Commission Auctions

Where as once, I could simply approach an artist and sensibly negoiate a price, now I'm forced to figjt against others, spending WAY more than what even the artist might have asked, for art. As a self-proclaimed commission connoisseur, this is an absolute nightmare and a disgrace to how my ilk have done business for thousands of years. Do you think there would be a Mona Lisa or a Statue Of David if Leonardo De Vinci decided to pimp his skills out to the highest bidder?

And no, I'm not disrepecting the artist's choice to do as they wish (or at least not TRYING to), but there is a certain level of respect one establishes when they say, "This is what I am willing to give my time and effort for." In my opinion, that's how you develop and understand your true worth. After a while, hopefully you'll begin to feel that the amount you're recieving isn't enough anymore. So then you increase the price. Not TOO high or you'll lose business; yet not too low, cause you can't keep doing this crap for peanuts anymore. Eventually, you'll fine that sweet spot when you're creating masterpieces AND pulling in some serious dough at the same time.

In short, I believe the price should reflect the product.

If the person's art is... "sub-par, but they just happened to hold several auctions where two rivals spend over 1k trying to beat each other, what's that going to say to the artist? Will they feel the need to improve as much as the artist who set prices that reflect how they value their art?

The drive to improve slowly vanishes and, eventually, you're simply drawing the same thing over and over again. "I have a problem drawing hands bit, oh well, they're still paying $900 for it~!"

In the end, commissions really shouldn't be about the money, they should be about improving and innovating while, at the same time, discovering and defining your worth as an artist. They should be a chance for you to test your skills against someone else's ideas; creating an image that didn't come directly from your own head. In a sense, commissions are sorta like a symbotic relationship. The artist is the host and the commissioner is the secondary entity. Though one could do alright by itself, together they can create something very beautiful.

Like any type of relationship, your partner should be choosen carefully with consideration, understanding and mutual respect, not by just happening to be the person with the most money at that point.

Adopts are one thing: "I made a pic, who wants to buy it from me?" But an artist isn't the same thing: "I am an artist with skills, ambitions, motivation, problems, concerns, schedules... A LIFE."

In my opinion, this is what you say when you auction your commissions: "I'm an artist, buy me."

Then again, maybe I'm just being bias...