Mauricio writes...-
Story 49 - The Art of Charging for Art
Artists don't know how to charge.
And worse yet, they are usually embarrassed to charge for their work. Perhaps it's because the artist feels, believes, thinks that what has blossomed from his sensitivity, from his inspiration, is somehow divine; that it came free of charge as a divine favor. How, then, could he sully that manifestation of the spirit by giving it a material, monetary value?
I'm not sure that that's the explanation, but when I started drawing, back in my high school days, I, too, would cringe inside when required to answer a simple "How much is it?" or "How much will it cost?" When I gathered the courage to murmur a price, the amount I received usually didn't even cover the cost of the paints.
Then I met someone who taught me the art of how to evaluate, charge and especially receive payment for a piece of work. That person was Bruno Castiglionni, an Italian artist who sold advertising for our local Radio Maraba station and was a close friend of my father's. The two of them would get into long "philosophical" and political discussions, to which I listened, fascinated.
But what took my breath away was the technique Bruno used in painting his pictures. He would set up three or four easels, place blank canvases on them, and with incredible speed, as though possessed by some supernatural power, brush on colors and forms, mainly landscapes from his childhood in Italy. In a matter of minutes he finished and signed them, then got in the car and went off to deliver them. A short while later, he would return with his pocket full and the paintings sold.
Around that time, Bruno called on me to help him set up exhibits in large salons in the city. He designed and set up stands for local factories and stores, and I made posters for the stands. The exhibitors were informed that the price of the stand did not include the posters, for which I was paid separately. Bruno set the prices, higher than I would have had the courage to charge, and the clients paid without blinking an eye.
Then he put me on his radio program as an announcer. He spoke in Italian and I read the commercials in Portuguese. My voice had not yet fully developed into a man's voice but I made an effort to make it sound all right. And again Bruno worked out a way for me to earn something, this time as an announcer. And he would say to me over and over: "Always charge a good price for your work so you can do your best. And keep on doing it!"
After that, I drew gothic lettering for diplomas, posters for classrooms at the teachers' college, illustrations for catalogs...and thousands of cartoons. I conquered my timidity and became a professional -- even in the business of putting a price on my work. And I've been doing it for over 40 years now.
Bruno was right.
Mauricio de Sousa
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