Month: June 2008

In the Sunday NYTimes there was a great article about Trent Reznor. Here’s a creative who is struggling not only with issues of feeling inadequate (who’d a-thunk!) but also how to deal with the expectation of free creative. 

Among other things, I think he brings up one point that we often ignore when we look at monetizing creativity: the desire to have the work seen/heard by as many people as possible. That is, creatives make their art, in whatever form, not to hide it but rather to have it experienced by as many people as possible–money notwithstanding. There would be nothing better than for artists to be able to make their art and truly share it with the world without having to even think about making money.

Unfortunately, like the rest of us mere mortals, artists have to pay the bills too. Reznor discusses his own frustrations with this issue. He doesn’t like the fact that music is assumed to be (practically) free today, but he accepts that reality: “I don’t agree that it should be free, but it is free, and you can either accept it or you can put your head in the sand.”

This is something many of us need to learn to accept as well: in the new digital world, the general public expects many things to be free now–things that weren’t ever free before and things which, in being free, make making a living much more complicated for the makers. We need to find new ways to monetize art, especially photography. 

As much as I hate to say it, I think that we need to accept that image use on websites (non-commercial sites and probably all blogs) is/is going to be free. Social media sites too, but we can’t do that until most of them change their terms & conditions so that the artwork can’t be used commercially (most social media sites have terrible rights-grabbing T&Cs). However, in doing this, making this use free, we need to figure out how to still make money. Why not offer the images on products as well? If a kid loves your image enough to put it on his blog, s/he might want to wear it too, and using sites like Spreadshirt.com you can put your work on shirts (that’s what I use for my tshirts).

Make books and sell them too. Start thinking more and more retail/consumer-oriented. These products may not be your main income line–especially if you shoot advertising–but they can fill in many of the gaps.

I’ve found, pretty consistently (though, as always, there are exceptions) that the more one reads (be that the classical visual method or the newer audio version), the better her/his creative is. However, many creatives have reading disabilities like dyslexia and so they miss out on a lot of the material out there they would actually like to read. Now Jott.com offers an RSS feed reading service. You call Jott, name your feed, and it reads it aloud to you. This way you can keep up with all sorts of blogs and news services you may have been skipping.

Caitlin has an interesting post (from Last Thursday…my bad for not mentioning it earlier) about shooting film today–is it even possible? The short answer is “yes.”

Questions like this have always been around. Today it’s film or digital? but before digital it was what format? Back in the day (as they say), we’d have those clients who would call up and tell us what format…and usually we’d (gently) tell them that the photographer was really the best person to decide what format was really best for the project–after all, that was a part of his expertise. We’d do this because, 8 times out of 10, they’d be wrong about it.

But, and here’s a little trick for you, when the client says “do it in this format”–or digital or whatever–and when they are (luckily or not) right about it, then just do it “their way.” Give them that illusion of power, if it makes them happy. No reason to stand on an apple crate and announce that you, the artiste, will say what is and is not right…just do it. It’s a simple way to make a client happy. Show your professionalism and unique abilities in other ways, like by solving some difficult lighting issue or delivering the files early.

Okay, this isn’t directly biz or photo-related, but I just had to write about this….

For the first time in a very long time, I am really proud of my country. Regardless of your personal political stand–left, right, center–every American should be proud that we have an African-American presidential candidate from a major party (in this case, the Dems).

It took this country almost 90 years to get rid of slavery, and another 95 or so to get fair voting rights (and others), but then, from then to this–40 years. Kind of amazing when you think about it. And not only a black candidate–he’s mixed race and has a name that is about as far from Bob Wasp as you can get! WOW!

I was a tiny kid when MLK, Jr. was killed (I don’t remember the event directly). I wasn’t yet born when he made his most famous speech on the Mall in Washington, DC. These are events I learned about in history class. In an all white public school. 

Now we have a nation of people who are seeing the man for the content of his character, not the color of his skin, to paraphrase Dr. King. It’s amazing. Even if you aren’t planning on voting for him in November, you have to give pause and be proud of our country for achieving this. 

And how is this for an amazing historical coincidence: on the evening that Mr. Obama accepts the nomination, officially, it will be the 45th anniversary of Dr. King’s “I have a dream” speech. 

Kinda give you chills.

Way to go, USA. Take a minute or two to be happy and proud of your country (if you’re an American). For many of us, it’s the first good, hopeful, happy thing we’ve seen from our nation, in the big, political sense especially, in a very long time. And for those of us who have not felt the weight and darkness of the past many years, you too should celebrate this anyway. Even if Obama is your worst vision of a candidate–for any reason(s) except the color of his skin–you too have reason to be very proud. When you see African-American kids on the news, like I did last night, excitedly talking about how they too could be president some day, it’s a great day in America.

 

 

Heather Morton has Ask an Art Buyer on her blog every Wednesday. This week, she handles a question about reuse. Great resource!

It’s kind of funny how the word porn has gone from something said with distaste–like as if you still had the taste of the soap your mom once used to wash out your mouth, or spat out like an involuntary Tourette-like event–to a term of, well, almost affection. Certainly admiration.

In that vein, the admiration and inspiration one, here’s a post where an artist and critic lists some of her “artist porn”–things that inspire and excite the creative in her.

I think we all should make lists like this. What things in life inspire your creative side–not the obvious, like your camera or a perfect model or your kids, but other things like the design of a perfect spoon, or the films of Jeunet or a great pair of shoes (hey, I am a chick and love shoes)–what’s your list?

The next time you get a marketing idea that everyone tells you is just friggn’ nuts, I say go for it. Look at what Honda did! Live…one take…

Difficult is worth doing, indeed!

 

HOW magazine has an article online with some ideas how to knock some of the dust off your creative brain. While they are geared not specifically for photographers, there is no reason you can’t try them. Maybe you’ll think up some creative games of your own! Please feel free to share them in the comments.

With things slowing down in so many sectors, including many of our own, it’s pretty easy to feel down. Here’s a great piece of academic research to help you feel better (from the Harvard Biz School). The crux of it is to spend money…on someone else. So, rather than buying yourself a new whatever, why not give that money to a homeless shelter or food bank or the like? 

I love this idea. We get so wrapped up in ourselves, in the getting and earning and making, that we forget that wonderful feeling we get when we just simply give.

All photography has the potential to sell as fine art, in my opinion. So, when looking for ways to diversify, why not consider selling prints of your work? Maybe consider listing your work on Etsy, for example. One note, remember that if you limit the number of prints available and sign/number them, you can try to get a hogher price for the prints. It’s just like exclusivity.