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Messages - blamb
51
« on: November 30, 2012, 14:01 »
Yeah, I want to try to get back to enjoying myself again. The changes from two years ago and the constant death spiral haven't inspired much enthusiasm and a chunk of my decline is from lack of uploading. I don't need actual gains as much as I need the possibility of gains to inspire new stuff. 
52
« on: November 27, 2012, 15:44 »
I'm down to 1/3 of my peak earnings, so I've decided to give up exclusivity at the end of the year. If anyone has tips on how to make the transition easier, I'd love to hear them. Jan/Feb are usually slow months for freelancing, so I figured that would be a good time for uploading on new sites. I may not make more $$$, but at the current rate of decline, I'll be at zero before summer. 
53
« on: November 16, 2012, 11:37 »
"The company is now controlled by a group of investment firms, including hedge funds Silver Point Capital and Monarch Alternative Capital."
Oh, sure ... it was the unions.
54
« on: November 15, 2012, 12:08 »
Much better! Cleaner and feels a little lighter.
55
« on: November 14, 2012, 13:40 »
The decline stalled for me in October but has returned with a vengance this month. Holy smokes.
Has anyone noticed that it's been more than a week since Lobo last policed the Oct Sales Thread and that it's been allowed to run off topic? Seems kind of odd consider the tight ship they've been running.
56
« on: September 26, 2012, 10:20 »
The new DT but still the worst reviewers in the business.
+1
+20
57
« on: September 18, 2012, 14:32 »
I don't want to be accused of hyperbole, so I'll just politely describe September so far as a "DEATH SPIRAL."
58
« on: August 06, 2012, 17:53 »
Do you think, long term, that tablets will eventually refuel the market for the higher res images as things like the 'retina display' pushes expectations of image quality higher?
59
« on: August 04, 2012, 14:50 »
And I just meant that I agree with all the other stuff but think that the economy is still a factor ... a lagging indicator in the case of microstock because it was, at first, the place to turn as budgets tightened.
60
« on: August 04, 2012, 13:25 »
Im afraid you can not blame the reccession or world economy anymore, them days are over Uhhhh ... I can't believe you actually typed that. If anything, we're at one of the worst points because a lot of people who were just keeping their heads above water are running out of resources. It's only this year that I've seen "unemployment" and "temping" become frequently mentioned on my fb and twitter feeds. But you're right about all the other stuff. That big drop at istock was a self-inflicted wound from your list. "some people who are complaining loudly there are 'resting on their laurels'" And that's a factor in some of my decline. Market saturation gets blamed on these forums a lot but market stagnation, not so much. When I do searches, sometimes I feel like I've been looking at the same files over and over for years. And the same stock "style" over and over. It seems like the micros have descended into a terrible state of monotony where every site offers the same files, same styles and same general experience. istock's advantage was that it's strong set of exclusives offered a novel set of search results compared to the others. But that graph suggests it wasn't enough to counter, "half assed attempt to increase profits, this and that, destroying their own searches, neglecting buyers, not fixing bugs and glitches". Nobody is innovating and all the sites seem content to wallow in mediocrity, so the results will likely reflect that.
61
« on: August 03, 2012, 15:40 »
How is it going .... REALLY? I'm a diamond exclusive. 2 yrs of steady decline. At the time of the 09/10 announcements, my earnings clobbered those of my non-exclusive peers. Since then, their earnings have risen and my have fallen to the point that, if current trends continue, sometime this autumn their earnings will meet mine and then surpass them. And the 'peers' I'm comparing myself to are photogs, not even vector artists. What's telling about the July sales thread is how few people chimed compared to 'the old days' and that this month, it was hours before anyone bothered to start it compared to in the past when people would jump over each other to be the first to post. The only thing that confuses me is why so many people seem confused by this entirely predictable turn of events. 
62
« on: March 08, 2012, 09:16 »
Keep it in your own thread! 
63
« on: February 21, 2012, 10:43 »
I just started contributing to 123 .... and with the mention of 'royalty credits', I just stopped.
