The Versatile Master Artist-Chapter 78 - 70: Heartbeat

Gu Weijing created a new Whatsapp account and added this generous stranger as a friend.

Just like the animal avatar of the other person, he discovered that the username of this account was [Mr.Folivora], which means Mr. Tree Sloth.

Podcast host?

Mr. Tree Sloth?

Suddenly, a thought popped into Gu Weijing’s mind.

"I have a question, are you the host of the podcast [Mr. Tree Sloth’s Art Criticism]?"

Gu Weijing typed.

"Have you... heard of this podcast?"

Anna felt her heart suddenly tremble slightly.

"Of course, the number one on Apple’s new art podcast chart, last year’s best podcast in the art category, I’ve definitely heard of Mr. Tree Sloth’s station."

Gu Weijing blinked.

He didn’t expect that the generous podcast host who contacted him was actually the famous Mr. Tree Sloth.

Well, although with tens of thousands of followers, he might not be called famous.

But in this niche artistic field, it could already be considered a highly reputable treasure podcast.

To apply to foreign schools, Gu Weijing listens to various language programs during his morning runs, and a variety of art podcasts are also essential.

Among the many official art academy podcasts, [Mr. Tree Sloth’s Art Criticism] is one of the crucial ones.

In his impression,

Mr. Tree Sloth’s podcast covers a wide range of content in visual arts, and the hoarse voice of that middle-aged man is gentle and knowledgeable, with unique insights in the art field.

He sounds like one of those old-fashioned gentlemen who eloquently discusses in classical salons of bygone eras.

He can talk from 19th-century classicism, romanticism, and Pre-Raphaelite, to symbolism and post-impressionism, not only recounting many lesser-known art secrets but also featuring very authoritative guests.

Listening to Mr. Tree Sloth’s station,

is like effortlessly preparing for the interview segment when applying for a university.

At least you won’t be speechless when the professor opposite asks you some questions about art history.

"So, may I ask, do you like my podcast?"

Anna bit her silver teeth lightly, typing word by word.

The mysterious painter she admired unexpectedly listened to the podcast she created.

This wonderful situation made ripples of a strange feeling ripple in Anna’s heart.

She felt somewhat anticipated, excited, and inexplicably anxious.

"What if he’s just saying it?"

"What if he doesn’t like it?" she worried as if she was one of those college girls whispering with girlfriends about whether the male god they idolized would like the new Lancome Valentine’s Day perfume she just switched to.

Anna always thought those girls indulged in fleeting youthful romances were childish and silly.

Not expecting that one day, a similar feeling would appear in her.

"Of course, your podcast is great. The episode with Sir Clark from the Britain Art Academy discussing cubism is one of the most profound podcast episodes I’ve listened to in recent years."

Gu Weijing gave an affirming reply without hesitation.

Not mentioning that he genuinely likes Mr. Tree Sloth’s program.

From past podcast episodes, it was clear that Mr. Tree Sloth had a wide network.

Online illustrators are inherently rejected by the mainstream art world, considered merely affordable artists rather than soulful painters.

It wouldn’t benefit him to offend such a big deal in the art circle.

Anna’s face flushed, and a nasal hum, like a moan, escaped her nose.

"Yeah."

This dual affirmation wrapped her whole being in an indescribable sense of happiness.

The attraction of souls felt so wonderful, more delightful than any sensory experience Anna had ever had.

If not for being unable to move her legs, Anna would have had an urge to jump up.

She could feel the dopamine happily secreting in her brain, making her whole self feel somewhat light, like those little girls who hear their crush say "I DO."

"Do you currently have an agent? You probably don’t if you’re selling paintings online. If you trust my judgment, I could be your agent."

Her fingers danced over the keyboard. By now, Anna no longer said things like having a friend.

Anna found herself being Mr. Tree Sloth instead of Miss Ilina, the art critic.

As long as the other party was willing, she could become his agent without any obstacles.

"Sorry, that might not be convenient."

Soon, a reply came from the opposite side.

"You’ve... already got another agent?"

Although her heart was prepared long ago.

But when the moment of actual rejection arrived, a huge sense of loss still enveloped Anna.

She sniffled hard, feeling terrible about the painter she had discovered being snatched away by someone else. It was like she had dressed up a dirty Cinderella into a glamorous Cinderella, only to be taken away by someone else’s Prince Charming.

