About challenges and haters.
In this article, I would like to share my experience and tell you about some dichotomy of how my content is evaluated by other artists or VJ industry people.
As you know, I develop and sell creative content and media projects that other artists, engineers and designers use in their work. These are some 3D materials, visual content or templates which other artists and technical engineers integrate into their work. As a result already of their work, some complete shows are created. A video art, a VJ show, or a projection mapping show, or some kind of a promotional, commercial video or a music clips. In this regard, my clients prefer to notify all their clients that they are the authors and developers of these visual shows or projects. Even if there is 30, 50 or 80% of the purchased content from my websites.
For me it’s absolutely ok.
This is what I create my content for, working in the art studio to help other artists avoid some routine or technical problems with content production. But also many people buy my video art because it is great and beautiful. And for me, in this sense, is a great happiness.
On the other hand, few people will credit that the content that is used in the show was bought from LIME ART GROUP. Our license does not require this yet. In the same way, when you work in Cinema4D, for example, or create a commercial, you do not indicate in the commercial that the animation is rendered on Nvidia cards or Intel processors…
That’s why, on the one hand, it reduces the popularity of my work or the brand of our company, but on the other hand, it helps other artists. And for me this is the most important thing! The number of customers in my database will soon reach 20,000 clients. The location of customers is already more than 110 countries all over the world. There are even artists who use my video art in Nepal or Madagascar… Can you imagine that? And even now, while I am writing this article, I received an order from France for one of my vj loops pack.
That is, on the one hand, my content is in demand in the world, geography and the number of sales only prove it to me every single day. But on the other hand, when I start promoting this content to notify other artists that new, fresh collections are available, I sometimes stumble upon super evil admins of some Facebook groups who start to ban me, or feel a certain envy of my work. You want to share your art, content that really helps other artists and technical specialists, gives the audience emotions, and then there is some jerk who writes you unconfirmed hate comments under your posts on social networks, and some admins start to ban you hiding behind some spam terminology…
Why is this undeserved?
From what did I draw such a conclusion? Everything is simple. In the same groups, there are other content developers who publish their posts with the same frequency as me, and maybe more… but admins do not ban them. What is this double standard? Or maybe they’re in commercial cahoots with these vj loops sellers? Just in the same way, some organisers of light festivals simply fill the fields of thematic groups with their publications, but admins do not ban them either.
Double standards again?
After all, their main claim to me is the high frequency of publications. But is 1-2 publications per week in their group a lot? Or maybe I publish information that does not apply to the VJ industry? Or do I sell fake Rayban glasses? Or streams of arcade games? Unfortunately, these double standards got them nowhere in their lives. And indeed. If you look at those 2-3 people who most express their hatred, or those admins of fb groups who can ban me, then when you go to their fb page, you can see that they do not have any success either in their careers or in life, visually they look scary or just have a pig on the profile photo, and all they can in their life is to feel power over other members of the community by pressing the ADD TO A GROUP or BAN button. It’s very sad, and I really feel sorry for them…
And it’s also a pity for other normal people, artists who will not see notifications from me about new free video tutorials, discounts on content or free updates of previously purchased visuals.
But you know, in every hate or rejection, there is some challenge for me personally.
1.
The problems that other people, due to their non-realization or stupidity, create for me without letting “my light” through, only make me stronger and bring good results that I can integrate in my business or video art…Here are some examples…
As I started creating video content for sale, I really wanted to sell it in one big marketplace, created by one of the developers of VJ software. At first they agreed that they would accept my works, then literally 10 days later they told me that they would not sell my content by telling me that I most likely would not be able to create one video loops collection per month… It was very insulting and painful for me to feel this lack of demand … but it became a great internal reason and motivator to create my own microstock site – Vj Shop. Now, already for several years, we have one of the largest collections of video art content for VJing, and the position of limeartgroup.com in Google has long overtaken many other VJ stores…
2.
The second example is specialized FB groups for video content producers.
