Connect Struggling Artists with Patrons

This is a great idea! I have written lyrics to many songs on the radio but I didn’t get credit. I have written or co-written between 100-200 different songs and parts of songs. I have also given a dozen ideas for tv shows and planned the beginning stages of some of the shows. I look forward to being inspired and motivated once again.

Is the Website up and running yet?

I love this. We have built a trade portal that will help you WHOLESALE/sell your artwork and your music to other small businesses around the world. Once we launch we would love to connect what you do to our ART section in order we promote your work. We cannot wait to be out there promoting you guys….and many others…
My best to you.

This sounds like a great idea, but I hope you will welcome some suggestions; etsy.com is an example of an artist merchandising website that gets lots of hits, but now that it is popular, EVERYONE posts their work, and the quality has decreased. That takes the credibility away. Consider how you could create a link that has criteria so that you are not endorsing “artists” who don’t meet any standards. This would make people think twice about using your site. Also creating categories for services, and including portfolios(written, song, visual, photos, etc.) will take up space, but really help to make sure your customers are getting the right person for the job. Good luck, I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

I have been looking for a patron for years. Other artists like my work and I win awards, but I’m in touch with the wrong people. They’re all starving artists like me. I agree with stacy. You can’t accept just everyone. I don’t know how you will screen, though, because art is such an individual taste. I’m willing to discuss it. The other problem is that people have different views of what art is to begin with. Some people think art has to be ugly. I think it has to be beautiful. The people with the money usually buy ugly. I think art critics are to blame. People don’t ask whether they want to stare at it for years. They just want to be part of the “in” crowd.

Pat, what kind or art do you do?

Great idea!!!! I am daughter of artists, and tried everything but art, however I cannot stay away, it’s in my blood! I am working a project that will have a physical space and an online platform. I thinkwe may be ablee to work together on this. *Stacy- I agree totally with you, Etsy is just too over crowded today.

My idea is of an endorsement shop… please have a look and let me know. I have been working on this idea for a few years, but now I’m ready to start moving on it! I’m completely open to comments!

k. somporn somporn2002@chaiyo.com

k. somporn chumkratok http://mail.google.com/a/chaiyo.com/?AuthEventSource=SSO&ui=1&ov=0

Site would have to be juried. Best to find some credible art critics willing to stick their necks out or do an online show with a guest curator, change monthly/weekly. No minimum number of images choosen from your files.

I like this idea. It depends on if you could pull it off. There's a lot of people out there looking to exploit people who haven't had much exposure. I remember in '99 or 2000, right when I was out of high-school there were a lot of shady things going on with people asking for writing submissions. It got to the point where some group owners had three different stories and there were all these head-games. Anyway, it just sucked. I'm glad I got out of there before I could've offered anything of my own.

I'm a starving artist because I spend so many times buying books instead of getting paid. Since I've decided to eventually make myself a career as a writer from way back in '96, I've only realized further on how naive I was starting out. Why do lawyers get paid bank? Since I've had moments where I have read on grammar and on styles to learn from for roughly 18 hours a day, five days a week I now know why they should be paid that much. LOL!

Then you also have problems with people who feel as if they need to get appreciation and they'll say that they wrote the script to "Terminator 2" or something. That could be a problem for people looking for artists.

I like your idea. I just feel like maybe the problem should be with the consumer and not with the publisher, gallery-owner, etc. For example, how are more people going to be able to afford paintings, concert tickets, or movies? All of these things are way overpriced. So, how would someone be able to sell them to more people in this economy? If you're a painter this economy is a horrible one to work in. Or, how would writers get fair advances for what they write?

I guess there are instances on where it could work with some agents if they're willing to go along with it and if they feel that they could get material worthy of passing along to a publisher. For example, POD and Kindle publishing are great if you aren't doing them for a paycheck. Outside of hobbies, however, they suck if you're using them for experience. It's just too easy to publish to those platforms and that's why a publisher might be reluctant to take on somebody.

But, I like how passionate you are about this idea and I'll say with all seriousness and no sarcasm at all that in a perfect world I believe a painter or a writer should be paid as much as Steven Spielberg. (Actually, I think a 16-year-old kid working at Taco Bell or McDonald's should make that much money, especially if they're stuck in the ghetto, so that shows how much I know. It just sucks that once you see how difficult the politics of the arts world is and how the business works, you get to realize how much you deserve to pat yourself on the back just for sticking with it.)

How you could get it to work is a problem. You won't have people who will just come up and say "Hey, I'm looking for an artist! You're great! Let's go!" Well, actually you will, but those people will typically hold out on you and treat you poorly.

And if an artist is out there begging it's like the same experience one would have if they'd be looking for work with no prior work experience. All that the person paying you might say is, "Well, good luck. You need to get through the school of hard knocks."

I'd like to hear about how you would get an idea like this to work. I'm curious, because I can't see how it can work in a way that's specific. As a broad idea, it's pleasant to think about. Just how would somebody execute it? You've made me curious. :)

Here's a tip: There's a website out there where someone sponsors a college student and pays them "x" amount of money for good grades. There's something tangible that can reap a reward. Now the question is, if an artist is starving and has had very little exposure how will sponsors of that artist qualify what they're doing as noteworthy? For example, would you have a forum where people would rate copyrighted artworks and that would be an incentive for people to donate to that?