November 29, 2016
What It’s Like Having Someone Buy My Artwork
by Corrina Thurston
Most artists have the goal of sharing their artwork with the world. We’re equally terrified of putting our artwork and ourselves out there for the world to see, and we crave that exposure and validation of our work.
So when someone takes the time to talk with us about our art, and then ends up spending their own hard-earned money to buy something, it’s a roller coaster of emotions. And it’s also unbelievably awesome.
Here’s 5 things that go through my head (and likely other artists too) when someone buys my work:
1.) Holy Crap!
Especially when I was first starting out, when someone wanted to buy a print, an original, or commission, the first thing to cross my mind was, “Holy crap!”
When you’re in your studio creating, you have no idea how other people are going to react to your work. And even when a lot of people say they love it, like with my artwork, only a very small fraction will actually buy something from me and keep my business going. This is true even of small items like jewelry and greeting cards.
So when someone comes up to you and says they want to BUY something, it’s a little bit of a shock. Not only do they like it, they want to spend their money on it and look at it every day. They want to hang it on display in their homes for everyone else to see.
That’s crazy. And awesome.
2.) Are You Sure?
There’s a lot of doubt in most artists minds. Plus, a lot of people who tell me they love my work and are going to buy something, don’t end up following through for one reason or another. So when someone says they want to buy a print or product, after the initial “holy crap!” reaction occurs, the doubtful side of me acts up and wonders, “Are you sure?”
There’s a lot of art in the world. There’s a lot of artists out there that people can choose to support. Therefore, to know that someone is choosing ME, wanting to support ME, preferring MY artwork over that of others, is amazing. But until that sale is finalized, there’s always that possibility that it will fall through.
3.) I’m Awesome!
When that sale does go through and is an official, finalized sale, I’m like, “Yes! I’m AWESOME.”
I and other artists put in so much effort in our work that when someone recognizes that and buys a piece, we let out a sigh of relief and then scream YES and do a happy dance! Someone likes us! Not only do they like us, they like us so much they spent money on our work!
Having someone purchase a print, a commission, an original, or any product, is a huge validation. Someone is connecting with what we do.
4.) Whew!
Because of the roller-coaster of emotions, and then creating the product that sold, boxing it up and shipping it out to a customer, sales can be tiring! Sometimes I talk with a customer multiple times before they make a purchase, explaining everything about the product that they want to know.
When a sale is made, it’s one thing. But when it’s out the door and officially on its way to the client, I feel like a weight is off my shoulders and let out yet another sigh of relief. There it goes, off to its new home, and my job is done. Of course then I get back to the other 8 million things I need to work on.
5.) Thank You!
One of my overwhelming emotions when someone buys something is gratitude. I get practically knocked down by gratitude when I make a sale. Especially if that sale is because someone else recommended my artwork, or if it’s a repeat customer. I can’t help it. I’m so thankful that people are interested in my artwork and willing to spend their money to have it. Not only is it a validation and makes me want to keep doing what I’m doing, it is what my business runs on and without it I couldn’t keep doing what I love.
Thanks to my customers, I get to do what I love. Because of you, I’m able to work for myself and create my artwork. Some days it’s a frustrating job, just like any other, but some days it’s pure bliss.
I couldn’t do it without the support of my loyal fans and customers. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