When I had only 2-3 of my video collections, I published them in other people’s fb groups. The result was the same, I was banned for a great frequency of publications from admins of these groups. I said “OK”, as it was unpleasant… but I created my own FB groups. Today, some of them already have 10 and 20 thousand subscribers. And you know what? None of them complain that my or anyone else’s posts are spam. Everyone likes it, it suits everyone. Every month the groups get an increase of 100-250 users. And I do not promote the group at all. It just exists. People are adding themselves. People are interested in video content, both mine and other authors’… Interesting, isn’t it?
3.
The third example is a Matter of Taste.
When I started creating VJ loops packs, I created more abstract content in different animation styles. These were lines, patterns, ornaments. Compositions of different colours and animation techniques, from slow glow animations for concerts to hard cyberpunk glitches… Somewhere after the 40th pack, some commentators began to say that it was all the same type and so on, although the packs were very different from each other… They really didn’t know what should be in the result, and what the final would be… But ok, I “heard” them again, and further according to the plan, I began to create more symbolic and thematic animations. From specific 3D character visuals to 3D animal animations. Later, I began to shoot content on green screen, to create VJ clips from RAW video footage…
As a result, what can they say now? We have the perfect balance of content. Half of abstractions, half of specifically symbolic and thematic motion backgrouds. The perfect super compilation for future video mixes that can cover any topic, any event. And what do you think some of them said next?
Damn! That’s expensive.
Our video packs have a large number of clips, high resolution, and adaptation in different formats. Only few video content developers today can provide such variations and such a choice in their stores. And the price of a pack of 20-30 loops, even in 4K resolution, can cost 89-99 euros. At a time when even packs of 40 or even 60 loops can cost 129 euros, not 200 euros. And what is even more interesting is that such or similar footage on large marketplaces such as Shutterstock or Pond5 can cost 100-130 dollars per 1 a clip, but not a pack… Can you imagine how friendly our prices are, and not expensive…, hmm, I’m already thinking, maybe we can raise prices?))
4.
Well, ok. If it’s expensive for some of the customers, then we’ve got another challenge that we need to face. At the limeartgroup.com site, we only create content in medium and large compilations. We do not sell them as single clips. And what I did, I developed and launched another marketplace on the market – vjloopsfarm.com, which was designed right for customers who work in the low price segment. We started selling content on this site by the piece, at 8-12 dollars per 1 clip.
What did these commentators say to that? Nothing. They shut up.
Now they just ban or write baseless hate in the comments. Literally only 2-3 people who already for years follow the activities of my company and all they can do is write an irritable comment or ban me from the group… What now?
From time to time, I post news about our video content or video tutorials in non-my groups to show people that such material is on the market, and if they need help, they can contact us… The ban of such publications by admins who feel some envy or hatred towards me due to personal incompetence tells me that I need to make decisions on a new challenge again. I understand that not all people, due to their life circumstances, or their paradigms, may accept a different point of view. That’s the reason why in the coming years I will limit access to any knowledge, methods and content that I create for other artists and designers. I will share it only on my channels, and access to them will be available only by invitation…
Imagine, on the one hand, you see that you can be paid 5,000 euros for your content with a one-time purchase, and on the other hand, some unbalanced person writes to you in a comment that no one needs it …
Interesting thing, right? The same to me…What do you advise? Not to pay attention and do my own thing, or enter into sharp dialogues and prove my own point of view?
In my blog, I will write about the metaphysics of contemporary art, teach you how to sell digital content and share my experience. Over a few years, I have come to the conclusion that truly successful people are doing what they love, accumulating more and more experience and resources… while others, all they can do is sling mud on social networks, envy other people’s success instead of creating their own content… If you have read to the end, congratulations and thank you for your attention. Subscribe to my groups and channels from which no one will ban you!
Sincerely,
Alexander Kuiava, a media artist, content producer, CEO of Austrian video production studio LIME ART GROUP and co-founder of Nektar Digital production group content. The author of my own techniques for developing video projection shows and a teacher at the Frontskill – School of New Media Art. Online entrepreneur and social investor. Retired VJ
