the value of things

Today I got a taste of what it’s like to design by committee. I feel like I might as well be a trained monkey for all the creativity/originality I will get to bring to the table. That’s a story for another day, though.

My boss was on vacation in New Mexico, and was shocked at how expensive the Native American crafts and art was. He asked me, as an artist, wouldn’t you sell something at a lower price (say, a small rug for $500 instead of $5000) in order that more people could afford it, and thus increase the number of people buying your art… thus increasing your popularity AND your overall sales? Assuming that your product was just as good as everyone else around you? I said that I don’t know if it really works that way. In theory he’s right, I think, but you also have to look at pricing your work competitively in order to maintain “status.” For example, a $5000 rug is perceived as somehow more valuable than a $500 rug, even if they are exactly the same thing.

BUT… (and this is a big but)… I think it’s this type of thinking that causes us to STOP thinking. Take for instance the ridiculous farce known as major league sports. WHY in the world should a guy who basically runs around with a ball for a living make multimillions every year? Well, it’s because that’s what everyone else in his field gets, and if he played for a lower salary, people would perceive him as a less valuable player. Right? So is it all about keeping up appearances??

Maybe they should just chop the salaries of all professional sports players in half and use that additional money to supplement public school teacher salaries. If I was president of the world, that’s what I’d do.