HELP FOR THE POOR?

[ivivi]

I see such talented work in this forum, yet members are pleading poverty in Gary's Live Xara Conference Topic!

This is bizzare. XXers need to tune up their bizzness sense.

Gary --- you're well connected. Find some XXers who have learned to make money, find some other rich graphics people and let's add a new tutorial section onto your site or this forum: How to Make Money with XX.

Seriously, seems like so many self taught-ers here have never figured out how to market their skills for the Dollars (Pounds. Yen, Moolah) they deserve.

Interesting thought. Is there a relationship between the low price of Xara and the fact that XXers claim to be poor?
Maybe if Xara put up the price then XXers would have to sell their work more effectively! [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

Or could it be that those who are busy making money don't have the time to contribute to the forum?

The talent I see on this forum is awesome. These guys (and gals) should be earning good bucks.

I'm not directly in the graphics field, but those who are and earn enough, let's try to help with some solid advice.
And those who find they're not getting paid enough, tell us what's the problem?

Maybe others can provide some useful hints and ideas.

Bill

PS - and if that works Gary, you can hold your conference on my little paradise island !

Stuck in a tropical island paradise!

[This message was edited by Lanta Bill on August 25, 2001 at 09:06.]

[ivivi]

I see such talented work in this forum, yet members are pleading poverty in Gary's Live Xara Conference Topic!

This is bizzare. XXers need to tune up their bizzness sense.

Gary --- you're well connected. Find some XXers who have learned to make money, find some other rich graphics people and let's add a new tutorial section onto your site or this forum: How to Make Money with XX.

Seriously, seems like so many self taught-ers here have never figured out how to market their skills for the Dollars (Pounds. Yen, Moolah) they deserve.

Interesting thought. Is there a relationship between the low price of Xara and the fact that XXers claim to be poor?
Maybe if Xara put up the price then XXers would have to sell their work more effectively! [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

Or could it be that those who are busy making money don't have the time to contribute to the forum?

The talent I see on this forum is awesome. These guys (and gals) should be earning good bucks.

I'm not directly in the graphics field, but those who are and earn enough, let's try to help with some solid advice.
And those who find they're not getting paid enough, tell us what's the problem?

Maybe others can provide some useful hints and ideas.

Bill

PS - and if that works Gary, you can hold your conference on my little paradise island !

Stuck in a tropical island paradise!

[This message was edited by Lanta Bill on August 25, 2001 at 09:06.]

[ivivi]

See what happened in the NEED A LOGO thread?

Gary imparted some business advice and that was picked up and discussed with far more interest than the original topic.

Can't we find somewhere to build on and store such advice for young and struggling XXers?

Bill

Stuck in a tropical island paradise!

[gwpriester]

Bill

I think that is the purpose of the Freelancing Conference, although to be honest, I have not visited there recently.

But we can all learn from one another. Just ask and someone will answer. :-)

Gary

Gary Priester

Moderator Person

<a href="http://home.earthlink.net/~garypriester">
he tub mob relieves</a>

[roman]

I didn't write that in Xara Live conf. but I can't afford visiting it for sure. However thanx to my I would say social capital, I can organise quality conference in Nitra/Slovakia. Comfortable yet affordable accomodation and nourishment, very proffesional projection, auditorium, anything. And I'm sure it could cost less than 500$ per head if even only 20 people came. The half of anyones richness lies in his businness and personal contacts. In this I'm quite rich even when I'm so young. Why? Because I did hompeges for the right people in the local area, Info Bureau, Travel&Accomodaion agency. Projection renting company.

As far as my wealth is concerned everything I earn I constantly invest into development of my company. I still need a GOOD Digital Camera ;-). Until 24 I studied, then army, and I've started my business just 3/4 year ago and still, I quite enjoy all other things than serious work ;-). I know that it is not easy to become rich, it needs hard work. I'll be evaluating my success later, now I'm too young for some final conclusions.

[This message was edited by Dmagician on August 25, 2001 at 09:56.]

[Steve Newport]

Wish that I could help, porque, cero dinero in my pocket! Would be a nice way to earn money, however I'm just gonna have to waite a few years before that starts happening!

