I'm submitting a painting I finished to a local gallery for a chance to be in an upcoming show. I figured I'd sell it (if, of course, it gets selected for entry), but have absolutely no idea what to set the price as.
That's one thing I don't like about being an artist. And there are so many opinions on how to price work that there doesn't really seem to be any standard. I'm almost better at accepting a commission where the client says, "I have this much money to spend, can you do it?"
Then I can just say yes or no!
So, an original oil painting, 24"x30"... Gallery would keep 20%... Hmmmm.
Luckily I have a few days to play with some numbers.
Showing posts with label money. Show all posts
Showing posts with label money. Show all posts
Monday, March 29, 2010
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
GoodShopp'in
A few months ago, I blogged a bit about GoodSearch, and sort of suggested that you use it for online searches in order to do some good without actually having to DO anything. During a conversation in a pretty sick Scottish pub in a quaint little Vermont town amongst some of the coolest kids this side of the Mississippi, I mentioned GoodSearch again, and how I have actually been using GoodShop a whole lot this year as well. There was brief discussion that perhaps I had not really talked about GoodShop, and I guess I hadn't when compared to it's predecessor.
So, my dear 6-8 readers, here is my plug for GoodShop!
A quick look at the "Amount Raised" link for my ARF [Amyloidosis Research Foundation] searches will show that my actual searching has declined this year. [Granted, I am mostly operating under the possibly erroneous assumption that I am the only person Good-something-ing for ARF. I might be the biggest contributor, but there's got to be a few others, right?] As of the moment, there have been 2,412 searches in 2009. I am still a huge nerd, and am guilty of looking up a variety of dorky things. But I guess I don't spend as much time sitting in front of a computer screen bored out of my mind. Wicked!
But!!
If you were to take a look at 2007, you'd see ARF raised $2.41. In 2008, $39.51 were raised. In 2009... $74.70! Where did that extra $50+ dollars come from, you ask? From online shopping through GoodShop, I'd answer. I find shopping online to be pretty convenient, especially as I find myself shunning crowded, public-filled places in my free time. [Working with the public can do that to you sometimes.] And it just so happens practically all the places I shop, like Amazon, Old Navy and Apple, are all hooked up with the service. Each month, I tried to make a purchase, however small, through one of the merchants through the GoodShop site. A percentage of each of those purchases is donated by the merchant to the cause. While the donations are usually somewhere between 1%-3%, it's way better than nothing. And looks so much nicer than the penny per search.
Granted, I made a couple of hefty purchases this year [read: TV and the oh, so wonderful MacBook that I'm typing away on right this very minute]. But I'm a strong believer in the idea that every little bit helps. A penny might be a penny. And I wouldn't bet on that 1% chance. But when you put all those pennies together... When you add up all those 1% chances... I have to believe it equals a good thing. [Haha, besides, 1% of $3,000.00 is a hot 30 bucks! Please, don't tell my credit card statement...]
As you've gathered from my posts, I really try to support my friends in their fundraising endeavors. While my biggest commitment remains Relay, and while most of my donations go to support that, I have come to look on ARF as my other cause. [Having friends who are basically family threatened by something you can't seem to fight will do that to you.]
Unfortunately, I'm not wealthy and as much as I want to, I can't support everything. I wanted badly to donate more than the registration fee at the Search on Saturday, and even the extra check I got from my parents didn't seem enough. What makes me feel a little better though, is that a huge chunk of that $74.70 for ARF came from my support.
I set a goal earlier in the year to raise over $100 for ARF through the GoodSearch/GoodShop sites. I know that amount seems so small compared to the dollars raised in other places. But I think it's amazing that any amount can be donated by simple acts of searching, or buying through a link which pretty much requires just one or two extra clicks.
If you're feeling adventurous or supportive, I encourage you to use these websites. You can support almost any cause. If by some chance you actually can't find an organization you support on these sites, you can actually start one of your own. Or, if you don't know who to support, I'd ask for the next 2 1/2 months to toss "ARF" into that charity selection, click the second option [Amyloidsosis Research Fund], and GoodSearch and GoodShop the junk out of it. And maybe together we can raise that $100 by doing nothing more than using our clicking fingers.
Okay, those and maybe our credit cards. But face it, you were going to use those anyway.
