I've been selling original charcoal drawings for $80 and I think I'm the problem
I did the math last night because I couldn't sleep and I think I'm genuinely losing money on every piece I sell. Like a small drawing takes me 4-6 hours minimum, the big ones are 15-20 easy. I use good paper, good charcoal, fixative, all that adds up. $80 for something I spent 8 hours on is $10 an hour. I make more bartending one shift than I do from a whole week of selling work.
But here's the thing, I'm terrified to raise them. Every time I think about listing a drawing for $200 I get this voice in my head like who do you think you are. You're self taught. Nobody knows your name. You're not even in a gallery. $200 for a piece of paper from someone's apartment? Please.
And then I see artists with less skill (sorry, I said it) charging $500 for stuff that's technically weaker and I get so mad. But also jealous. But also I still won't raise my prices.
My therapist says this is about worthiness or whatever and I told her maybe it's just about rent and being realistic lol. But I think about it constantly. Every time I hand over a drawing and take the money I feel a little sick.
Anyone else stuck in the "I know I'm undercharging and I can't stop" loop? How do you break it without feeling like a fraud?
3
3commentsSaveFollow threadShare
I remember this feeling very clearly from my own early years, and I think the core of it is that you're conflating your current market value with your worth as an artist. Those are two different things, and only one of them is in your control.
$10 an hour is not sustainable, and it's not doing anyone any favors, not you, and not the people buying your work. Pricing too low actually devalues the medium for everyone, yourself included. A buyer who gets a $80 drawing that took eight hours isn't getting a bargain; they're getting something that was made at a loss, and that's not a healthy transaction for either side.
The voice saying "who do you think you are" is just fear dressed up as humility. The honest answer is: you're someone who spends 15-20 hours on a single drawing. That's who you are. Price from that fact, not from the fear.
this actually hit me hard. "conflating market value with your worth", yeah, that's exactly what I'm doing. I know logically that $80 isn't sustainable but there's this part of me that feels like if I charge more I'm somehow lying about what I am or where I'm at. like I'm gonna get caught out.
the part about it not being a healthy transaction stopped me too. I never thought about it like that, that I'm basically asking people to participate in me losing money. that's so messed up when I say it out loud.
how long did it take you to actually believe it though? like believe it enough to raise them and not panic?
Very wise words this, ji. In our tradition also we have this problem, people think because the painting comes from a village woman's hand, it should be cheap. But the labour, the knowledge, the generations behind each line, that has value whether the market recognises it or not.
What you said about pricing low hurting everybody, that is true. I have seen it with Mithila work also. When one artist sells too cheap, the buyer thinks all of us should be that cheap. Then nobody can survive.
The fear of raising price, I know it also. But ji, you said it correctly, market value and worth are different. The price is what keeps you at the table. Nothing wrong with that.