So I've been considering for a while different ways of having a bit of creative freedom and fun away from "work" and commissions, all while boosting recognition, learning new things and meeting new people/connections.
The latest thought has been, how about doing an art trade?
I've been wanting to do a few of these for years, but for various reasons I've not managed. Age was a issue, as most of the art forums i've followed for years required you to be either 18 y/o or over be a high level/point scoring member. Another reason has been the strictness of the rules, i know they're there for a reason and help secure the trades dos and don'ts, but some of them really pushed me out.
As i'm used to creating pieces for others i thought it'd be nice for a wee change to also get something pretty in return (That didnt go towards bills, taxes and pet food)
What type of art trade?
I was thinking along the lines of creating either
1. A custom piece based on the other persons likes/specifications
(A mini-brief perhaps)
2. A themed piece - Where we both work from the same theme, but take the art/craftwork in our own direction and have complete creative freedom to do our thing.
3. Represent ourselves - Have complete freedom! Create whatever you want! Showing a little bit of yourself/interests
A group art exchange
Slightly more complicated to manage.
Focuses less on the page itself, but brings together the community
Everyone works on the same theme, and we have a new theme every month.
Once all pieces have been made photos are e-mailed to me and i'll upload them into a album where people can choose to trade with one another or just admitre the gallery and awe at everyones creativity and different directions
What's involved?
Deadline, say one month from the start of the trade
This gives each party enough time to squeeze in the artwork to their busy schedules. But it also gives a completion date to brush up on working within a timeframe.
Limited critique (We're trading for a bit of fun NOT as paying customers (However feel free to discuss this outside of the trade) so it need not match your exact vision or be strongly critiqued) so we give a basic description and let the other persons creative juices flow from there.
Cost: Obviously nothing to take part!. But each individual has to fund their own materials and P&P so it is entirely up to yourself how much you spend/use on the project. (Same applies to time and labour)
Postage: It's up to both parties to finance the P&P of the item they are sending
(Both parties do not have to post the items if they wish not to, but most must agree prior to starting the project, or discuss later on and both come to a arrangement.
(It wouldn't be fair if one person kept theirs and received the trade, and the other got nothing in return)
Rules
Basics
Basics
. All participants are at least 18 years old (or have parental permission?)
(Or should it be 16? Or should there be any age limit?)
. No illegal items (Should eb pretty obvious) including firearms, blades, explosives, copyrighted items etc
. Proof of postage and keep postage reciept
(Feel free to send via a tracking service if you want extra peace of mind)
. Stick to the deadline (Don't take part if you think you may have to withdraw)
. Once you receive your package, send photos to the Swap Organiser so that they can display them in the Swap Gallery (Remember to say thank you to your partner!)
