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If you are using over-seas artists as is suggested in the article it might be nice to be very transparent about where the costs go, how much they get and how it
by tommoor 13y ago
If you are using over-seas artists as is suggested in the article it might be nice to be very transparent about where the costs go, how much they get and how it is (hopefully) supporting and not exploiting them :) It would make me and probably others happier about using such a service.
Look at Everlane for an example of a startup that does a great job of this.
- kubiiii 13y agoThis might even add an extra value if you somehow link the painting to the artist. But I think it's the idea behind the marketplace.
- steve19 13y agoThe artist in this case would be the photographer who took the photo. What the painters are doing is equivalent to painting by numbers (they are painting over the photo). Its a skill for sure, but not an art form, anymore than the interior wall paint of your house it art (which requires a lot of skill to do correctly ... having witnessed many badly painted walls in my time). I don't get all the complaints. This business provides employment for Americans (the founders) and Chinese (the painters). Its a win win. Not exploitation.
- chrischen 13y agoWe're also hoping to offer an actual money source for creatives who are selling licenses of original art.
- chrischen 13y agoSure. But keep in mind pretty much every other photo-to-painting service actually does it overseas, and they charge as much as double our prices.
- lukasb 13y agoYou realize that makes it sound more likely that your workers (sorry, contractors, whatever) are poorly paid, right?
- chrischen 13y agoWe pay whatever they ask. We don't really have the volume or size to impose anything on them.
- tommoor 13y agoGreat, that means there is probably a fantastic opportunity to separate your brand with something like this and use it as marketing leverage against those folks ;-) Win-win?
- MartinCron 13y agoAnd, I could see this as a way for painters make a name for themselves, if they could build up a portfolio that demonstrates their particular talents.
- baddox 13y agoDid you mean "exploiting" rather than "extorting"?
- tommoor 13y agoI did, thanks! edited
- Casseres 13y agoI don't understand why people think that using inexpensive labor overseas is "exploitation". If they are willing to take the job, that means it's paying more than the other options they have available to them which includes not having a job at all. As long as they aren't being held at gunpoint and aren't actual slaves, how is this exploitation if they are happy to freely take the job?
- throwawaymsft 13y agoThere's a spectrum between slavery and a happy, voluntary decision. Most of us want the floor on how an employer treats its workers slightly above gunpoint.
- Casseres 13y agoI'd rather the floor be much higher than just slightly above gunpoint. Like you mentioned, there are some people who don't care, and that's sad. Chances are that a voluntarily-working group of people have the floor much higher than "slightly above gunpoint". Also, you appear to be logged into a 4-day-old throwaway account. Is that intentional?
- coldtea 13y agoHunger is not very different from "gunpoint". You are working "voluntary" only if you have options.