Selling Hurts!

One of these sold...

I am so excited, I sold 5 pieces! But I was surprised how that hurt.

I had not expected to sell much if anything at the “Open House” last weekend. I brought my “Farm Boys” to the studio to foster some interest, conversation and possibly sales. They were the only ones with a price on their cards.

On the second day, Sunday, I was sitting down to have my dinner, a cinnamon bun and a coffee from the snack bar when two women approached me and in front of everyone there to tell me that one of them wanted to purchase “Foxy David” asking how much would that be?

I groaned inwardly. I had not expected any interest in this kind of piece. I used the time to walk to my cubical to decide on a price. I was forced into dealing with something I did not want to deal with. It had all been about communicating an idea. Money had never been a part of the thinking. Suddenly, for me to do something as simple as selling, I was now forced to think the unthinkable. I had to suddenly place a value on the creation of an idea. An idea I really liked and did not really want to part with.

It turned out she was a theology student and was totally enamoured with every aspect of the piece. Its humour and the underlying serious story lines. She considered it awesome and could not wait to see it in her yet none existent office.

She agreed to let me keep it for my show coming up at the end of Feb. We decided on a down payment and she signed her cheque.

I suddenly realised that this piece that had been a large part of my life was no longer mine. Yet I knew I could not hold on to it. I thought I’d had a good idea. A fun idea and I had expressed that idea in creating a piece of sculpture. Now the piece was gone. Should I make another piece to replicate it?

In thinking about that I’ve come to realise that the idea is never gone and it will live on beyond me. Also, for me to continue as an artist, I must suffer through the “giving away” of my pieces. Only then can I “live” as an artist and develop new ideas and new sculptures to express them. I must let go to live and grow as an artist. Possibly, and this is the hope, I will have even better ideas and pieces in the future.

Also, “Foxy David” would die if he stayed with me. He must go out and have a life of his own. That “idea” must leave the nest and live out there to spread into parts of the world I could never go myself. It is to my benefit he is out there, on his own journey, telling his own story.

I was surprised how quickly the reality of the change of ownership arose. As she was leaving she turned and said something like, “I’ve been without “my sculpture “ for many months now, so another few months for you to have it in your show won’t make much difference. Just, be careful with it please, and try not to break it.!”

Why is it that it has to be pain that will make you a better, growing person...and artist?

“So ... his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.”Genesis 27:28