henrycrafter Loc: Orem Utah

Van Gogh committed suicide at age 35. I have come to appreciate his dilema. He was creating fabulous art work and nobody was buying it. Having struggled with the same issues most of my life I relate to him. NO I AM NOT contemplating suicide. What I see is the frustration of working your heart out to create a work of art and having no-one place a valid monetary value on it. I have come to the conclusion that if you don't do it for the pleasure of creating it you are kidding yourself.
Your comments are welcome

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

Do it for pleasue. If you sell something now and then all the better.

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

I understand what you re saying. i found it depressing not selling anything at an art show.

newsguygeorge Loc: Victoria, Texas

I now do it to feed my soul. It's for pleasure, for family and for friends. During my career in journalism, I did shoot professionally, so to speak, as a reporter when a photog wasn't available for my assignment. At this stage, if there were a way to monetize my work, I'd try it, but it's not the reason I shoot.

Bill_de Loc: US

Could be your art is not up to snuff. It is just as likely that you simply have not found the right audience.

I am no judge of art, but have been to quite a few exhibits. I never commented, but often felt what others were saying about work I wasn't impressed with. Typically it was something like, "Their heart just wasn't in it!". Maybe looking at it as work shows.

Hopefully things will turn around and people will have a better attitude after surviving the pandemic.

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Iron Sight Loc: Utah

Maybe if I thought my work would sell it would be wise to
find a salesperson to work with me?

reverand

You might want to consult Stevan Naifeh and Gregory White Smith's book, Van Gogh: The Life, where they make an excellent case that Van Gogh was killed by accident, by two French boys who were playing with a gun. The suicide story comes mostly from Lust for Life. Ask yourself, who, in trying to commit suicide, shoots himself in the side. Not in the heart, but below that, pointing the gun upward (without leaving any powder burns). And who, exactly, would give a gun to a man who was spending time in the local insane asylum. Remember, the gun was never found. Nor was his painting gear. Also, in his correspondence, Van Gogh repeatedly described suicide as immoral. Of course, he could have been so depressed that he welcomed the opportunity to die.

Blair Shaw Jr Loc: Dunnellon,Florida

Welcome to the club........ Nobody values the work anymore unless it's over the top spectacular.

I quit trying to sell my prints a while back and all the small art dealers I knew are gone now. They all failed to sell even hand painted works as well and the market just collapsed starting about 5 years ago.

I do my own frames and mats and work for my personal enjoyment or as gifts to family & friends but that's all
that I do ,now. The large prints I send out for printing to Adorama and that's about the sum total of my photographic endeavors....currently.

I wish you better luck in future months but I wouldn't bet the farm on it.....nope.

henrycrafter Loc: Orem Utah

point well taken I will investigate further

BebuLamar

Find another way to make money. Do the art for fun. Otherwise fake your suicide because your work would be more valuable after your death.

henrycrafter Loc: Orem Utah

hey now there is an idea

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Ability to market.
Lousy at marketing no sales of the best.
Good at marketing you sell anything.
Think of the Pet Rock.
Available for free all over the world. Good marketing to stupid suckers and they buy free rocks.
Also you (Not personal to you) think your work is great.
Others think it sucks or are unimpressed, thus can think of far better ways to spend money.
Finally they can "Do better than you or as good" so why pay you for what they can do with their personal D850?
That is the way things go.
Many think they can do Architecture. Fortunately when they try they fail because the physical act of drawing is 10% of Architecture and ultimately there is a thing called being licensed.

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

Henry I visited your commercial web portal... http://hiddenhousestudio.com/
Your marketing paradigm of "Asking for Donations" flies in the face of conventional wisdom for shooting commercially.

Virtually all the commercial shooters I assist work by contract only!
This is also my business model... This takes negotiation; agreement and acceptance by both client and provider.

Rest assured there are many highly successful photographers in my market albeit Washington DC is vastly different than Utah...

Typically I would say "Assist other commercial shooters in your market" however at your age (84) that train has long ago left the station.

Please understand I'm only responding to this post to dispel the negative vibe latent within. There is already too much gloom and doom omnipresent from the lingering effects of the pandemic... Henry maybe find comfort in enjoying your twilight years pursuing that from which you derive pleasure.

To others reviewing this thread... The primary revenue stream in commercial photography is in portraiture... this has been true for decades...

Another stellar genre is event photography more specifically Wedding Events.
I highly recommend spending quality time on Wedding Wire to see who your competition is in your market areas. https://www.weddingwire.com/wedding-photographers

The Lion's share of my revenue stream has been as a bridal makeup artist...
However Covid19 eliminated that until very recently...
Just last week I had to turn down a gig for October 2021.
My partner is not longer available since she had to find another field of employment.

Final thoughts: Henry have you spoken to your health care provider about your current mental state?
Sharing such a bleak prognosis of commercial photography on a public forum is red flag for clinical depression. There is much hope for the aforementioned... and entire class of drugs known as SSRI's are now widely used to counter clinical depression... And are oft prescribed for seniors who seem to be the least effected by their side effects. Again speak with your health care provider about Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors to find out if they might be appropriate for your bleak take on current realities.

Wishing you all the best on your journey Henry...

Delderby Loc: Derby UK

You should not be depressed - were your pics well displayed? were there comparable pics by other artists? was the show well attended? did you try putting a "sold" sticker on one or two of your prints?

DIRTY HARRY Loc: Hartland, Michigan

At least, apparently, people view and comment on your work. Not true for everyone.