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What problem/needs can artists solve?

Stevenjoe

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Hello guys thanks for this opportunity. Am having difficulty knowing what problem/needs an artist can solve with his works...please help me to know ..thank you.
 
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TonyStark

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jon.a

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loop101

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Hello guys thanks for this opportunity. Am having difficulty knowing what problem/needs an artist can solve with his works...please help me to know ..thank you.

For thousands of years artists have been commissioned to produce art, just at look at why they were commissioned, or why someone bought their art. Any artist from Michelangelo to Warhol.
 

Digamma

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How could a producer selling beats implement this?
I have been thinking a bit about how to frame value-providing in the context of entertainment lately.
In entertainment, you can't simply provide a better solution to a problem. It's not a good way to think about things.

So here's what I got to.

You make a product the market wants - know your medium, and you know what kind of things people expect.

Literary genres have common structures.
Games have genres that share gameplay archetypes.
Music has genres and subgenres with very specific features.

Genres exist for a reason. They are not commercial nonsense artists should turn up their nose at.
They are the expression of very specific needs in the medium.

So once you have a genre, you know more or less what your target market is. You know what people like it.
For example: erotic romance is mostly read by 30+ women; rap is loved by urban blacks; FPSs played mostly by teenage males.
(these are just examples I made up on the spot, not actual demographics for those genres).

And then you niche down.
Think about a specific kind of person - the song should resonate with them, the book should speak to them, the game should stimulate their imagination.

Build for them. Not for self-expression - express them, not you. That's the secret of great artists, I thinnk.
They speak about you, not to you.

Now, the value you provide to the market is how good you are.
The better you are at what you do, the greatest value you will be able to provide to the target person through your work.

Yesterday I have started reading Perennial Seller, the new book by Ryan Holiday, and it goes into this discussion quite a bit. I believe Rick Rubin's way of doing things is mentioned quite a bit.
 

MJ DeMarco

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Art, like entertainment, is all about branding. Study branding. Find out why a woman pays $5,000 for a purse -- it's not a bag, it's art.
 
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G

Guest3722A

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Hello guys thanks for this opportunity. Am having difficulty knowing what problem/needs an artist can solve with his works...please help me to know ..thank you.
A humble suggestion - sign up to as many facebook groups centered around what exactly it is that you are trying to learn about and be about. Spend time engaging and learning about the pain points others have and what they do for enjoyment. Spend time researching ideas you've learned elsewhere. Also, get out of the house and into the world and into life and explore.
 

Silver Boy

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Hello guys thanks for this opportunity. Am having difficulty knowing what problem/needs an artist can solve with his works...please help me to know ..thank you.
The art is mostly visual thing. People need art to decorate their homes, rooms etc. Some art subjects are selling better than others.

Basic needs:

- Visual need - interior/exterior decoration.
- Feeling need - by form, color, movement, shapes, composition art can provoke certain feelings.
- Mood need - people look for the art that can set the mood in their homes, businesses, etc.
- Belonging need - need for art from specific parts of the world.
- Educational need - art can educate by portraying historical, political, social events.
- Communication need - art can communicate messages, statements, propaganda, ideas, etc.
- Provocation need - as any visual medium art can be used to provoke or shock public opinion.
- Wanting/Owning need - this need mostly touches the collectors/museums/etc.
- Investment need - the art merchants and investors are looking for pieces to make current or future benefits
 

MJ DeMarco

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BTW, art does not fall into NEEDS, but WANTS and DESIRES, an entirely different class of product similar to entertainment, toys, video games, etc.

The "problems" it solves are...

Fashion
Acceptance
Social inclusion
Emotional buoyancy
Ego / Vanity
Pride
Envy
Style
Identity Ratification
Intellect

A particular piece of art might make someone feel special. It make make them feel superior. It might make them feel stylish in their home.
 
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minivanman

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What MJ said above is exactly on the money. My wife works directly with $1 BILLION+ of art each and every day of the week so I'm no stranger to the rain. He was right on the money with that answer.
 

Nicoknowsbest

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Very interesting discussion.

I'd be curious to hear how you guys define "artist"?

I quick research provides the following:

Artist - a person who creates art. A person who makes and creates art as an occupation. A person who is skilled at some activity. A person whose trade or profession requires a knowledge of design, drawing, painting, etc.
(Artist - Wikipedia)

Artist - someone who paints, draws, or makes sculptures; someone who creates things with great skill and imagination.
(artist Meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary)

Artist - A person who creates paintings or drawings as a profession or hobby; a person who practises or performs any of the creative arts, such as a sculptor, film-maker, actor, or dancer. A person skilled at a particular task or occupation.
(artist - definition of artist in English | Oxford Dictionaries)​

Now, what is art?

