What if it's value is love

How do we measure the amount of what something is worth? What if it's value is love. ….

I created this little painting a few months ago and mailed it to a friend. I then asked them to ship it back because I didn't feel like it was fully finished. My friend sent it back using UPS and it was lost for the last three weeks. I had to call the people over at UPS and open a case. The lady on the phone asked me the value of the painting. I struggled to come of with a monetary amount. 

It's a simple painting, painted with simple materials, in two simple colors. But how it makes me feel is by no means simple to put in to words or price.  

When I first started out painting I struggled with how to price my art. Mostly because my work was the very opposite of this little painting. Instead of my work being simple it was over the top and took me months, upon months to create. At first I wanted to charge a lot because I associated that with being a big time artist. I think on some level most artist do.We think the more people are willing to pay for our work means the better we are as artist. It's a form of praise. It shows us how much the person loves the piece because they are willing to dig deeper in to their pockets to obtain it.

 It wasn't until I watched a few artist I use to follow go from being nobodies to big timers cut off the very people who helped build their career by making it so they can't afford their work. That's when I decided to change my price points. 

I was recently offered a spot in an art show and so was a friend of mine. we were discussing what our paintings should sell for. I picked a very fair amount for mine and my friend thought I was pricing my stuff too low. They went on to tell me how most of the artist were selling their work at much higher amounts. I told them I didn't care what other artist are asking I want to price my stuff at a respectable amount but I don't want to exclude someone who may truly love the work from having an opportunity from having it.

That's the problem I see with a lot of artist these days. They go on Instagram or whatever other social media platform, and see what others are making off of their art, and think their stuff is along the same lines so they should price it the same as the rest. There isn't any real Justification for the absurd amount their asking just a following the masses mentality. 

It's not the everyday artist I have most issues with. It's the ones that make public comments thanking their buyers for putting their kids through private schools as they are churning out a two hour ink drawings. They don't care that the only reason their stuff is even being bought is because they have already made a name in the art world. Not because their piece is actual loved!