I want to talk about how I got hit in the face with a 2x4 and how that is related to how amazing SAYVEE will be. As you may know, we have spent the last few years biting our nails well beyond the cuticles while collaborating with the most sophisticated team of computer-geek-programmers to come up with the best possible way to help our artist friends set up their own website.
You have to understand, we have been involved with artistic communities our whole lives and some of the most common complaints are:
1.“I wish that black hair dye wasn’t so expensive”
2.“I wish I wasn’t so technologically impaired”
3.“I wish there was an easy way to get my stuff on a website so I could sell it all over the galaxy”
We know that a lot of artistic folks don’t think the same way that computer programmers do so what we have done is come up with a mullet-style solution for artist websites: mixing party and business all in one. It’s a simpleton-proof way for artists to set up their own website, customize the design, easily edit it, showcase their art, and sell their stuff. The key phrase here is simpleton-proof. Now back to my 2x4 story…
For 2 months, every free moment I had I spent renovating my house. Two minor problems were that most of the time I didn’t have the right tools and secondly I was nominated for Canada’s Worst Handyman (a new show on the Discovery channel). So one night, in a fit of impatient reno’s, I started framing in my bathroom with finishing nails because I didn’t feel like going to the hardware store and I figured “it’ll be fine”.Two days later as I was showing off my newly-framed shower, I started proudly swinging on the rafters I had “put” together. The next thing I remember I was laying on the concrete foundation with a bleeding thumb, a dented spine, and a massive scrape the size of a 2x4 on my face. If only I had used the right tools…
It’s so frustrating not having the right tools around. Personally, I think it’s worse than having someone flip me off in traffic and more disabling than a charlie-horse from a killer whale. The same principle applies to the web world.Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty.
Unless your profession is doing full-contact origami in Greenland, you (as an artist), will need a website in order to sell and spread the word about your art. But here are at least 5 things you will need to think about:
1. DESIGN
Be prepared to drop some serious cash on a designer unless your friend Margaret who just finished graphic design school is going to hook you up (because she “owes you one”). First impressions apply to websites and job interviews.
2. YOUR OWN DOMAIN
www.ORIGAMIFIGHTS.com looks a lot more professional than www.myfreewebsiteIfound.com/seriouslyFree/fullcontactorigami.
3. SERVER SPACE
Now that you’ve got your website, you’ve got to host it somewhere. Make sure you’ve got a lot of space to hold all of your high quality self-portraits you want to sell for millions of dollars.
4. EDITABILITY
I’m not sure if that’s a word, but the fact is that you’ll need to be able to edit and update your website often to keep your fans on the edge of their computer chairs. One problem though: with most sites, you have to have a special program on your computer to do this or you need to know a special computer language (kind of like Morse code except you have to know how to tap more buttons).
5. $ CASH COW $
I know that money and art can be difficult to use in one sentence, but if you are trying to make any type of profit, you’ll have to have an easy way for people to buy your stuff. And by easy, I don’t mean having perfect strangers send you cold, hard, cash…we’re talking Credit Cards.
I’ve only listed a few different components here you would typically need to go to 5 different companies for each of these. This will be the most beautimous thing about SAYVEE…you won’t have to go anywhere else anymore, except to the bathroom. More to come with all the juicy details.
Nico & the SAYVEE tribe.
