Setting Up Shop
I believe that everyone should consider buying original artwork if their means allows it. Not everyone is able to afford to, however (that includes me!). Something I appreciate is the option to buy affordable, good quality reproductions of original artwork that I connect with.
I’ve been ruminating on how to make versions of my artwork available to the public in a low stress, cost effective way (for both me and the buyer) and I’ve decided to set up shop at søciety6.
What is søciety6?
Søciety6 is one of those sites where a creator uploads high res images and selects the type of product(s) they want their image to be made available on. The magic elves at søciety6 produce said images on demand and mail them to the purchaser. Each time a product is sold the artist gets a percentage of the sale.
While having a run of cards and t-shirts printed to sell directly myself might earn me more net profit per item, I decided to try a provider instead. I did this for a number of reasons:
- No start-up investment. Pre-printing my own Giclée prints, art cards and shirts means a major investment of funds to produce a much more limited selection of products.
- A site like søciety6 offers greater exposure to customers that are looking to buy art than selling solely from my own website would.
- A site like søciety6 produces Print On Demand products. This means not having a bunch of pre-made products that, potentially, nobody wants (and that, potentially, end up in the landfill). A product only gets made if someone really wants it. I like that.
There are other sites that provide a similar service – why søciety6?
Of the sites that I researched (zazzle, cafe press, red bubble) søciety6 seemed to be the most “fine art” focused. The other sites sold too many things like white, commercially-made coffee mugs which I’m NOT interested in having my work on (personally, I think everyone should be drinking their coffee and tea out of gorgeous artisan crafted ceramic mugs created by one or more friendly local potters). I preferred the look of søciety6’s site and liked a lot of the other work I saw being sold there.
What will I find at your søciety6 “store”?
At my søciety6 store, you’ll find Giclée art prints, printed canvases, device cases (laptop, tablet, cell phone), cards, and t-shirts (yes, and the requisite hoodies and tank tops) that feature select works from my 2-D series: Incomplete, and RYG.
“Spidant” t-shirt and Incomplete Creatures iPhone case.
Over the next several months I’ll slowly add new images to the store, including a few pieces from the Survival Games, I Am Your.. and How To Be series.
That’s great, but what if I want to buy original artwork?
Yes, most of the original artworks you see in my portfolio are for sale, too. 🙂
Currently, I am not listing values here on the site, though early in the new year I hope to develop a collector’s gallery that will include details such as price, shipping costs, etc. Until that time, if you are interested in a particular piece please email me and I can let you know the details*. One-off’s (pieces not part of a series), and a limited number of one of a kind printed t-shirts will also be featured in the collector’s gallery and available for purchase in 2014.
*Note: expect original 2-D artwork to be priced higher than a printed reproduction. There is, after all, only one original!
Umm…are you gonna go all hard-sell on us now?
Nope.
Hard-sell marketing is not my style. I feel it’s important, though, (as Amanda Palmer suggests in her fabulous TED talk, The Art of Asking) to allow people the opportunity to support you. This venture is more about putting the work out there and making versions of it available to those who connect with it than it is about making money.
What about you? What do you do that allow others the opportunity to share and support your skills or services? Please comment below.
