I want to see my work the way others see my work. If I could forget for a day that I make pottery, or have knowledge of making pottery, and what my work looks like, then go to an art show or gallery where my work is on display, how would I react to my work when I don't know it is my work? That's the knowledge I want.
I want to know how customers see my work. I want to know what that is like. I'd also like to be inside their heads. Why does this customer love this piece? What goes through their heads when they walk by my booth at a fair? Is my display pleasing? Does something about me, my work, or my display turn them off from buying? Or make them buy? What is going on in their lives that makes my work not what they need or want right now?
I'd have to lose my memory of everything to see my work with fresh eyes and a new perspective. And I know it could and would be very uncomfortable to be in someone's head when they appraise my work. There is plenty I probably don't want to hear, but maybe I need to know.
And then I'd like to be able to get inside the judges heads. Both the jury to get into a show and the judges who decide which artists get ribbons and awards at the show. Unless you ask them for their notes on your work, you never find out what exactly they think of your work and why they decided the way they did. Of course this becomes very difficult if the judge never actually comes into your booth at a fair so you have no idea the judging has taken place until you walk around and see that awards are hanging in some of the booths. How are you supposed to ask for their notes or suggestions for improvement if you have no idea who to ask? It'd be nice to get something, even just a scrap of paper with a couple sentences as to what they thought and a tip for improvement. A little more work for the judge or the organizers, but if they are already walking around trying to decide who is the best at that show, they should be making notes anyway, right? Only when you win a ribbon do you hear what they like and why you won, and once you've won it is very nice to hear, but it would help more when you didn't win.
You only ever really see two reactions at shows, varying degrees of those two, but I think two is pretty accurate. You see the dismissal or the acceptance. Being dismissed can be simply someone walking by without coming into your booth all the way up to picking up a piece and exclaiming at the price and walking away. Acceptance comes as someone coming in and possibly making positive comments about the work up to a purchase. But you never know the reasoning behind the dismissal, most people don't come right out and tell you what is wrong with your work, and that's probably a good thing for me as I would most likely react poorly. But the positive comments without a purchase are just as hard to accept. I appreciate the comments, I enjoy the conversations, but I don't make a living off those things. So I still don't know why I'm not selling to the customers who love my work.
Maybe some will think I want to be coddled, to have my head patted and told my work is wonderful even though I didn't win. That's not it, that won't help me grow as a person, artist or vendor. I really do wish I could have a view into the thoughts of people at art shows not just the comments they make out loud. I think it would give me a better view of myself and my work.
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