A couple of months back I wrote about selling my first piece through a gallery. As exciting as that was (and it was REALLY exciting), I recently had an even more exciting experience. The person who bought my image called me up and asked if I’d sign the mat board that surrounded the picture.
I’ve seen other pieces where the photographer did that very thing, but it never occurred to me to do it myself. While I don’t mind having a signature on the back of the picture, I personally feel that writing on the mat board detracts from the overall image. But, hey, if someone buys a photo of mine and wants the autograph, I’m not gonna tell him/her “no.”
So I was cool and collected when I told my buyer that, yes, I would be happy to sign the piece, but inwardly I was floating on air for days. To be honest, I’m still flying. We made arrangements to meet so I could sign the mat for him, and he graciously agreed to have his picture taken with me, so I could commemorate this awesome event. Craig joked about me being his “famous baby,” but there was definitely some aspect of fame in what I was feeling.
As I mentioned before, as an artist, it’s wonderful to hear that someone likes your work; whether it be a book, movie role, or piece of art. Then, when someone likes your work enough to buy it, you feel like you’ve “arrived” somehow. And it goes a long way to making you feel like you’re a professional artist.
But to have someone ask for your autograph on said piece of art is a whole level unto itself. You find yourself speculating whether or not others will want your autograph when they purchase something of yours, or if this someone will become a collector of your artwork. I found myself wondering if this buyer will look for more of my pieces in other exhibits. There’s a level of excitement that comes from thinking someone might own more than one of my pictures.
And now that Craig and I are gearing up to work art fairs, there’s an even bigger possibility that people will like our work enough that they’ll buy more than one print. The thought just makes me giddy because it’s our dream to be able to make a living off of our art.
But for now, it’s enough to know that someone wanted my signature on a piece of my work. Here’s hoping that it won’t be the last time.
Comments
I like that iPad signature too.
Good for you, Alyx. I hope your enthusiasm continues. This is a business of ups and downs and requires a great deal of "inner balance", a believing in yourself. I have to tell you that when I get thanks about this website it is still exciting to me. And you won the prize and are going to the Zapp conference too. So much to learn and so many opportunities. Just keep paying attention, turn over all the rocks and you'll be surprised at what can happen.
Congratulations on your success. It is definitely a good feeling when someone asks you to sign a piece of work and an even better feeling when you reciprocate by asking them to sign your ipad.