heist

redbubble has offered us a position, a title. here we’re all artists. in name, in deed. we create, we communicate, and we love it.

but it’s also offered us the chance to buy, and the chance to sell. so here we are, with the opportunity to make money. and this twists the way we interract. we become worried about numbers of favourites, concerned with view counts, distracted from our very real and laudible artistic pursuits by the vulgarity of business. of metrics. of money.

i’m not suggesting we shouldn’t sell – after all that’s a part of why we’re here. but perhaps we can do it with grace, instead of just trying to wring a bit of coin from this electronic stone.

does the idea of someone having your artwork without paying for it weigh on your mind? do you think your art can be stolen? do you salivate when you think about being featured on the fabled homepage?

stop worrying. art is not homepage features, it’s not favourites, it’s not metrics that can be gamed. it’s not stressing about metrics. art is not ink on paper at a 20% markup. art is everything these dumb numbers have been distracting you from. do it for the love.

PS: i confess, i feel a little sad that those most likely to see this will be those of you i respect. please understand that it applies to you only if it does. and anyway, who the hell am i.