Art - is a diverse range of human activities in creating visual, auditory or performing artifacts (artworks), expressing the author's imaginative or technical skill, intended to be appreciated for their beauty or emotional power.
(Art - Wikipedia)

Art - the making of objects, images, music, etc. that are beautiful or that express feelings; the activity of painting, drawing, and making sculpture; paintings, drawings, and sculptures, an activity through which people express particular ideas;
(art Meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary)

Art - The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.
(art - definition of art in English | Oxford Dictionaries)
For me, none of the above is clear and precise.

What's the common denominator? Being creative?

If you look at the word creative, it shows the same word stem such as create.

Aren't all fastlaners, creating products, services, systems, solutions and such, which you need to be creative for, artists?

Is a developer an artist?

Is a photographer an artist?

Is a graphic designer an artist?

Is an AdWords specialist an artist?

Is a copywriter an artist?

Why all these questions?

I fell into doing graphic design after studying. It started by helping somebody create a flyer and somehow, I had fun and people liked it. Following "grow what you know", I am now freelancing as a graphic designer, user interface design expert or web designer, whatever you want to call it.

Some people see me as a techie, some call me an artist. I prefer the first. While I am creative, what seems to really set me apart from my pears is that I am business minded, very rational and not blinded by the "oh yeah, I am living my dream, following my passion, this just looks great and I don't know why" glasses.


BTW, art does not fall into NEEDS, but WANTS and DESIRES, an entirely different class of product similar to entertainment, toys, video games, etc.

I am struggling with exactly this at the moment.

Many people think they don't need graphic design services.

They might be right.

But what if a landing page and its design becomes part of a bigger picture?

What if the service offer is not graphic design, but a funnel package including paid traffic, copywriting and the right visual representation?

There is a science behind good designs.

There are precise and deliberate decisions behind every web design, behind every landing page I create.

Colors are not chosen randomly.

The choice of fonts needs to be synced with the color scheme.

Is it worth it?

Do badly designed websites sell well?

Sometimes.

Do well designed websites sell badly?

Sometimes.

It all depends on the whole picture.

It's not only graphic design.

It's the product/service.

It's the copy and the tone of voice.

It's the positioning and targeting.

Without going into detail, good design (according to aesthetic guidelines) can never be great.

Because for being great, design has to work. Work WELL.

It has to sell.

Some people might get watery eyes once they discover that you are more than just some weird creative.

Some people might tell you to mind your own business, while the business people make decisions.

I have had experiences where people accused me of being a dreamer, simply because I didn't study business, but wanted to do business with them.

Some people might simply not be your ideal clients.

Back to the fact that it has to sell.

Now, can something that sells be art?

Does art mean its automatically non-commercial?

Does the fact that somebody sees graphic design unrelated to the rest of his funnel mean it's not a need, but a desire, or a want?

Does this change if graphic design, or funnel design, finds his bleeding neck and helps him stop lose money?


Art, like entertainment, is all about branding. Study branding. Find out why a woman pays $5,000 for a purse -- it's not a bag, it's art.

Yep, I fully agree.

I am still not 100% sure what my branding will be though.
 
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FastNAwesome

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What's the common denominator? Being creative?

For me, this is simple - art is any form of creative expression.

To sell it, an artist needs to either:

- Be a great marketer too (This is made much easier with social networks).

- Have a great manager (How many stars do we know whose careers went downhill at some point? My theory is that they didn't properly manage their career, refused to adjust to ever changing market taste, or thought audience will just love them for them, not the ongoing provision of value. All the stuff that a good manager would've make them snap out of).

- Tap into one of already existing needs/niches. No matter what movie/music/any other art genre you're a fan of, you always want more (at least until you get bored and become fan of something else). But either way, art is consumed, so if you can create what's in demand, and be great enough at it, or even good enough - there will be consumers. I have my favorite stand-up comedians. But I love it when they have some new material. And I also love to be amazed by some comedians I've never heard before.

I think important points to recognize are:

- Getting paid for art is a highly entrepreneurial feat. With all the upsides (be your own boss, make more money) and downsides (risk of failure, fierce competition) there are. When someone complains how they are a fantastic, educated musician, but less paid and popular than someone else, it's akin to someone finishing college, and complaining how they can't get a job, while some dropout is all over business news for his great successes.

Those artists who want someone else to take all the entrepreneurial risk and initiative, and just want a "steady paycheck", then better be ready for some slowlane terms as well, which is less pay, and do as they're told, when they're told. So they won't be so much artists anymore, but more like workers whose job description happens to be something "artsy".

- Art is not just expressing yourself in moments of inspiration. It is that too, but it's also a craft. It's a craft so much. It can be learned, practiced, improved upon.

- Art (in context of making money from it) is so much about communication. Making your masterpiece, whatever it may be, and just waiting for people to recognize how brilliant it is, may not be the best business plan. It's fine to do, if you want to do it for you. But if you want people to pay for your art - communicate something to them, make them feel something. Let's imagine there are 2 painters. Both with the same skills, and very similar style of painting. You can't figure which painting is whose, except by their signature, that's how similar they are.

