the gallery that wants "exclusivity" but can't sell a thing
so i had this gallery hit me up a while back, really wanted to rep me, but they wanted first right of refusal on everything i made + i couldn't sell anything elsewhere without their okay. cool. fine. except in the six months we worked together they sold exactly one small piece and i turned down like four commissions because of the contract.
i get that exclusivity is standard for some folks but at what point is it just them tying you up so you can't build momentum anywhere else? i pulled out and felt guilty about it for a week and then realized i was being an idiot.
anyone else had the "we want all your work but we won't sell any of it" experience? how long did you stick it out before you bounced
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Baby, you did the right thing letting that contract go. Six months and one piece? And you turning down four commissions on account of them? That's not a partnership, that's a gatekeeper who don't have a gate worth keeping.
I've seen this a long time now, some galleries think they're doing you a favor by hanging your work when really they're just hoping you bring the audience they can't build themselves. Exclusivity is for when they're moving your work steady, not when they're barely keeping the lights on.
The guilt you felt? That's just the good manners the Lord gave you. It passes. Now you're free to find folks who'll actually sell what you make.🙏
lol "gatekeeper who don't have a gate worth keeping" is gonna stick with me. that's exactly it.
the guilt thing is so dumb in retrospect. like i spent weeks feeling like i was being disloyal to a business that was doing nothing for me. training wheels off now though. if a gallery wants exclusivity they better be moving enough work to make it worth my while, not treating me like i owe them exposure.