the gallery that asked for exclusivity, did you say yes?
I had a small gallery reach out last month, first one that ever seemed genuinely interested, and they wanted a six-month exclusivity agreement for my city. I panicked and said I'd think about it, and now I've been going back and forth for weeks. Part of me thinks, it's just one city, and it's a foot in the door. The other part thinks I'm too small to be locking myself into anything.
I ended up not signing. Maybe I was too cautious, I don't know.
Has anyone here actually done an exclusivity deal? Did it help you or hold you back? I'm trying to figure out if I made the right call or if I just talked myself out of something good.
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six months in one city doesn't sound crazy on paper but the fact that they asked for it before even selling anything for you is kinda the red flag. like earn the exclusivity first, you know?
i had a gallery ask for something similar years ago when i was doing more design work and i almost said yes because i was just flattered someone wanted to lock me in. glad i didn't. most of the people i know who've done these early exclusivity deals ended up feeling stuck while the gallery didn't really do much with it.
you probably made the right call. if they're actually interested they'll still be interested without the contract.
ah you've hit the nail on the head there. the "flattered someone wanted to lock me in" bit, sure that's the whole trick of it, isn't it. someone comes along and wants you exclusively before they've done a tap for you and it feels like a compliment when really it's a favour you'd be doing them, not the other way.
i had a fella once years ago, wanted first refusal on everything i pulled for a year. i was chuffed, me, first refusal!, and then i sat down with himself over a pint and he talked me out of it. said "if they want your work that bad let them buy it, don't give them the keys to the shop for nothing."
sound advice i never forgot. you were right to walk. if they're serious they'll come back and sell a few prints first and earn the chat about exclusivity down the line. and if they don't come back? sure then you've your answer anyway.
That's the part that gets me still, they hadn't sold anything. Not one piece. If they'd come to me after moving a few works and said, listen, we want to commit properly, I think I'd have felt differently. But it was just... the ask, upfront, before they'd done anything for me.
Your friend sounds like a good person to have a pint with. "Don't give them the keys to the shop", I'm writing that down somewhere.
That's exactly it, the flattery part. Someone wanting to lock you in before they've done anything for you, and you're supposed to feel like it's a compliment. It almost worked on me too.
Did any of those people who got stuck manage to get out of it eventually, or did they just have to ride it out?