Last week I posted Part I of best things to ask (and not to ask!) an artist. Now this week, Part II! Hope you enjoy and that it helps to make you look suave and knowledgeable in front of your favorite artist!
6. What does your daily work day look like?
Instead of: It must be so nice to be free all day!
This is a great question to ask, especially a full-time artist. It may be hard to quantify since working for yourself means never really having a set schedule, but it's a great question for a couple of reasons. First, you're acknowledging that it's a work day. Working for yourself (in any business) is especially tough because while you make your own schedule, if you aren't productive, you don't get paid! I, like many artists, keep a pretty strict schedule out of sheer force, which means no time for putting the paint brush down to go out and about during the day. Second, it's just an interesting question, and I bet you'll find most artists don't automatically say "paint." There's so much that goes into a business itself and into a finished piece of artwork, it's amazing how much time it will consume! It's a great question and usually what you'll get is some wonderful insight into all that goes into getting a painting on a wall!
7. Want to grab breakfast or a quick lunch sometime?
Instead of: We should hang out during the week!
I know that sounds counter intuitive to the last question, but all small business owners also need to see other humans. It's easy to hole up in the studio and not get out or see anyone all day. The Oatmeal has a great cartoon about the joys and downfalls of working at home, and I love the part above where work-from-home guy's English starts to fall apart (sadly this can be true!). While it's tough to get away for a long lunch, an early morning breakfast, or a quick lunch somewhere is great! It's a wonderful opportunity to practice grammar (kidding, kind of!).
8. What is your favorite color palette?
Instead of: Wow, that painting is really (insert color here)!
This is a quite impressive question to ask coming from a non-artist since you're using art language in the question. While it may seem obvious from a visual perspective that an artist favors a certain color, you may get an interesting response as to why an artist has their favorite colors. A lot of artists love to use a certain palette, or are extra inspired by certain colors, or have just begun using a few new shades! I have a few favorites in my arsenal that I use frequently, but I am always trying to explore new colors. This is also a great alternative to pointing out the usage of a certain color, since sometimes this can throw an artist off. I went to a demo once where the artist said she was called out by a group of students for using a lot of purple in her landscapes...she didn't really realize it and I think to this day wasn't sure if it was meant as a compliment or a put down (I say compliment, her works are breathtaking)! Point is, you never know!
9. What are your favorite scenes to paint?
Instead of: What is your favorite painting?
Surprisingly, it is considered a no-no for an artist to tell you what their favorite painting is. I know it sounds odd, and while an artist totally has a favorite piece or two, you are never allowed to know which ones they are. Why? Because to a working artist, it can lessen the quality of the other pieces to a buyer when in reality all the pieces are going to strike viewers in different ways for different reasons. Also, some pieces just flow, others have to be constantly worked at, etc. etc. So the process can make an artist love a painting more than others, which bears no reflection on the finished product. To ask what their favorite scenes are to paint gives great insight into an artists personality, style, and passions, and is just an awesome question!
10. What is your dream for your career?
Instead of: When's your next show?
There are a million paths an artist can take, and there are a lot of different reasons an artist paints. Some for love, some to pay the bills, some for both! It's neat to see where an artist would love to be in their career eventually, it gives a lot of perspective on the artist, too, and it's a really thoughtful, open ended question.
So, what kinds of questions do you love (or hate!) to answer in your job?! And for the artists out there...what did I miss?! Anything you love to answer (or cringe at)?!
7. Want to grab breakfast or a quick lunch sometime?
Instead of: We should hang out during the week!
Courtesy of The Oatmeal
I know that sounds counter intuitive to the last question, but all small business owners also need to see other humans. It's easy to hole up in the studio and not get out or see anyone all day. The Oatmeal has a great cartoon about the joys and downfalls of working at home, and I love the part above where work-from-home guy's English starts to fall apart (sadly this can be true!). While it's tough to get away for a long lunch, an early morning breakfast, or a quick lunch somewhere is great! It's a wonderful opportunity to practice grammar (kidding, kind of!).
8. What is your favorite color palette?
Instead of: Wow, that painting is really (insert color here)!
This is a quite impressive question to ask coming from a non-artist since you're using art language in the question. While it may seem obvious from a visual perspective that an artist favors a certain color, you may get an interesting response as to why an artist has their favorite colors. A lot of artists love to use a certain palette, or are extra inspired by certain colors, or have just begun using a few new shades! I have a few favorites in my arsenal that I use frequently, but I am always trying to explore new colors. This is also a great alternative to pointing out the usage of a certain color, since sometimes this can throw an artist off. I went to a demo once where the artist said she was called out by a group of students for using a lot of purple in her landscapes...she didn't really realize it and I think to this day wasn't sure if it was meant as a compliment or a put down (I say compliment, her works are breathtaking)! Point is, you never know!
9. What are your favorite scenes to paint?
Instead of: What is your favorite painting?
Surprisingly, it is considered a no-no for an artist to tell you what their favorite painting is. I know it sounds odd, and while an artist totally has a favorite piece or two, you are never allowed to know which ones they are. Why? Because to a working artist, it can lessen the quality of the other pieces to a buyer when in reality all the pieces are going to strike viewers in different ways for different reasons. Also, some pieces just flow, others have to be constantly worked at, etc. etc. So the process can make an artist love a painting more than others, which bears no reflection on the finished product. To ask what their favorite scenes are to paint gives great insight into an artists personality, style, and passions, and is just an awesome question!
10. What is your dream for your career?
Instead of: When's your next show?
There are a million paths an artist can take, and there are a lot of different reasons an artist paints. Some for love, some to pay the bills, some for both! It's neat to see where an artist would love to be in their career eventually, it gives a lot of perspective on the artist, too, and it's a really thoughtful, open ended question.
So, what kinds of questions do you love (or hate!) to answer in your job?! And for the artists out there...what did I miss?! Anything you love to answer (or cringe at)?!
2 comments:
This is great to know Meredith. I didn't realize it was such a no-no for an artist to say what their favorite is, but it totally makes sense. I have many, many questions I love or hate to hear. I'd say my favorite is, "tell me what I need to do to sell this house?" I like it when sellers are vested in the process and willing to take my advice (as you guys were). My least favorite question might be - "why are the sellers selling?" We often don't know, and will never find out and it shouldn't have any real bearing on the new buyer's decision. I might write my own blog post on this topic!
Love the feedback, Coral!!! Really interesting, especially about the "why are the sellers selling?" It seems like such a natural question, but it's not like you're ever going to get a real answer if it's for a bad reason. Ha! You're trying to sell a house here, not scare people away. And you're right, it shouldn't really matter anyway. Would love to read a post if you ever blog on this!!!!
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