64
« on: January 27, 2012, 10:34 »
There's a forum for PS tutorials but not for illustration, so I'm putting this here:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn6nEb5XojA[/youtube]
This is the latest episode from my drawing "tutorial" series. In this video, two cartoon couples demonstrate "The Rules of Sex and Violence", comparing and contrasting what is ok and not ok to show in drawings for general audiences. These are very important rules that everyone should know ... and the subject matter may not be entirely safe for work.
65
« on: January 24, 2012, 00:50 »
I have a small port of 350 images (raster illustrations) and it seems to be hitting its stride and making monthly payouts now. I haven't made a payout at any of the other agencies yet. I really like CanStock ... I consider them the 'minimal crap' agency and the fast reviews tell me that they actually want files. 90% of my sales there are files that would be -- or have been -- rejected at DT. And it's true that every contributor is different: on 123 I've only had 8 sales on a port of 175 so far. My only complaint there is that they should have come up with a more minimalist site redesign to emphasize the fact that they are a simple, easy, no-nonsense site and change the name to C-Stock or something like that because CanStock sounds a bit awkward.
66
« on: January 20, 2012, 20:41 »
JJRD has such a "following" because he worked his a** off for the contributors, literally. And over the years he has personally met and interacted with thousands of people, assisted us at shootings, responded personally to our sitemails etc...there is a reason why he will be missed. Just like Rob Sylvan or Bruce, strong character, strong personality.
JJ pushed for things I wanted ... I'm not gonna hold back a few kind words for the guy.
67
« on: January 20, 2012, 08:51 »
At 20%, only "superstars" can generate enough of a return to make a decent income. Higher royalty rates are what makes it possible for the rest of us plebs to make some $$$.
68
« on: January 14, 2012, 14:17 »
Getty doesn't buy the companies, they buy the customers.
69
« on: January 01, 2012, 17:04 »
Well, for 2012 you should focus on creating original work and be less of a copycat. I imagine there are a bunch of illustrators who are pretty peeved at you.
That seems a bit harsh to say the least. I see plenty of originality there.
+1 (I am sure blamb will show us some examples instead of just bashing around  )
I think it's fair to give a warning before resorting to the indignity of pulling up examples (and it's not difficult to recognize the sources of 'inspiration' I'm talking about). As a new contributor, this person deserves the chance to do better. If not, sure, I'll provide examples. Lots of examples.
70
« on: January 01, 2012, 15:02 »
Hello All
so well I have finished my first year of microstocking as an illustrator starting from 0 files in january 2011.
Well, for 2012 you should focus on creating original work and be less of a copycat. I imagine there are a bunch of illustrators who are pretty peeved at you.
71
« on: December 23, 2011, 21:58 »
This is why we can't have funny jokes.
72
« on: December 23, 2011, 14:46 »
Apple has exclusive stuff only... so they can sell it at higher prices.
ZING! You win the thread!
73
« on: December 21, 2011, 13:10 »
If there's one thing exclusives love, it's being favoured at the one time of the year when nobody is buying.
74
« on: December 14, 2011, 14:25 »
Also irritating: "Illustration is too simple" rejection for pics of cartoon eyeglasses and cartoon underwear. Glasses. Underwear. How complex are they going to be???
75
« on: December 11, 2011, 02:19 »
I dropped photo exclusivity in September. I think you'll be impressed by the volume of sales at SS but I remain unconvinced about dropping vector exclusivity. However, if other big time contributors start testing the waters things could change very fast. Interesting times for sure.
It'll depend on earnings. I dropped photo exclusivity the day the option became available but didn't do much with it until after the summer when the gaping hole that used to be my royalties came into view. Now I'm working hard at getting raster portfolios established and submitting nothing to istock. And that's nuts, 'cause I LOVED being exclusive. As a group, the vector artists had created a nice collection and I liked being a part of that. I really don't enjoy contributing to a bunch of sites and I'm annoyed that it came to this, but it would be foolish to sit still with the potential for further decline and royalty cuts. I'm going to hold on to vector exclusivity as long as it makes sense but current trends don't suggest much of a future for it.
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