Credits: Wenqing Yan (Yuumei)

The amount of circulating uncredited artwork in the world today is astonishing. Yet, where did all the work come from? It certainly did not come from an unnamed being who did not want credit. Just as how music is often being acquired by illegal download rather than purchase, visual artists lack credit for their art work, as discussed by Nicole Dann in her post, Art Theft.

Like other evolving markets, the art industry is…well, evolving. Facing new challenges such as the use of other people’s art without accreditation, artists today are having an extraordinarily difficult time. Unlike many businesses, artists may not be able to adapt their style or products to the demand in the market. Instead, many artists aim for a differentiated focus approach to gain customers. While a good idea in theory, the approach may be challenging if the artist’s styles do not appeal to many people, which has led many artists to pursue a broader differentiated approach. For example the artist, Wenqing Yan (a.k.a Yuumei), creates digital prints, interactive animations, comics, and graphic novels yet is also working on Axent Wear, an innovative idea for creative and fashionable speakers/headphones. Although artists may have diversified their product portfolio due to passion than anything else, the action would also help them stay within the market and survive as an artist.