9.07.2006

To Sell or Not to Sell, that is the question


Is there ever a point where you feel you are "selling out?"

When do you let something go?
When do you allow someone to put a price on your soul?
When do YOU put a price on your worth?

Are there some things that cannot be renumerated?

As artists, we create concepts to share with the world. In many ways, these cannot be assigned monetary value.Yet, we live in a society that likes to price and rank and subdivide and categorize.
In light of this, we struggle with when to give over our "intellectual property."
We must then ask ourselves: Will these purchasing folk nurture our intent?

Can worth be measured by sales?
Do we sell our paintings or our ideas for the opportunity to make more paintings and share more ideas?
I think this can be falsely self-fulfilling.

As someone who likes to share and engage in ideas, I find it tremendously difficult to "sell my work." (Or, is the question really that I find it tremendously difficult to let someone own my work?)
As a producer, who has worked by helping others manage their idea$, I also realize that commerce is the way we negotiate a treacherous territory of barter. Folks, this is what I'd classify as a "double bind."

I guess for me, it all comes down to the fact, that my ideas are for sale, my soul is not.
My time can be bought, but my person cannot be sold.

If money were no object, could we live our lives without such a system?
One hopes this is the case. For now, let us return to a system of worth and value rather than the barter of want and need.
One also hopes that this could save many a lot of grief.