So, my dear 6-8 readers, here is my plug for GoodShop!
A quick look at the "Amount Raised" link for my ARF [Amyloidosis Research Foundation] searches will show that my actual searching has declined this year. [Granted, I am mostly operating under the possibly erroneous assumption that I am the only person Good-something-ing for ARF. I might be the biggest contributor, but there's got to be a few others, right?] As of the moment, there have been 2,412 searches in 2009. I am still a huge nerd, and am guilty of looking up a variety of dorky things. But I guess I don't spend as much time sitting in front of a computer screen bored out of my mind. Wicked!
But!!
If you were to take a look at 2007, you'd see ARF raised $2.41. In 2008, $39.51 were raised. In 2009... $74.70! Where did that extra $50+ dollars come from, you ask? From online shopping through GoodShop, I'd answer. I find shopping online to be pretty convenient, especially as I find myself shunning crowded, public-filled places in my free time. [Working with the public can do that to you sometimes.] And it just so happens practically all the places I shop, like Amazon, Old Navy and Apple, are all hooked up with the service. Each month, I tried to make a purchase, however small, through one of the merchants through the GoodShop site. A percentage of each of those purchases is donated by the merchant to the cause. While the donations are usually somewhere between 1%-3%, it's way better than nothing. And looks so much nicer than the penny per search.
Granted, I made a couple of hefty purchases this year [read: TV and the oh, so wonderful MacBook that I'm typing away on right this very minute]. But I'm a strong believer in the idea that every little bit helps. A penny might be a penny. And I wouldn't bet on that 1% chance. But when you put all those pennies together... When you add up all those 1% chances... I have to believe it equals a good thing. [Haha, besides, 1% of $3,000.00 is a hot 30 bucks! Please, don't tell my credit card statement...]
As you've gathered from my posts, I really try to support my friends in their fundraising endeavors. While my biggest commitment remains Relay, and while most of my donations go to support that, I have come to look on ARF as my other cause. [Having friends who are basically family threatened by something you can't seem to fight will do that to you.]
Unfortunately, I'm not wealthy and as much as I want to, I can't support everything. I wanted badly to donate more than the registration fee at the Search on Saturday, and even the extra check I got from my parents didn't seem enough. What makes me feel a little better though, is that a huge chunk of that $74.70 for ARF came from my support.
I set a goal earlier in the year to raise over $100 for ARF through the GoodSearch/GoodShop sites. I know that amount seems so small compared to the dollars raised in other places. But I think it's amazing that any amount can be donated by simple acts of searching, or buying through a link which pretty much requires just one or two extra clicks.
If you're feeling adventurous or supportive, I encourage you to use these websites. You can support almost any cause. If by some chance you actually can't find an organization you support on these sites, you can actually start one of your own. Or, if you don't know who to support, I'd ask for the next 2 1/2 months to toss "ARF" into that charity selection, click the second option [Amyloidsosis Research Fund], and GoodSearch and GoodShop the junk out of it. And maybe together we can raise that $100 by doing nothing more than using our clicking fingers.
Okay, those and maybe our credit cards. But face it, you were going to use those anyway.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
"Yay! Come travel with us! Oh wait, you're single? Ooooo.... Yeah. About that..."
I have been looking into some tours/trips that include groups so I could get over my little ghetto-ness about "I'd rather not go somewhere cool and sit there by myself because I'm a loser" thing. It's sort of cool because there are seem to be a lot of things out there.
But guess what! If you are traveling alone, you get charged extra. As in $100 to $200 or more. Hahah, so you know when they say "Discounts available for group rates!"? Well, apparently sometimes it's also "Extra fees when you don't have anyone to go with!" [I could launch into my feelings about relationships and being single, or even how I liken this to celebrating anniversaries, but I will refrain for now.]
Good shit. I'd rather pay $200 towards a friend's trip then give it to some company/group/tour. Oh well.
So I think maybe I'm going to hack up that vacation instead of taking the whole week. I can try to shoot for something in the future and put a little more planning into it [whether that includes saving a few extra hundred for to travel alone or trying to get a friend or 2 to come with].
Tryin' to leave some options open, but we're coming down to the wire. Oh well...