Anna originally wanted to just close the chat window.

She hesitated for a few seconds, still a bit uneasy.

"If it’s convenient, could you let me take a look at your agency contract? Don’t worry, I simply want to help you check the contract and see if there are any clauses that might be unfavorable to you."

Anna still felt a bit worried whether the other party would be taken advantage of due to unfamiliarity with the contract.

"You’ve been selling art online and might not realize that professional art agencies involve very complex business dealings. There are a lot of vampires in this industry who only see money. If your agent isn’t genuinely looking out for you, it can be easy for them to sell you out."

"Sorry, but—"

The tone of rejection from the other side remained so cold.

Other people’s affairs with their agents really had no reason to be shared with her, Anna thought.

"If you don’t want to show me the contract, I understand. But please be careful yourself, and try to choose those large galleries. Although their commissions are high, their contracts are very transparent, and the art sales channels of large galleries are unmatched by small ones. If possible, you should hire your own agent rather than using one provided by the gallery. Although costly, they’ll be your ally on the same front..."

Anna typed quickly.

She felt quite embarrassed and verbose,

obviously caring whether the artist she had her eye on would do well even after going with someone else.

Gu Weijing was slightly surprised by the long list of notes appearing on the screen.

His own family ran a gallery, so naturally, he knew all about the intricacies involved.

Even though large galleries usually provide free agents to their in-house artists, many famous artists still prefer hiring their own.

In disputes with companies, only personal agents would stand by you without hesitation.

He could tell that Mr. Tree Sloth’s words were sincere, genuinely for his good.

After rising to fame in a viral video, Gu Weijing also attracted significant controversy.

Honestly speaking, the story of a ten-dollar illustrator defeating illustrators worth ten thousand times more was indeed thrilling.

But it wasn’t beneficial for the healthy development of the art market.

There were quite a few people who found him unpalatable, whether as an online illustrator or someone gaining fame from a viral video; it was all too unconventional.

His sketches and muscles were indeed impressive, clearly the result of hard work.

So what?

Not everyone liked seeing a nobody become famous.

People could easily argue that art isn’t just about hard work; illustrators without their own artistic insights and aesthetic spirit are ultimately just employees of their employers.

Amid such a big storm,

Mr. Tree Sloth, as a heavyweight in the art world, showed such concern for a small artist like him.

This left Gu Weijing touched and also a bit flattered.

"Thank you."

Gu Weijing typed, "But what I want to say is, sorry, I don’t plan to sign with a gallery or agent anytime soon."

"But why? This could mean a significant leap in your income."

This time, it was Anna’s turn to be surprised.

"Is it that there isn’t a suitable gallery, or do you find the offer prices unacceptable?"

Specialization is key.

Even the less successful galleries can’t be compared to selling art online.

The reason Anna originally didn’t think much of online illustrators was because, even as an illustrator, selling illustrations online was ultimately just a minor pathway.

Online commissions at best included drawing figures, dolls, and anime characters.

High-value commercial business was completely captured by these large art agencies.

In the illustration field, to really make big money, you either work on movie posters, collaborate with artful clothing brands, or illustrate for books.

These tasks, though much more complex than selling illustrations online and requiring higher personal creativity and aesthetic literacy from the artist, also offer very high profit margins.

Don’t underestimate illustrating for books.

While animated movie posters do fetch high fees, opportunities are rare and only a handful of illustrators land such projects.

The vast majority of top illustrators make their money illustrating books.

Books in Europe and America have always been notoriously expensive,

Which is why Kindle sells so well in those regions. The inexpensive e-books priced at just over ten US dollars on Amazon Mall and the reasonably priced unlimited subscription service for a few hundred dollars a year are seen as almost dirt cheap by Americans and Europeans.

Physical books in stores often cost dozens of US dollars, and professional textbooks for schools can even reach a scale of 200 US dollars or more, and legitimate copies are required.

Professors in European and American universities really will eject poor students using print-out textbooks from class, and many online assignments require the legitimate activation key included in the textbook to complete.

These commercial books, akin to the latest models of Apple phones, are generally produced quite exquisitely.

The illustration commissions for many books can run several thousand dollars each, and easily amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars for a whole series.

Moreover, based on how well the illustrator completes the task and the artist’s own reputation, they can earn royalties from book sales as well.