole. Law, like Art, evolves, and we are the agents of its evolution.

This is something many photographers can benefit from understanding. It is not your tools that make you what you are. If you are relying on your tools, then you need to push yourself outside of that comfortable shell. Your abilities, your art, will only grow as you push yourself beyond your “rules” (in your case, your tools). 

Think about how you list your abilities in your own mind–does your list look like a sales sheet from B&H Photo? Or does it include things like the ability to creatively solve problems or an understanding not only of light but of its absence, or a facility with making regular people comfortable in front of the camera? It is these non-technical things that will separate you from the herd of “shell” photographers.

Think about these things when it comes to your marketing–in emphasizing them, rather than the size of your backs and lenses, etc., you will be expressing the artist you really are. That will attract better clients.