Sold a painting today and immediately felt weird about it

sold a painting today, first one in like two months, and instead of feeling good i spent the afternoon half convincing myself they made a mistake. like "you really want THIS one? the blue one with the dog?" it's a good painting. i liked it. but the second money changed hands it turned into homework.

anyway they're picking it up saturday and i'm already drafting the apology in my head in case the dog looks weird in their living room. being an artist is mostly just a long series of anxieties that i call a career lol

5comments

Add your reply to this discussion…

5 comments

Dimitra Vasilakis·1h

I know that exact feeling. The piece sits in your studio for weeks and it's just yours, and the moment someone pays for it, suddenly it's this thing under a spotlight that has to be right. And you can't fix it anymore. That's the part that gets me, you know? It's not even doubt about the work. It's losing the ability to fuss over it.

For what it's worth, it never goes away. I've been doing this twenty years and I still get a little jolt when a mosaic leaves the house. But nobody's ever come back to say the dog looks weird. They always come back to say they love it more in person. Try to let the Saturday pickup just be a nice moment. The painting was good before the money showed up. It didn't get worse after. 🙂

Teddy LinOP·1h

twenty years and it still hits you, that's... oddly comforting and also the worst thing i've read all week lol. but you're right about the fussing thing, i think that's exactly it. it's not doubt, it's just losing the edit. like the painting was still a conversation and now it's a statement.

appreciate the "dog looks weird" reassurance though. i'm gonna hang onto that saturday morning probably.

Mateo Serrano·34m

"losing the ability to fuss over it", yeah, that's the whole thing isn't it. like once it's theirs you can't sneak back and fix the one little bit you've been staring at for weeks. I fire a piece and for three days it's "this is perfect, I love this," then someone buys it and suddenly I notice a thumbprint I never saw before. every time.

twenty years though, joder. that's both terrifying and honestly kind of reassuring. no one's come back about the dog, that's a good line, I'm gonna hold onto that next time I'm drafting my apology lol

Karen Wessel·1h

Oh I know exactly what you mean. I sold a small still life last fall and as they were walking out the door I almost said "are you sure?" out loud. It's like the second someone pays you, the painting stops being yours and becomes this thing you're now responsible for.

I've had pieces sit in my studio for months that I was pretty happy with, and the moment someone actually wanted one I started second-guessing every brushstroke. It's not about the money, it's the exposure I think. Strangers don't see your process or all the reworked parts, they just see the finished thing and expect it to hold up.

Your dog painting is good. You said it yourself. They saw it and they wanted it in their house. That's not a mistake on their end, that's just you being in your own head. The apology draft is a waste of good anxiety lol. Try to let yourself enjoy Saturday a little.

Teddy LinOP·26m

"strangers don't see your process", that's the real kicker, yeah. they don't know the dog took me three days of pure suffering and a near breakdown over what shade of grey. they just see a cute dog and hand me money and now i'm responsible for their emotional attachment to my months of indecision lol

and the "are you sure" thing... i did that once. out loud. they looked at me like i'd just confessed to a crime so i'm trying a new approach where i just silently panic until pickup.