The Creative
The Creative · № 10

Sold Original Work

Sold an original creative piece to someone outside your family for money they freely chose to pay, not a commission they asked for, work they chose from what you made.

The idea

Pricing creative work is where every artist freezes. Have your kid write three numbers: embarrassingly low, reasonable, embarrassingly high. Price it at the middle. If the first piece sells fast, the next one goes up. If it doesn't sell, drop the price. The number tells you the market. Most artists set one price, get rejected, and assume the work is bad. The work might be fine.

Steps
  1. Write three prices: low, reasonable, high. Pick the middle.
  2. Show the work where buyers can find it.
  3. Don't discount the first sale. Hold the price or take what's offered.
  4. After the sale, ask the buyer why they picked this piece.
What counts

A piece of original work sold to someone outside the family who chose it freely. A photo of the work and a sale record is plenty.