Posted by David Frank on October 22, 2014 at 11:00am
Lots of people come through my art show booth every time I am in a show. Surely, some walk in, take a quick look around and leave without anything verbal passing between us. Fine. But many, perhaps even most, enter into some sort of conversation."How did you do this?" they ask.Or, "Where was this taken?"I would like to respectfully suggest that these are not productive questions to pose. In my world, each photograph is an invitation to enter into a narrative. You come into the booth. A particular photograph attracts you. Why? What does it make you think about? How does it make you feel? The answer to THIS line of inquiry will bear valuable fruit. Now you have the beginning of your narrative.It will not be the same narrative as mine. Not the same as the one that attracted me to press the shutter in just such a way in the first place. In just this particular light, at this time, in this weather. Framed in just this particular way. Then printed just so. With a border or without a border. In black and white or in color. And which color? - vivid or muted, cool or warm? These are the tools I have and use to move from what it looked like to stand in a place to what it felt like, or what I want to suggest you feel.So my narrative always goes back to the moment of shutter release. Yours always must begin when you first encounter the image. Your story must begin, then, with..."I was walking the art show. I was - hot, cold, tired, stressed, relaxed, having a good time, dodging the rain, hungry, thirsty, inspired, on my cell phone, killing time waiting for X to catch up - when I stepped into David's 10x10 bright white booth. I was surrounded by his photographs, but there was this one that called to me..."So the question isn't really, "Where was this taken (where did David's narrative begin)?" Rather, the question is, "Why am I feeling a story coming on when I look at this photograph?"And when your story has just begun, the question shouldn't be "How did you do this?" Let the story come. Let some feelings get felt. Why would you want to spoil the moment by requesting information that could only demystify; that could only undo the hundred decisions, both conscious and unconscious, that I have made on behalf of a story whose beginning belongs to me, but whose endings belong to you.There is no where. There is no how. No right. No wrong. There is nothing definitive. There is only this. How does your story begin?
I absolutely LOVE talking to all the people who come into our booth. So many times they end up calling or emailing for a custom order. I make paper bead jewelry from Nat Geo Magazines, junk mail, art prints, and clients' personal photos. We average a sale every 10 minutes because I have kept the price point at a place where most folks can afford a pair of earrings. I have heard so many wonderful life stories, learned so much, shared my story, and end up hugging them as they leave.... Life is good. I don't expect them to ask anything specific - but I LISTEN - and respond. A lady wanted to order a bracelet with music notes on the beads and a pair of earrings. So I wrote the info down and got her info to call her when I finished it. Then I asked if there was a particular song that her friend might want on her bracelet. She told me "Yes, Justin's song - I'll fly away." The son had been killed in Iraq and her friend was a music teacher. Then I shared that the hardest year of my life was when my son was in the Marines and was in Iraq. We both wept for a moment. So I found the music - made beads with the words and notes and then put the entire song of sheet music reduced on the earrings. I just sent it to her and again - she wept and said Oh my goodness, Oh my goodness, they are beautiful."
I try to be as open as I can and what happens from that is magic. Connecting - life is good. We greet everyone that enters our hut with a warm smile. I absolutely love doing these shows!
" People sense our attitudes and most people will buy from someone they like and enjoyed meeting"
That worked to get a sale in an odd way a couple years back at a slow show. A lady came into the booth with a chihuahua on a long leash. A thunderclap happened close by and the little guy ran over to me and huddled up next to my leg. I petted the dog and talked to it as it was shivering with fright. The dog was a rescue animal from a puppy mill and had been badly abused, and was normally frightened of men. The lady decided if the dog wasn't frightened of me, I must be a nice person and that was the deciding factor to buy a piece. Be nice to the pets too ;-)
At every show there are so many levels of questions asked...stupid questions, funny questions, inquiring questions, intelligent questions and numerous others. I treat each person and each question as a way to continually improve and enhance my communication skills and learn more about how others visualize and interpret my work. Some people ask questions and make comments because they are sincerely interested, some are just making conversation and some want to learn.
I am going to be in my booth all day long and it is much more enjoyable to spend every moment of that time smiling, talking and causing people to be glad that they came in...even if they don't purchase anything at that time. People sense our attitudes and most people will buy from someone they like and enjoyed meeting
Whatever question someone may ask, the work engaged them enough to ask SOMETHING. This is our opportunity to engage them even further, perhaps to even buy the piece. An answer to a question does not necessarily require a literal answer. One might answer them by asking what they like about the piece, and engaging their senses and emotions, which is what creates a personal connection to a piece of artwork. Treating each person who bothers to ask a question, even a stupid question, like an honored guest, validates them as a human being who is important, and who has the good taste to relate to our work, whatever they ask. It is an opportunity to teach them more about understanding artwork, such as how you felt when you created that piece, and why you choose to do that instead of something else. People buy artwork not only because they like it, but also because they like the connection with the artist.
Hah, hadn't thought in that direction, it should have been XYZ ;-). Then again XYZ could be, uh, gnarly divergent since three possibilities exist =8-O.
David, I think many of us get those questions all day, every day. I agree, hearing them can be unbearable at times, especially those that are specific to our work and subject matter. But it just goes along with the job.
