Recently, I found myself in need of ordering some new art supplies. Specifically, I needed to get some paints, some good quality paper and a decent brush or two.
Clearly, inflation has hit all areas of the world — no surprise, if we're to believe our newsfeeds. That said, it doesn't seem like it has hit all areas equally.
Because I never throw anything away I have copies of my old receipts sitting in the archives of my e-mail inbox.
Comparing what I wanted to resupply to the prices my last large order that I placed in early 2019, it seems like the average price has risen by about 75%.
If the "official" numbers that are being released from economic sources were to be trusted the actual rate of inflation since 2019 is at most 20-25%. So why would the cost of art supplies be up 75%?
Is the assumption here that art supplies are "luxury goods," as in if you can afford to sit around and create art, you must be rich?
Perhaps what bothers me the most about this is that it ultimately puts me in a sort of squeeze. That is to say, the cost of art supplies might be up by 75%, but the amount of money people are willing to pay for our art definitely has not gone up by 75%, if it has gone up at all. In fact, I would submit that because the economy is not all that people's willingness to buy art has actually made the demand weak enough that prices have gone down.
I cannot imagine that I'm the only person who's having it similar experience.
I look at the reality at hand and find myself having to decide whether it's time to just hang up my (physical) paints permanently and learn digital painting because at least that doesn't seem like it would be subject to the same price raises, given the amount of open source and freeware that's out there.
Digital art — no disrespect to anyone intended — really doesn't hold my attention, and I have very little interest in delving much into the intangible world... at least as far as art goes.
Alternately, does this mean I'm simply forced to buy lower quality raw materials, or buy dodgy raw materials from somewhere outside my normal sources, if I want to continue working with art in the physical space?
I can't say this situation is making me particularly happy, and it certainly neither inspires nor encourages me to continue.
Maybe I should just return to photography... at least that hasn't become ridiculously expensive to pursue...
This was definitely not how I was expecting to start off a new week!
Thanks for visiting, and feel free to leave a comment — engagement is always welcome!
20240812
H0084/0321
All images are our own, unless otherwise attributed.
This is an AI-free post!