As an artist, I believe that it’s in my best interests to challenge myself; to force myself to reach beyond my comfort zone and try something new. A few months ago, I did just that and the results have turned out to be the highest commercial success I’ve achieved in my career to date. The artist in me tends to turn her back on the concept of commercial accomplishment, but the fact of the matter is, you can be the most creative, avant-garde, antiestablishment and talented artistic soul in the city, but if you’re kicked out of your flat because you can’t pay the bills- where does that get you? Ego intact, but stomach rumbling. No starving artist, thank you very much; I’m pragmatic enough to realize that I need to produce a product that people will buy.
I took a slightly different route than many of my fellow creative types. My paintings have been well-received and I’ve even had several showings in galleries. There have been some sales of pieces as well, but the problem is that it may take me days to complete one painting. And with the price that I have to charge just to recoup my investment in paint and supplies, not to mention a few quid for my time, my work is far from an impulse purchase. Not everyone is willing to pay five hundred pounds for a four foot square, colourful but somewhat disturbing take on human anatomy.
What I discovered, though, is many people are willing to pay 25 pounds for a tee-shirt featuring a print of that same painting! Everyone from college kids to the fashionistas looking for something unique. I found a web site that enabled me to scan a painting, upload the image and use this as a basis for designing a series of shirts. They provided tools so that I could edit the designs, add logos, add print in a range of fonts and I was even able to order in bulk to receive a discount. It’s not quite the same as having one of my paintings hanging in The National Gallery in London, but there’s a great deal of satisfaction in walking down the street and seeing young people sporting a shirt with your creation on it. And with the rate my latest series of shirts is selling, I may soon be able to afford to move out of my flat and into an artist loft in Clerkenwell.
