Key facts and a number of comments for use as quotations.
Facts
Almost 2 years in development from initial idea to its first day online.
Launched on 1st June 2010.
Founding editor is UK artist Andrew Pepper.
Edited in Nottingham, UK.
We have 12 Advisors in 11 cities and 7 time zones.
The site specialises in practical guides and intelligent savings for artists and independent creative practitioners.
Statement/Quotations
Andrew Pepper commented:
"As a society we undervalue artists. We like them to make our world more visually interesting through their artworks, designs and interventions but tend to be slow to support them, particularly in a difficult economic climate."
"WeLikeArtists.com was set up to offer free practical advice from experts in the field and, at the same time, hunt down intelligent savings so that artists can take control of their spending and divert much needed funds to the production of their art."
"Artists should get a break in a world which undervalues them."
"It was clear, from the onset, that the site should be easy to navigate, fast to update and visually stunning. A month before we launched, the entire layout of the site was changed because it wasn't living up to our expectations."
"Some sites are so packed with information that it is difficult to read them - we wanted WeLikeArtists to have masses of white space, with room for the content to speak for itself."
"As an independent artist you tend to discover shortcuts and savings to stretch the budget. That's normal. Much of the time survival is about flexibility and adaptation. I realised that some of the things I had unearthed, and ways I was working, might be useful to others in the same boat, so WeLikeArtists has become a central location to distribute some of that information."
"I sat down and thought "who would I like to work with on a project which supports artists?", "who do I know that is an expert in their field and sensitive to how artists work?" and "who might support a project like this knowing that it had a humorous budget?". I then shot off e-mails to these initial 12 people and waited. They all responded immediately with an offer to help and be part of a project they knew very little about. It was, after all, still a vague and very misty concept. I didn't even tell them the name, but they all said yes."
"People seem to like Phillis, our e-mail robot. So much communication is automated these days, so for our monthly newsletter and e-mail replies to have a visual identity, in the form of Phillis (a metal robot made in China), adds a little something to the project. We have promised Phillis her own website!"
"Not having a sensible budget for a project should never be a reason not to do it - that is one thing I learned studying fine art. Work needs to be driven not only by feasibility but by passion. This might not be appropriate in the Dragons' Den but there are many different reasons which drive ideas. What is not to like about working with people you respect, passing on a few nuggets of useful information, helping people save money, twisting a few arms to persuade others to do the same, calling in a few favours and giving people strategies which they can adapt to their own ways of working."
"Part of the inspiration for the site came from Martin's Money Tips, the regular e-mail from author Martin Lewis whose website and TV reports champion the consumer and provide money saving tips. I've used some of those tips and certainly saved money but do find the site visually complex, partly because it is packed full of very usable information. It struck me that it would be a great idea to have something similar which was aimed at artists and creative professionals."
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