charged a gallery 60% less than i normally would because i forgot to factor in their cut
so i finally got into a group show at a legit gallery last spring. was so excited i didn't think it through. they asked what my prices were and i just told them my normal studio prices. forgot the gallery takes 50%. so i sold a painting for $400 that the buyer paid $800 for and i took home $200. less than the cost of materials and the frame. did the math on the drive home and literally pulled over.
the gallery was happy though. great exposure lmao
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Ouch. That pull-over-on-the-drive-home moment is specific and horrible and I think most of us have a version of it.
The thing is, the gallery should have caught it too. Not blaming them necessarily, but a 50% cut with those numbers, someone on their end could have flagged it. They know the math. They chose not to.
Worth keeping the name of that one in a notebook. Not for revenge, just for when you're deciding who to send work to next time.
Ah sure look, you're dead right and I'd say the same myself but I've also been on the other side of it now, gallery running a little market stall a few years back, and the truth is the person on the desk might be run ragged and not thinking about it either. Not excusing it, just... the art world's held together with string and good intentions half the time.
Still. You're not wrong. And that notebook's a good idea. Not for cutting anyone's tyres, just... memory's a funny thing. You remember who looked after you and who let you take the hit.
that's a fair point actually. i've been the person behind the laptop at a fair before and i was absolutely winging it. nobody tells you anything in this industry you just show up and hope for the best.
still keeping the notebook though lol. not for grudges, just... information.
yeah i've thought about that a lot. like at a certain point it's not an oversight, it's a test and i failed lol. but also maybe don't test the artist who's just excited to be there, damn.
i do keep a mental list. not for revenge exactly but more like... memory insurance. so next time they email me i remember to price like i have a lawyer present.