a very tough dilema, a very hard choice

[killdevil fox 10+ year member]

It is becomming more and more apparent to me that my rapidly shrinking refund is not going to get all the equipment I wanted. Being dirt poor and an independent in college doesn't help either. All the money I make from both my jobs goes to paying the bills. But I have one last resort. I am a gem collector and artist primarily, and I am just completing a sculpture of a giant willow tree that I have been working on for years. If I had a digital camera I would post a picture. One of my bosses is offering to buy it for hundreds when it is finished.

This sale would give me all I need for my stereo and then some, but I have grown very attatched to this work. It has 3,000 individualy glued leave made from polished abalone shell and the grass is decorated with polished green adventurine, star ruby, a 60ct white opal, facet grade tourmaline, amethyst, rose quartz, polished opal flowers, and moldavite (a green gem formed only from meteor impacts). All of this growing on top of a top quality unopened double-geode (google geode to see what one is).

I still make smaller simpler sculptures, but what makes selling this one hard is that I dont think I have the time or money to make something like this again. And my boss seems like he wants this really bad (he is rich by the way). So its now art, or materialism. What I can create, or what I can buy.

What should I do?

Click to read more...

 

[DownSouth954 10+ year member]

Okay first take some pictures and share them with us I gotta see this thing //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[jco1385 5,000+ posts]

well the question is, do you think your years of work is worth a car audio system? IMO i would say no, but it's on you.

 

[killdevil fox 10+ year member]

Okay first take some pictures and share them with us I gotta see this thing //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

Ill try to finish it up this week and post something for u guys.

 

[Goindef154 5,000+ posts]

well the question is, do you think your years of work is worth a car audio system? IMO i would say no, but it's on you.

I don't want to say it but......x2

 

[bk12321 10+ year member]

Here is what I would do.

I'm not sure just how attached you are to it, but make sure you reflect that in the asking price if you decide to sell it. Don't settle for anything less than you think you deserve, because your time is worth everything to you, and obviously this piece took you a long time to create. In my opinion, I wouldn't just sell it for "hundeds", meaning less than $1,000, as it obviously took a far longer time to create than to justify selling it for that "low" of a price (notice low is in quotations as it is a subjective term). I would either keep it -- and treasure it, or sell it for what you think you deserve. If your boss is so rich, he can probably afford to spend more than he offered on your artwork.

If you sell it for too low, you will regret the hell out of it, because that is years that you've spent on a piece, that you sold for only maybe a few hundred dollars or whatever, and lost time obviously can not be retrieved.

 

[Pl8er 5,000+ posts]

It will come down to what is most important to you.

If you can create it again, and really want some audio, then maybe you should sell it (you could always make another one).

Now what happens if you sell it, get the audio and the audio gets stolen?

Lots of things can happen.

Take some photos.

 

[Supergumby5000 5,000+ posts]

put it on ebay for a no reserve price at $5,000, and a buy it now for like $50,000 and see what happens.

 

[RidnClean 5,000+ posts]

Here is what I would do.
I'm not sure just how attached you are to it, but make sure you reflect that in the asking price if you decide to sell it. Don't settle for anything less than you think you deserve, because your time is worth everything to you, and obviously this piece took you a long time to create. In my opinion, I wouldn't just sell it for "hundeds", meaning less than $1,000, as it obviously took a far longer time to create than to justify selling it for that "low" of a price (notice low is in quotations as it is a subjective term). I would either keep it -- and treasure it, or sell it for what you think you deserve. If your boss is so rich, he can probably afford to spend more than he offered on your artwork.

If you sell it for too low, you will regret the hell out of it, because that is years that you've spent on a piece, that you sold for only maybe a few hundred dollars or whatever, and lost time obviously can not be retrieved.

good answer:clap:

 

[Pl8er 5,000+ posts]

Here is what I would do.
I'm not sure just how attached you are to it, but make sure you reflect that in the asking price if you decide to sell it. Don't settle for anything less than you think you deserve, because your time is worth everything to you, and obviously this piece took you a long time to create. In my opinion, I wouldn't just sell it for "hundeds", meaning less than $1,000, as it obviously took a far longer time to create than to justify selling it for that "low" of a price (notice low is in quotations as it is a subjective term). I would either keep it -- and treasure it, or sell it for what you think you deserve. If your boss is so rich, he can probably afford to spend more than he offered on your artwork.

If you sell it for too low, you will regret the hell out of it, because that is years that you've spent on a piece, that you sold for only maybe a few hundred dollars or whatever, and lost time obviously can not be retrieved.

good answer:clap:

X2 Very good answer.

 

[killdevil fox 10+ year member]

Here is what I would do.
I'm not sure just how attached you are to it, but make sure you reflect that in the asking price if you decide to sell it. Don't settle for anything less than you think you deserve, because your time is worth everything to you, and obviously this piece took you a long time to create. In my opinion, I wouldn't just sell it for "hundeds", meaning less than $1,000, as it obviously took a far longer time to create than to justify selling it for that "low" of a price (notice low is in quotations as it is a subjective term). I would either keep it -- and treasure it, or sell it for what you think you deserve. If your boss is so rich, he can probably afford to spend more than he offered on your artwork.

If you sell it for too low, you will regret the hell out of it, because that is years that you've spent on a piece, that you sold for only maybe a few hundred dollars or whatever, and lost time obviously can not be retrieved.

Well, the honest truth is that before I made this I had a 1,000 leaf oak about the same size (though very well detailed they are about the size of a large bonzai) and a friend of mine who owned a gem store valued it at $2,500. THis took 300 hours and had $500 in gems. I was devastated when It was stolen from me during college. This boss of mine has been purchasing small ones (100-200 leaves) at $65 to $120 a piece.

 

[Cravingbass123]

wow get a **** camera, wtf i have 3 good ones, its bout time you get 1

 

[Pl8er 5,000+ posts]

I was thinking about this situation. I wouldn't sell it for that low.

Also, if you are just trying to spread the word on selling it here, I like how you went about it. Get some attention, get some interest in pictures then post a price.

I really do want to see it //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

Oh, pretty much everyone here is poor though. I 2nd going for ebay.

Something like these?

 

[bk12321 10+ year member]

Well, the honest truth is that before I made this I had a 1,000 leaf oak about the same size (though very well detailed they are about the size of a large bonzai) and a friend of mine who owned a gem store valued it at $2,500. THis took 300 hours and had $500 in gems. I was devastated when It was stolen from me during college. This boss of mine has been purchasing small ones (100-200 leaves) at $65 to $120 a piece.

How many hours have you put into this latest piece? Being as it has 3,000 leaves compared to the 1,000 on the one you mentioned above, I would say it is worth a good bit more than the one valued at $2,500, especially if you invested a lot more time into it.

 

[killdevil fox 10+ year member]

I was thinking about this situation. I wouldn't sell it for that low.
Also, if you are just trying to spread the word on selling it here, I like how you went about it. Get some attention, get some interest in pictures then post a price.

I really do want to see it //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

Oh, pretty much everyone here is poor though. I 2nd going for ebay.

Oh, god no. I would not spread word about it in such an underhanded way. I am truly torn between this issue. This is a good man. He has bought every tree sculpture I have been willing to sell where others could never afford it. He truly is entranced by them. But this isn,t the Michaelangelo's David either. but Its only gotten complements where I have taken it. Im going to try to post it when I finish the leaves (270 left) and shape the wire of the branches right. Then I'll post it.