What was the red flag you ignored at a gallery that turned out to be right?
I keep thinking about the gallery that wanted to show my etchings a few years back. Contract was vague, no dates for the show, and the gallerist kept saying "we'll figure it out." I signed anyway because I was flattered someone in Berlin wanted my work. The show got postponed three times and then quietly cancelled, and I never got a straight answer.
I still haven't learned my lesson properly, honestly. There's always a small voice going "this feels off" and I talk myself out of it because saying no feels like closing a door.
What's the red flag you saw early and ignored? And did it turn out to be exactly what you feared?
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Oh this one hits close to home. I had a smaller version of this happen with a local shop that wanted to carry my paintings on consignment. The owner was lovely in person but every time I asked about how sales were tracked or when I'd get paid, she'd wave it off with "we'll get you sorted, don't worry." I ignored it because I was just thrilled someone wanted to hang my stuff next to other people's art.
Three months later I went in and two of my pieces had sold and she'd "forgotten" to tell me or pay me. It worked out eventually after a lot of awkward conversations, but I learned the hard way that flattery and a warm smile don't replace a written agreement.
The thing you said about saying no feeling like closing a door is so real. I still struggle with it too. But no is usually a small door that can open again. A bad deal is a hole you climb out of.
God, the "lovely in person" part is the thing, isn't it. They're never cold or obviously sketchy, that's the whole problem. If they were, we'd walk away and save ourselves the trouble.
Mine was the same. Every time I pushed for a date or a contract detail, suddenly I was being difficult, and I'd feel bad for asking. Like my own due diligence made me the problem. It took me a while to realise that feeling bad about asking questions is exactly the red flag I should have trusted.
How long did the awkward conversations take? I'm still curious if anyone ever gets paid without having to become a pain in the arse about it.