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You can buy this artist’s unused ideas on eBay

Matthew Britton just wants to share his mental wealth.

 

Miles Klee

Internet Culture

Posted on Mar 30, 2015   Updated on May 29, 2021, 4:52 am CDT

One question you should never ask a creative person is: “Where do you get your ideas?” It’s not something easily explained, and even if it were, the answer wouldn’t do you much good. Artistic inspiration isn’t something that can be bought—or can it? 

Where can such an asset be acquired? On eBay, where artist Matthew Britton is auctioning off an “Unrealized Art Idea.” Asking bid: £0.99. Postage: free. Prestige: a lifetime’s worth.

Britton’s got 100 percent positive feedback, so no need to worry about being ripped off. But if you’re still unsure, you can always check out his other projects if you want a sense of what you’re buying.

“You are bidding for the intellectual property of an unrealized art idea from the artist Matthew Britton,” he writes. The winning bidder will “[r]eceive the unrealized art idea via email once all funds have been exchanged,” become “the current owner of the intellectual property,” and “have permission to realize the unrealized art idea.” 

Now all you need is a drinking problem and a few decades of soul-crushing disappointment under your belt, and then you’ll be a real artist. 

Photo via Tilemahos Efthimiadis/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

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*First Published: Mar 30, 2015, 7:25 pm CDT