Well folks, I'm sure this has been going on since the beginning of time but I just wanna vent about something I feel is getting worse in the paint world...
In today’s society, especially in the social media world of this generation, there are many new motorcycle painters that are misrepresenting their art for the world to see.
True "ARTIST" don't have to uphold an image or present themselves to be something or someone they only dream of being. They just produce their art and hope that it's a hit to grow their business. I realize it more today than ever, these so called "ARTIST" will do anything for popularity so they prey on other’s visions by copying their design to get the response they want, but then not credit the artist who deserves the notoriety.
I've had plenty of customers contact me through email, text and phone calls over the years about these types of hacks and when I go to their social media source, it's pretty annoying. Most of the time, they have blocked me thinking i'd never see their post, others don't care and just copy the style they see to get their name out there.
Don't get me wrong, it's flattering when another painter appreciates my paint work, so much that they feel the need to try and copy it. They don't see nor care that it creates tension with the customers though and pisses them off when someone else has an almost identical paint scheme that was created just for them. This has happened to quite a few painters that have been in this custom paint game for well over ten years.
I know...it's all been done right? True, but when they try to copy line for line and color for color it's just not cool! Basically, these so called "ARTIST" use this technique to grow their business while claiming they invented a style of painting that's fresh and new. If they could only stay true to themselves instead of trying to impress the paint world in a way that's not 100% fake, they'd go a lot further and get more respect. It's really sad this generation can't think for themselves and produce their own style. I've even had these types email me wanting a quote just so they could get an idea on what they should charge their customers.
A few of my close painter friends see this constantly and most of the time, we blast them on social media for the world to see, other times, we just let it go. The one's i've caught always seem to use this same lame excuse...
(The customer sent me a photo of this paint job you did and wanted it to look just like it). That's a piss poor excuse if you ask me! If someone contacted me saying they wanted a paint job just like the one Max Schaaf created then my response would simply be, he's a great painter so hit him up.
All I'm trying to say is, use your own creativity to come up with your own design/style and stop copying from other artist
Im not one to brag but i'm truly thankful to do this as a full time gig and for those of you i've painted something for, many thanks for your business! There are so many great painters out there that I admire and hopefully I'll continue to keep my ideas fresh for years to come
Okay, I'm done!