But guess what! If you are traveling alone, you get charged extra. As in $100 to $200 or more. Hahah, so you know when they say "Discounts available for group rates!"? Well, apparently sometimes it's also "Extra fees when you don't have anyone to go with!" [I could launch into my feelings about relationships and being single, or even how I liken this to celebrating anniversaries, but I will refrain for now.]
Good shit. I'd rather pay $200 towards a friend's trip then give it to some company/group/tour. Oh well.
So I think maybe I'm going to hack up that vacation instead of taking the whole week. I can try to shoot for something in the future and put a little more planning into it [whether that includes saving a few extra hundred for to travel alone or trying to get a friend or 2 to come with].
Tryin' to leave some options open, but we're coming down to the wire. Oh well...
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
$1,868.92!!
That's how much money my team has to raise to make $10,000.00 for this year's Relay For Life.
I have made it my personal mission to see this happen. Of course, I have no idea whatsoever on how to make it happen. But here's my thing.
First off, if we raise $10,000.00 we become a flagship sponsor for next year's event. So long as we follow a couple rules (like sign-up before March 1, 2010), our name and logo will be on next year's shirt. For the entire region. (I designed our logo. =))
Secondly, what better way to publicize the library and show our community and the surrounding ones that we aren't just some place for free movies for seniors to complain about and a building where middle-school hoodlums can come to get arrested by cops after school (more on that another day). This wouldn't be our consortium. This wouldn't even be our city, per se. This is US. And we (will have) kicked ass.
This, in turn, would make it more fun to stick it to our anti-library mayor and library board. (How is a library board "anti-library", you ask? Good question! Maybe because the mayor has to appoint the board. You know, said mayor who doesn't like us.)
Plus, I don't know how much longer I can do this. Have so much responsibility with all of this. I don't want to be at my job forever, and when I leave, what happens to the team? This is our best chance. And to be the TOP fundraiser in our BEST year. There's a certain amount of pride in that. Okay, that's a little selfish...
Maybe it just boils down to validation. A desire to be part of a bigger picture, to take part in a stride for change. To fight back against a disease that has threatened my family and friends. To strike out at the illness that has stolen them. I want to make a difference. So I'm going to.
I have made it my personal mission to see this happen. Of course, I have no idea whatsoever on how to make it happen. But here's my thing.
First off, if we raise $10,000.00 we become a flagship sponsor for next year's event. So long as we follow a couple rules (like sign-up before March 1, 2010), our name and logo will be on next year's shirt. For the entire region. (I designed our logo. =))
Secondly, what better way to publicize the library and show our community and the surrounding ones that we aren't just some place for free movies for seniors to complain about and a building where middle-school hoodlums can come to get arrested by cops after school (more on that another day). This wouldn't be our consortium. This wouldn't even be our city, per se. This is US. And we (will have) kicked ass.
This, in turn, would make it more fun to stick it to our anti-library mayor and library board. (How is a library board "anti-library", you ask? Good question! Maybe because the mayor has to appoint the board. You know, said mayor who doesn't like us.)
Plus, I don't know how much longer I can do this. Have so much responsibility with all of this. I don't want to be at my job forever, and when I leave, what happens to the team? This is our best chance. And to be the TOP fundraiser in our BEST year. There's a certain amount of pride in that. Okay, that's a little selfish...
Maybe it just boils down to validation. A desire to be part of a bigger picture, to take part in a stride for change. To fight back against a disease that has threatened my family and friends. To strike out at the illness that has stolen them. I want to make a difference. So I'm going to.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Money money money
Just placed an order for 100 t-shirts as part of a Relay For Life fundraiser. Kick in the teeth is, guess who has to put out the money for said shirts? :)
$595!!! Hahaha wow. I knew it was coming, and it's something that was thought about and deliberated and all that. There shouldn't be a problem selling them all and making the money back. But it still sucks to have to front that sort of money.
I'm usually pretty thrifty with my money, so it always amazes me how easy it is to whip out that credit card...
Still want that damn TV too. What's another $500? (Shiza!)
$595!!! Hahaha wow. I knew it was coming, and it's something that was thought about and deliberated and all that. There shouldn't be a problem selling them all and making the money back. But it still sucks to have to front that sort of money.
I'm usually pretty thrifty with my money, so it always amazes me how easy it is to whip out that credit card...
Still want that damn TV too. What's another $500? (Shiza!)
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