The power of feedback

Drawing as I do, painting, sculpture, whatever art form you might produce is personal to you as its creator. I am starting the wonderful journey where I am asked to produce a piece directly for someone else (a commission).

I have already found that it is not always easy to find exactly what that person wants whether through interpretation, technique or differing opinions but when it goes right the positive vibe is amazing.

Today I had great feedback about a piece I was commissioned, as a birthday present, to recall memories of an activity – crabbing, in a familiar place – Swanage’s stone jetty. Now I had met the recipient and chatted very briefly in the shop this year. Crabbing is an activity that is common amongst families and often across generations along the older stone sea wall in Swanage. I chose to also add extra links to other activities – the ferry to Poole, visiting sailing vessels, dive boats, the pontoon for the local summer boat hire, the sea rowing club and fishing.

Being asked to produce such a piece is a privilege especially for an artist as I am who is still pretty new to this whole field of creativity. I knew the birthday was today and the client who ordered the piece contacted me to let me know it had gone down well. The recipient had also already followed my Instagram account previously so I sent a birthday message too.

I then received this message:

This is the piece in fineliner and ProMarkers.

Now most of the work I sell isn’t commissioned but talking to buyers show how you link to memories by chance. The originals that sell because they went walking there; their daughter was proposed to on the bench at the top of that path…

Indeed many of my cards link to favoured memories of a place, family holidays, walks, visiting the building during Purbeck Art Weeks and so the list goes on.

When I taught I heard from time to time from ex pupils as well as those I taught at the time how things that I had taught them or ideas I had shared had made a difference on a personal level. I am now seeing more and more of this through my art and I feel quality privileged to bring that into other’s lives.

I encourage you, readers, to always try and give feedback to artists or others who have an impact on you. I encourage to review how I am in the shop because I want to give my visitors a positive experience and if they take away some work I want them to know at least some of its background and why I produced it in the first place.

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