OPEN DISCUSSION The Value of Art

[Figuremaster Les]

scooterscustom said:

admin said:

Scot removed it.


Will

I had left a long, heartfelt soapbox-style response to Les' post. First one in a long while. It was edited because I had voiced some comments about one of our members. While I had not meant them to be insulting at all, quite the contrary in fact, they apparently were not seen that way and thus, my post was edited. I don't deal well with that kind of thing so I opted to remove the whole post rather than let a watered down version exist. No big deal.

Well, damn.
I KNOW I missed something.
Thanks Scot. I am flattered you put some soul into it.
Even though I didn't even see it....dangit!...Thanks.
Glad for one to see you around again.

(No harm by me man. Feel free to re-comment if you want... ;D And by the way, this thread is supposed to be OPEN, even though it is here and protected to members only, so it's even more...OPEN....to any ideas, even if they aren't mine Isn't that right Will? )

And by the way, having now had a talk with Sis about this, she reiterated what you just said Troy! That is what she said she meant, that it has to do with time regarding my time, and my free time, and the value of that to me personally. She said she wasn't trying to set a value to my work based on the time it took, but that it was about the time I took away from everything else. And, the value of that time to my life and income. That made more sense to me.
I do spend an inordinate amount of time on my work. And that has lost it's value to me. For me, this is not a hobby, it's how I pay my bills. Headpaints, sculpts, figures, etc., I do them all the time now. Not just for FUN! So, it does lose some lustre when the thrill is not there for some piece, like when we have a challenge. On those, I do them for this site, not just for me. That changes my purpose from work-related, so I put a lot more into them. Probably more than most of you can. So, that kind of figure becomes the exception for me.
I don't guess that seems like the way it should be, but that's what it's become.

My Sister wants me to make more Art. To make more one on types of things, that become priceless out there. Even if there is some limited run on them. I guess I can understand her feelings about it. She looks down on the whole figure thing from a business standpoint as limited. Maybe it is. For every figure, that is just one headpaint, one likeness. This headpaint thing is too tiring, and I have about 30 heads laying about to do.
THAt is what is hard to quantify, and what lead to my first posting this.

So, thanks for your thoughts guys. Not many here, Myself, Steven, some others, make a living with this stuff. It is a tough living. I live from month to month. That is scary.
I am trying to formulate a plan for a longer term means that allows for what I do to remain what I do. I have made a global rep for myself now. That is hard even for me to believe. Out of this lowly bedroom workspace in Waycross, Georgia (BTW, we're national news now due to a wildfire outside of town...cough cough!)
SO....this stuff matters a lot to me.

And...no opinion is arbitrary. I am interested in everyone's comments. You guys have helped make me the artist, and name I am today. It is to you guys I come, and ask these questions. Not somewhere else. YOU GUYS.
So, again, thanks.

And, keep 'em flowing! This is still one of the best sites on the net for just this reason. A small island of creativity that is to me, second to none. Let's keep it that way. Regardless of our differing takes on ideas.

[captainmego]

LES ,,I think I told ya the treatment I have receved in the past on this matter...I get smart ass remarks from the brothern law ..That what I do isnt a real job,,but then again Im not borrowing money from my inlaws to pay my bills as he is. My figures do way better than his beat up cars he cant even build. I used to get pissed baout peopel giveing me shit about I chargew to much and who do I think I am ...But as you know its takes alot of work and tiem ntot o mention alot of materials to make this stuff. And the last time I checked my shop doesnt run off gerble power. All this must be acounted for I think when you do it full time. Les you run a class act shop ,but I too have tryed to streem line what im doing now ,,,so what my method is now ,,I take the first week of the month to build my bodies,,the second week I sculpt any parts I need,,then the third week I mold the first 2 days after that i have 8 or nine days to dress them out...Its hard core in my opion ...long as yuor mind set is good it works but hit a wall and its done...I really try to treat it as if I am working for a toy comopany and I have dead lines that have to be meet. But in my heart of hearts I think art is like surfing some times ya catch the big waves sometimes ya just sit in the water waiting for a wave to come by. just my opion on the matter . my talent comes and goes dependeing on my attitude and how Im feeling.

[outback]

Just a couple thoughts from a newbie...

I understand exactly where your sister is coming from. These are not easy questions, and as such do not have easy answers.

I've never sold a custom. Given them away as gifts, yes, but never sold them. Why? A couple of reasons. One, I get very involved in every subject. I spend a lot of time in research for materials and reference. If it's a machine of some sort I usually end up doing some drafting to plan the project out. This makes the project very personal for me, and from that standpoint I'd have a difficult time letting a piece go.

As an example, I'm almost finished with a 1/18th Airwolf project. I dug up the reference materials, drew CAD prints up to plan the interior and structure. I used these to make wooden patterns for vacuumforming the hull. I had to source out a local plastics distributor to get the raw material large enough for the project. Hell, I had to build a vacuumformer big enough to accept the patterns! 99% of the project is hand-made, from the main rotor to the landing gear wheels. And the figures of String and Dom, while not perfect in their likenesses, are as close as I can get them at this time. From start of research to finish has been, and I'm not kidding here, three years of nights and weekends. How could I possibly charge someone enough money for this piece to cover that kind of investment? And after all that work, could I be happy selling that piece for anything at all?

I suppose that's why this will always be a hobby for me, and not a vocation.