My friend who works in a museum got asked recently if the stairs they were standing next to go down. We get asked all the time if the girl in the picture is someone's daughter? It happens every day. If it isn't that one, the first question is, "Is the girl your daughter?" I mean, does it really matter? Not at all. But they are wondering why there are so many artworks depicting the red-haired girl, even when there are three different women represented in the 15 artworks in our booth. Those questions usually come from people who are not going to buy the artwork in the first place.
Robert, I'm sure yours are tastefully done, so I can't wait to see your pics taken at the XXX. Keep 'em comin'. WOOHOO!
The common question that is similar to "where did take this?" is "Is this such-and-such place?" Some of the pieces I have can be anywhere, and the trick is to say it's at xxx, but it can be anywhere because it speaks to the common desire to be at a peaceful place or a place with excitement and character, so it's a Universal location that we all want to go to. One of the funniest, in a good way, was when a patron turned to me after walking around in the booth and she felt like she just went on a vacation after looking at my work. We sell memories sometimes that our work evokes.
Comments
I absolutely LOVE talking to all the people who come into our booth. So many times they end up calling or emailing for a custom order. I make paper bead jewelry from Nat Geo Magazines, junk mail, art prints, and clients' personal photos. We average a sale every 10 minutes because I have kept the price point at a place where most folks can afford a pair of earrings. I have heard so many wonderful life stories, learned so much, shared my story, and end up hugging them as they leave.... Life is good. I don't expect them to ask anything specific - but I LISTEN - and respond. A lady wanted to order a bracelet with music notes on the beads and a pair of earrings. So I wrote the info down and got her info to call her when I finished it. Then I asked if there was a particular song that her friend might want on her bracelet. She told me "Yes, Justin's song - I'll fly away." The son had been killed in Iraq and her friend was a music teacher. Then I shared that the hardest year of my life was when my son was in the Marines and was in Iraq. We both wept for a moment. So I found the music - made beads with the words and notes and then put the entire song of sheet music reduced on the earrings. I just sent it to her and again - she wept and said Oh my goodness, Oh my goodness, they are beautiful."
I try to be as open as I can and what happens from that is magic. Connecting - life is good. We greet everyone that enters our hut with a warm smile. I absolutely love doing these shows!
Who can resist the pets? ;) A discreetly placed bowl of water in hot weather helps too.
" People sense our attitudes and most people will buy from someone they like and enjoyed meeting"
That worked to get a sale in an odd way a couple years back at a slow show. A lady came into the booth with a chihuahua on a long leash. A thunderclap happened close by and the little guy ran over to me and huddled up next to my leg. I petted the dog and talked to it as it was shivering with fright. The dog was a rescue animal from a puppy mill and had been badly abused, and was normally frightened of men. The lady decided if the dog wasn't frightened of me, I must be a nice person and that was the deciding factor to buy a piece. Be nice to the pets too ;-)
At every show there are so many levels of questions asked...stupid questions, funny questions, inquiring questions, intelligent questions and numerous others. I treat each person and each question as a way to continually improve and enhance my communication skills and learn more about how others visualize and interpret my work. Some people ask questions and make comments because they are sincerely interested, some are just making conversation and some want to learn.
I am going to be in my booth all day long and it is much more enjoyable to spend every moment of that time smiling, talking and causing people to be glad that they came in...even if they don't purchase anything at that time. People sense our attitudes and most people will buy from someone they like and enjoyed meeting
I agree entirely.
Whatever question someone may ask, the work engaged them enough to ask SOMETHING. This is our opportunity to engage them even further, perhaps to even buy the piece. An answer to a question does not necessarily require a literal answer. One might answer them by asking what they like about the piece, and engaging their senses and emotions, which is what creates a personal connection to a piece of artwork. Treating each person who bothers to ask a question, even a stupid question, like an honored guest, validates them as a human being who is important, and who has the good taste to relate to our work, whatever they ask. It is an opportunity to teach them more about understanding artwork, such as how you felt when you created that piece, and why you choose to do that instead of something else. People buy artwork not only because they like it, but also because they like the connection with the artist.
Yada, yada, yada!
David, I think many of us get those questions all day, every day. I agree, hearing them can be unbearable at times, especially those that are specific to our work and subject matter. But it just goes along with the job.
My friend who works in a museum got asked recently if the stairs they were standing next to go down. We get asked all the time if the girl in the picture is someone's daughter? It happens every day. If it isn't that one, the first question is, "Is the girl your daughter?" I mean, does it really matter? Not at all. But they are wondering why there are so many artworks depicting the red-haired girl, even when there are three different women represented in the 15 artworks in our booth. Those questions usually come from people who are not going to buy the artwork in the first place.
Robert, I'm sure yours are tastefully done, so I can't wait to see your pics taken at the XXX. Keep 'em comin'. WOOHOO!
The common question that is similar to "where did take this?" is "Is this such-and-such place?" Some of the pieces I have can be anywhere, and the trick is to say it's at xxx, but it can be anywhere because it speaks to the common desire to be at a peaceful place or a place with excitement and character, so it's a Universal location that we all want to go to. One of the funniest, in a good way, was when a patron turned to me after walking around in the booth and she felt like she just went on a vacation after looking at my work. We sell memories sometimes that our work evokes.
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