Saturday, May 2, 2015

New Prints (+thoughts about the business of art)

There could also be a subtitle here, "I finally made a print store!"

I've been rummaging through old artwork trying to find things I know that I have legal rights to print.  I have a handful picked out and available in my shiny new print store on Inprnt.

In digging through dozens upon dozens of commissions from the past few years , and then having to look for the contracts and terms that were worked out, I learned that I really hadn't put enough effort into protecting my rights as a content creator.  At first, I was essentially just signing over full ownership of my work (and for very little, I might add).  Then I began adding terms. But these terms were flimsy at best.  They did not do what all contracts and terms should do, and clearly define who owns what, and for what use, and for how long.  I eventually began adding time limits onto license agreements - but a lot of damage had been done.  

At the end of the day, this was a positive learning experience.  I dug into the resources of Art Pact and set up a handful of base contracts to use in the future.  

Another thing I haven't spent enough time on is personal work.  It is so easy, and borderline required (when you have a wife and child), to be tied up in commissioned projects and chasing money.  It can feel difficult at times to see the path that I'm on, in relation to my goals.  It can often feel like I'm just moving laterally and not progressing toward where I want to be.  

I've still learned a lot and will carry this knowledge with me.

Anyway, print store is up and running! Time to get onto making more cool stuff that I can fill that page up with!

Cheers!
-Steve