You may have noticed that Bria's art is pay what you can! When she ran her arts for change practice, she also had sliding scale rates. Lots of people asked her about this, so Bria is leaving the information below here as a resource for others who may be interested in doing something similar.

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Overall, adopting an alternate model like this was a very fulfilling choice - one that Bria would wholeheartedly recommend (and talks at length about here). It aligned with Bria's personal values and helped her make art accessible to anyone who wanted or needed it. It helped her reconcile the more transactional aspects of doing art for a living. It forced her to trust and hope in ways that were unexpectedly freeing. Most importantly, it encouraged people to re-orient their thinking about the "value" of art. When price isn't the first thing people are met with, they can start to see art as a form of communication, understanding, liberation, and empowerment - not just something to be owned. It was an important step in Bria figuring out how she wanted to engage with the world and what role her art could play. In short, a small rebellion with some beautiful effects.

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It did come with a bit of trial and error. When she first started out, she tried not providing prices at all. People repeatedly asked for suggestions. Sometimes it was a matter of curiosity - people were by and large very open to learning and ready to get behind something like this. Oftentimes all it took was a little bravery to push past discomfort in a conversation. Other times it was more challenging, and there were moments of distinct inequity; while people with less tended to be more generous, the intention was a bit of wealth distribution. Over time, it became clear that definitions of wealth vary drastically from person to person; what some consider needs, others consider luxuries. Because we're not used to having conversations around money, it was difficult for people to determine where they were at (on both ends of the spectrum).

Bria ultimately decided to provide a range of suggested prices, accept payment plans, and provide avenues for monthly donations if people wanted to support her long-term. She also developed some statements to contextualize need (below), paired with a preamble: "Not every statement may fit you, pick what's closest. Higher rates support subsidized ones, and the world goes round and round."

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Feel free to reach out if you want to talk to Bria about this more.