I sold a painting last month through my gallery in Paris. 50x65cm, interior scene, took me about six weeks off and on, not full time, I teach, but probably 90 hours of actual brush time. Gallery sold it for €4,800. I get €2,400.

So that's €26.66 an hour before materials, before the stretcher, before the二十年 of learning how to make a shadow feel like air. I'm not complaining about the gallery, they have costs, they have a beautiful space in the Marais, they bring clients I can't reach. But I sat there staring at the number and thought, I could clean houses for more.

What gets me is we never talk about this when we talk about prices. We say "I sold a piece for X" and it sounds like a victory. But the number that matters is what lands in your hand divided by the hours you actually worked. And if you're honest about it, it's almost always humiliating.

I'm not lowering my prices. I'm not raising them either, not yet. I'm just saying it out loud because I think we all pretend the math is better than it is.