How do you afford art? (A discussion, not a question)

[_Kai_]

So I'm curious, without derailing other threads, how people decide to buy commissioned art.

 

With specific birthday/holiday/bonus money?
Do you have an 'art' budget?

Whenever the whim strikes you?

Anything under X amount?

Only things on sale/by friends/on a specific platform?

 

@Draggynn you seem to have the same system that I do, a sort of 'fun allowance' that can be used for commissioned art or new games or books, is that right?

 

I admit that's where I ended up after a couple of failed attempts at curbing my habit, the first being setting a 'per piece' limit(that I then regularly made excuses as to why it was okay to go over...) and the second being setting a 'number of pieces' limit per three months(to which then at least one someone I had been waiting for commissions to open for would open and I'd say 'but who knows when they will open again' and break that one)

[Glacier Peak]

This is a good question. Subjective obviously - but my opinion is that my favorite art is stuff that I have received for free or as a trade for something of value that is not money. I put a lot of feelings in to a piece of art, which translates to value to me. The longer I own it, the more valuable to me it becomes. My grandfather had a print of an Moose in a river which he gifted to me after he passed. I really loved that print when I was a kid, I loved it even more after I got it, and each time I see it, it gives me joy. How much would I pay for it? That's a tough question - if I saw it on the street or in a studio, but it didn't have that emotional value, probably $50. If I had to place a value on it including the emotional value, I'd say $500 easily.

[Trike]

If you’ve got your bills and responsibilities covered, I say treat yourself.

 

I bought this photo https://www.instagram.com/p/BipF8hiAWyv/?utm_medium=copy_link and the price is staggering… as in it cost more than my first two cars combined. But every time I see it I smile. I love it.

 

 

[Chrono-Bot]

Back when I was getting commissioned hero art on the regular, what I'd do is set aside a little bit each month and when I had enough in the commission range for the artist I was considering, I'd contact them and just cover anything I was missing.  I would usually see an artist I'd love the work of and keep an eye out.

[biostem]

It falls into the same category as any other "disposable" expenditure.  Skip getting a coffee or meal while out, and instead have something at home - do that a few times and you can easily afford a commission, video game, etc - It's all about delaying gratification...

Edited November 9, 2021 by biostem

[TraumaTrain]

I get a whole bunch of it at once using PayPal and then I call customer service and tell them I don't know what that charge was.

[TraumaTrain]

Im kidding.

 

It's money. I just budget what I need for what I want. Like everything else that's not a bill. (Bills come first.)

[Greycat]

Didn't notice this topic before, just did while looking through for something else.

 

I don't really commission any more. In part because a lot of the people I used to commission are gone, or not taking commissions or whatnot, and in part because I like messing around with my own via Daz Studio - which, honestly, I initially picked up in order to *help* kind of illustrate ideas and such for commissions I wanted!

 

When I was commissioning (back on live,) it was very much a "groceries bought, bills are paid, and I have an idea," sometimes mixed with "and they're on sale" or "ooh, nice style, I'll commission them for a piece." Sometimes I'd budget and save up if there's someone I knew would cost more. It really varied, but... yeah. Basics first.

[Attache]

Commissioning art kind of faded from my interests but the first piece I got commissioned was kind of a lark. By 2010, I was earning a ton of overtime each week so I budgeted out of that excess and reached my pinnacle of getting work done through most of that year into a bit of 2011. As I recall, around that time I had some artists ghost after payment without producing the work and a couple of commission I was not pleased with so I bowed out.

[Clave Dark 5]

On 11/9/2021 at 12:56 PM, Trike said:

If you’ve got your bills and responsibilities covered, I say treat yourself.

 

I bought this photo https://www.instagram.com/p/BipF8hiAWyv/?utm_medium=copy_link and the price is staggering… as in it cost more than my first two cars combined. But every time I see it I smile. I love it.

 

 

Well someone's been having a good day on the market!