First one displays his paintings at the main street of his small town. Sometimes. There's no price on them. No pressure. No story. He sits there and waits for someone to notice him.

Second one appears on the famous TV show, looks cool but a little quirky, as you would expect from him (he's not breaking the stereotype, but riding it like a wave). He tells the story behind the paintings passionately. Exciting stories that resonate with the audience, but even more so with the market of his, which may be in the audience.

Host also asks him how come his paintings costs so much, and he explains why his paintings are so unique and special, casually mentioning a few famous homes which have his paintings too.


Which of these two guys do you think will go further with his art? Oh, you don't even remember there was a first guy?

Or maybe you wonder how this second one was even able to get on that show, or get his paintings in famous homes? It's not like you can sign up for those things. There's no step by step manual either.

EXACTLY.

Because this guy is an entrepreneur at heart. He networked. He worked hard. He took risks. He had a vision that he brought to shape, to reality. He found out which celebrities appreciate art, and made special paintings for them as a gift. They were so excited, and one of them happened to be great friends with the famous TV host.

An artist with a slowlane mindset would probably at even a proposal of such idea say "No, man, I'm sorry, but I cannot give paintings for free, I could give them some discount".

I know my friends called my stupid when I provided free programming/artwork knowing I'll AMAZE the prospect and they won't want to work with anyone else. Did it work 100% of the time? No. But it worked MUCH more than it didn't, making it viable for me.
 

100k

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What problems do most artists have to deal with?

I'm not in the niche and I'm not an artist, but I would have thought that getting their art/content promoted to the market and generating sales would be a problem most artists faced.

They know how to make art - but they don't know how to sell their art. Help them with that.

But like others said, niche down, engage with the demographic, find out their paint points and develop a solution that helps them with their problem(s).
 

fauche65

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Hello guys thanks for this opportunity. Am having difficulty knowing what problem/needs an artist can solve with his works...please help me to know ..thank you.

My former business partner was into art in a big way, and built a nice business for himself, and the artists he served. The funny thing is, he was never an artist himself. Most independent artists do not have a capitalist bone in their body, so he took his background in Marketing, Communications, and Business Development, and became an Art Marketer. Here is how he built his business;

Independent Artists
My partner reached out to thousands of artists directly, and made a deal to market them, and their work. If they did not have a website, he would develop a simple, yet attractive showcase site. He didn't charge a ton for the website, but made a few hundred dollars per site he built. He also charged them a small monthly fee for managing the site (hosting, updates, changing images etc). He then created a gallery book for each artist. If the artist wanted to showcase their work to an audience outside of a gallery setting, they could have the book printed on heavy gloss stock, and it was a magnificent show piece. It also never got thrown away. He charged the artists a one time fee for the creation of the gallery book, and a monthly fee to market the books and websites.

Custom Commissioned Pieces
He also charged a small fee for marketing custom pieces. Want a portrait of your family dog? I have an artist that can do that. Want a one of a kind sculpture of a rabbit? I have an artist that can do that. Want a humongous portrait of your farm with all of the horses, cows, sheep, and chickes? I have an artist that can do that. He would charge the artist for the printing of the marketing material, but take a 20-30% commission on each order.

Art Genre's
He then took all of the genre's and developed Gallery Catalogs for each genre. His agreement with the artists was also for a commission on every sale he made of one of their pieces. He developed hundreds of these Gallery Catalogs, and sent them to every real estate & property management company, in every city across North America. He also sent them to every law firm and big company in every city. If he thought that they had, or would put art on the walls of the office, he sent a catalog. Have you ever walked into a large office building or large company office where there was not art on the wall? ;)

He would them find the names of CEO's and company Presidents, do some background, and see what they were into. This President was on the board of the horse owners association. That CEO was a board member or advisor of the regional SPCA. Send a Horse Art Gallery catalog to him, and send a Dog and Cat Art Gallery catalog to him. He also scoured associations of the various genres, and sent hundreds of catalogs to each of them.

How many artists said NO? Very few. It was inexpensive, relatively speaking, and how else were the artists going to market themselves??
How many Artists did he rep? A few hundred.
How many genres did he have a catalog for? Over 400.

Costs to the Artist
Artist Gallery Website Development = $750.00 one time cost (cost = ~$300.00)
Website Hosting and Management = $30.00 per month (cost = ~$5.00 per month per site)
Artist Gallery Catalog Design = $500.00 one time cost (3-5 different templates is all you need) (cost = $~20.00)
Art Genre Catalog Design = $0.00 (cost = ~$20.00) (remember your templates)
Commission per sale of Art = 20%-30% of purchase price.
Custom Marketing Services = $$
PR Services = $$

See the page I attached, and use your imagination at what you can do!
 
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minivanman

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This is one hell of an idea. I love marketing and I have hundreds if not thousands of connections across the globe. This may be my new pass time in a few months.
 

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