TURN THE DIAL
Where to begin?
A few facts may provide a sturdy start.
LastBulletin post: 5th July 2024
Last Blog post: 12th July 2024
Last Instagram post: 27th May 2024
(Partial explanation as to why in Bulletin & Blog posts, 1st July 2024)
In these content hungry times, the dates above until now (19/8/2024) is a long time – in terms of producing and maintaining content, I could be considered dead!
But no! I’m still here!
However, the dial has been turned.
So, where to NOW?
It has been a struggle to get back on the horse. CORRECTION: It has been effortless to not get back on the horse.
This does not mean creativity has stopped. On the contrary, it continues to pour and flow within each day – enjoying a freedom away from being kettled into corridors that lead to on-line platforms.
My back injury in April accelerated many necessary lessons, and exercised one of my least applied disciplines; patience.
It was not possible to insist on healing faster, but it was achievable to create a fertile ground that allowed the body to heal. Still now the approach is continued. It includes slowing down, regular exercise, and using the gaps between activity to cherish the calm, space and moment. Without care, these moments can otherwise be arrested by an urgency to scroll, feed the website and social media platforms, and fill up on distractions, far away from the nature of every day.
Irony is included for free with circulating this post across a couple of on-line platforms: my blog & website bulletin.
This is the conundrum – retain or refrain.
The obvious answer is to find a balance. This is when things get thorny. Perhaps an account from 15 years ago will frame the difficulty. Excuse the pun that shall be revealed within the short tale.
I was selling framed prints in a popular Truro gallery, a nice place, with knowledgeable and helpful people. The commission rate was 47.5%, and I was happy to have a good footfall viewing and buying my work.
And now for some number crunching. Each framed print sold for £140, the commission on each one sold was £66.50, therefor £73.50 went into my pocket…YESSS!
Second to the thrill of creating my artwork is selling the work. So I had a pep in my step, but my buzz was kicked in the nuts when the obvious was pointed out to me by a more business minded friend. Of course there is a cost to producing each piece, and I knew it, but I was just so happy with being involved and people seeing my work, I glossed over what I considered minor details.
But my friend seized the opportunity to call me a dickhead. He told me, “Before you buy another pint and shoot your pistols in the air, take a moment to think it through”.
I could tell my swagger was going to get wounded.
“Once you’ve kissed the girls, lifted the trophy and received your cheque for £73.50, take a seat and consider how much of that is yours after the cost of producing the piece”.
Oh shit!
£73.50…minus.
Paper & Print (The best paper, inks and printing process used) - £20
Frame (Wonderful bespoke frames) - £40
= £13.50
I’ll have a half please landlord!
A suggested solution, or at least an idea to adjust the numbers in my favour was to learn how to build frames, and frame the prints myself. But I didn’t want to, nor do I currently wish to, spend my time manufacturing the parts going around my work (however necessary), it is creating the work to be framed that is important to me.
And now, spending time creating content and maintaining the backend of the website, blog and Instagram feels the same. Forever attending to algorithms, SEO, views, likes, followers, etc, is extremely time consuming, and each hour spent in the virtual maze, is an hour not holding a camera, pen, pencil or brush.
So for now, I seek a lopsided balance. In it I spend more time being open to new ideas, techniques, creativity and enjoyment, no matter who, or how many see it, or what surrounds it.
I’ll post & blog along the way, just using the platforms as they were initially intended – a place for some of my creative endeavours to find some light, regardless of the machine aspect of the virtual soapbox delivering them.
Much love,
Kevin
Until next time, take care
