I was to spent my afternoon with some folks at the MoMA rooftop last Friday, then walk at a nearby bar. The summer rain forced us at their bookstore instead, drifting our time until the new meeting.
All kinds of artistic work is packaged as commodity for sale, on pencils, t-shirts, puzzles, on hand-made toys and other eloquent designs for home and personal use. The originals were once created under extraordinary life conditions. “What a shame for the artist that died poor and unrecognized,” I thought to myself.
I know a sculptor that made a deal with a restaurant. He will receive meals for life. As an exchange he produced a series of sculptures for them. Luckily for the sculptor the owners will take good care of him; their food is nutritious and delicious.
Trading goods for value is ancient, some as the Mayans had advanced systems in place. When the artist herself does not place intrinsic value in her product of work it becomes an issue. The artist has a personal belief her work has not real value. As a result she may have difficulty trade her work with merchants, because she believes they have a trade value of 0. Of course not all crafted goods are worth more than the stuff they are made out of and an honest assessment by the artist is key in all transactions involved.
Believe in yourself, in your value and in your art. Once you work deliberately to shift that mindset, your world can change!
Cypriot Abroad 