Mine: a small space told me they "loved the work but had nothing that fit" and then six months later hung someone doing almost exactly what I do. Not even mad anymore, kind of impressed by the nerve.
So what's the line you got that turned out to be a load of it. The "we'll keep you on file" is too easy, I want the specific ones.
"We love the craftsmanship, but our collectors want something more... decorative." Still not sure what that was supposed to mean. Ten years later I'm fairly sure it meant cheaper. The other one was a woman who told me my work was "too rooted in place" and then a year later did a whole show about local heritage. I laughed, honestly.
"decorative" is such a tell. it means the work has to sit quietly over a sofa and not ask the owner anything. and yeah, cheaper. always cheaper.
the heritage show a year later is the part that would've gotten me. "too rooted in place" until it's their marketing angle. did you go see it?
Mm, I heard "we're looking for something more contemporary" once. More contemporary than what, honey? I been making these quilts since before that woman was born. I think what they meant was more like them.
I don't hold it against nobody anymore. Some folks just don't have the eyes yet, and you can't lend a person your eyes. But I do wish they'd say the true thing instead of dressing it up, because the dressed-up version will have you second-guessing cloth you was right about the whole time.
"more contemporary than what" is the whole thing right there. and yeah, "more like them" is the honest translation every time.
the eyes thing is true and it's also the part that stings, because you can't argue with someone who can't see it. they just say the dressed-up version and you spend a month wondering if your cloth was wrong. it wasn't.