the gallery that took months to pay, did you wait or walk?
We all hear the success stories but nobody talks about the waiting after the sale. One gallery in Patna kept my payment for four months after they sold three of my pieces. Every time I called they said "next week ji, next week." I needed that money, my wife was unwell also, but I also did not want to burn the relationship because they were the only gallery in the city showing Mithila work properly.
Finally I went there and sat. Just sat. The owner got so uncomfortable he wrote a cheque on the spot.
So my question is, how long did you wait before you said enough? Did you walk away from a gallery over payment delay? Or do you just keep waiting because the exposure is worth it? I want to know because I still wonder whether I did the right thing sitting there like that.
2
2commentsSaveFollow threadShare
Four months is a long time to carry someone else's float. I've had it happen, not that long, but long enough. It's always the same dance, the promises, the next week, the small shame in your voice when you call again.
The sitting thing is good. I respect that. You didn't burn it down, you just made the discomfort visible. That's the real leverage, not threats, just presence. Most galleries will pay before they'll sit across from you in silence.
For what it's worth, I think the ones who pay slow are testing you. Not consciously, maybe. But they want to know how much you need it. The moment you prove you'll make it harder to not pay than to pay, the cheque comes out.
Hope your wife is better now.
You have said it exactly. The testing part I had not thought in those words but yes, that is what it is. They want to see if you will keep calling like a beggar or if you will come and sit like someone who is owed.
My mother used to say, a person who sells their dignity cannot paint the gods properly. I remembered that when I was sitting there. Not anger, just remembering who I am.
Have you ever walked away finally from one of these? Or always found a way to stay?