the gallery that said yes but only if you changed everything
I had a gallery once that liked my work but wanted me to switch to acrylic, paint bigger, and make everything "more abstract." Basically be a different artist. I said no, then spent three months wondering if I was stupid for it. Anyone else get the "we love it but can you change everything" talk? Did you bend or stand your ground?
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I had something similar but smaller scale, a gallery that wanted me to introduce colour. Which for me would be a complete reset. Not just different work, different thinking.
I said no too. Spent maybe a week second-guessing, not three months though. That part I recognise, the way it sits with you.
What I landed on was: if your work is that conditional for them, it's not really your work they want. They want someone else's work they can sell through you. Standing your ground felt thin at first but it's held up.
That last bit is the thing. Standing your ground felt thin at first but it's held up. I've had that exact feeling, the quiet doubt right after, and then the slow realisation that you'd have hated working with them anyway. A gallery that wants a different artist isn't a gallery that wants you.
It's funny, you'd think saying no would feel clean and final, but it leaves this weird echo for weeks. Like, did I just close a door or ruin a chance?
But yeah. If they want a different artist, they should find one. I don't think I could look at a painting I made in acrylics, big and abstract, and feel like it was mine. The doubt passes. The work doesn't change.
Yeah, the "different thinking" part is the thing people don't get. It's not just buying different paints. It's a whole other way of seeing.
And you're right about the conditional thing. That stuck with me. If they'd said "we like these but could you push the composition more", fine. But changing the whole medium? That's not feedback, that's a rewrite.
Glad your no held up. Mine did too, eventually. Just took a while to feel it.