Roman, about the digital camera, try the Sony DSC-S75, very very nice camera with a reasonable price compared to others. 3.34 megapixel and 2048 x 1536 maxx resolutions pictures. Very good quality. However, if you find one ebay for a Cheap price, in all fairness let me know about it, I have yet to get one also, waiting for that perfect price!

Steve Newport

[stlewis]

On 'poverty', some of us will never make money from graphics work - we just haven't got the 'je ne sais quoi'. I've been puzzling over this - I know I showed more talent as a teenager and then the brain started kicking in - "That's rubbish, it won't work,..." and you lose that gift. I have stuggled so hard with my Victorian family - but much of the time has been spent worrying about ideas, rather than putting something down on paper/screen. I can however, do the 'craft' things - researching, writing, web coding etc, so the graphics side is peripheral to me.

On digital cameras, I loved my Sony 505 until the zoom control started sticking. The quote for repair was nearly one third of the price of a new one - a whole new back, just for a dodgy self-centering spring! If I can't try a repair myself, I will buy another - probably second hand, as the zoom is so powerful, and the memory sticks go straight into my Viao, but it's just another reason for my own poverty!

www.thelondonhouse.co.uk

[Big Frank]

Yeah right!

Nobody will ever make money from XaraX (apart from a few people in Gaddesden Place and Placitas [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img] )

Most people will make money from their talent and their (or their company's) ability to market it.

Most people will spend $500+ on a Xara Live Conf. if they have the disposable cash and/or if they can see it as a justifiable investment in their earnings potential (or if their boss pays for it).

That's why it is a non-starter. A webcast would be a much more successful idea, imho.

Simple economics - feel free to disagree

--
Big Frank was
http://www.wognum.org/files/madewithxarax.gif

[Ross Macintosh]

I don't know how it is in other parts of the world - I can try to speak from my perspective. I'm not a professional graphic artist but that perhaps doesn't matter. Non-pros in my opinion can be every bit as skilled as any pro.

I don't see any graphic artists getting rich being graphic artists. If they sell their time as consultants do, they can only sell it once. That puts a tremendous limitation on their ability to sell themselves. (Double billing isn't the answer). Sure it *is* possible to earn a *living* from your skills. Doing so can be a significant success in itself because earning a living that way isn't easy.

Making bigger bucks is possible by having your own firm and selling the efforts of employees. The more employees you can keep productive with billable hours the more money you make. This route quickly takes the graphic artist and evolves them into an employer. As such they have stresses and responsibilities never experienced working freelance. The financial reward can be there but so to can be the broken marriage, the sleepless nights, and the early heart attack. Becoming an employer is not for everyone - few in fact have the skills to do it well.

The limit on the freelancer seems to me to be that they can only sell their time once. Perhaps the answer for many would be to stop selling all their time. Keep some of it for yourself - and invest it! What I'm talking about is work on personal projects that thrill you and which can result in things that can be sold repeatedly for years to come. Perhaps it is selling prints, or booklets, or T-shirts, or cd's full of textures you've created. There are lots of possibilities.

Finding that time to invest rather than sell can be hard. Between the stuggles of maintaining some cashflow and securing new work it isn't easy to find time for your pet projects. It is all too easy to let your good ideas sit on the back burner for years -- until they've boiled dry and you've lost any enthusiasm you ever had. Don't let that happen! Enthusiasm is the jet fuel that will help you develop opportunities. Nurture ideas that have your interest - feed that enthusiasm. Go for it! Invest *your* time.

Regards, Ross

<a href=http://www.designstop.com/>DesignStop.Com</a>

[Eric]

...how about one of you with a good business acumen and well versed in the field becoming an art BROKER on our behalf!
you would be able to take a healthy comission for selling our stuff on to interested parties, after all this happens all the time in the real world, so why not on the WWW?
I'm sure most members would like to put their pet drawings up for sale and leave all the tricky stuff to the sales skills of the dealer.
yes? no?
Just a thought but please, if you reckon you could do this please give it a good think over.

cheers
Eric