Like Being Gently Stabbed in the Gut
Is this really still here? Why, yes, Virginia, it is.
My co-worker bought a print at the show with Amy. That was nice. It was also nice to see so many people enjoying the various Dust Bunnies. I even made a fussy little kid smile with one. That's pretty freakin' awesome.
However, I now know what Amy means when she talks about the depression of being praised. I had one girl go on for a full ten or fifteen minutes to myself and her family about how wonderful the Dust Bunnies were, how one of her friends desperately needed one, how she might need one for herself as well... She dissapated into squeals and giggles when I told her I had a whole "litter" of the Giant Dust Bunnies to choose from. She asked about prices and seemed to think they were fair.
And then she told me she didn't have the cash on her, and she might e-mail me about them. I felt like someone dropped a small meteorite on my chest. They're right here. You can pick and choose the perfect one, and have it right now. You don't have to pay shipping and handling or anything. There isn't the worry on either end that the customer or the artist won't come through. I offered to make a deal with her, to lower the price a little. She told me again how cute they were, and walked away, still telling her family how much he loved them.
How many times have I heard "That's so cute!", "So clever!", "So artistic!", only to have it followed up with the tired joke of "But I have enough of those under my bed". And I have to laugh along, nod, and say I understand. I want to say to them, "Yes, I'm glad you love them! It makes me incredibly happy to know that I'm making people smile! But it won't help me get food, gas, or art supplies! You've got too many Dust Bunnies, you say? Okay! Look! I have all this other stuff, too! Prints and paintings! 'Real Art', to you! ...But you can't make cute little jokes about why you won't buy them, so you pay them no notice..."
Yes, I know I'm whining. I know my situation is far from unique. That's why snarky button companies can mass produce those pins that say "I'm the artist currently known as Starving". I'm just stressing because of finals and lack of work and the stupid Holiday season.
On the upside, I've been reading Mark Twain quotes (for a speech). My current favorite:
"It is discouraging to try and penetrate a mind like yours. You ought to get it out and dance on it. That would take some of the rigidity out of it."
ALSO:
"Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot."
My co-worker bought a print at the show with Amy. That was nice. It was also nice to see so many people enjoying the various Dust Bunnies. I even made a fussy little kid smile with one. That's pretty freakin' awesome.
However, I now know what Amy means when she talks about the depression of being praised. I had one girl go on for a full ten or fifteen minutes to myself and her family about how wonderful the Dust Bunnies were, how one of her friends desperately needed one, how she might need one for herself as well... She dissapated into squeals and giggles when I told her I had a whole "litter" of the Giant Dust Bunnies to choose from. She asked about prices and seemed to think they were fair.
And then she told me she didn't have the cash on her, and she might e-mail me about them. I felt like someone dropped a small meteorite on my chest. They're right here. You can pick and choose the perfect one, and have it right now. You don't have to pay shipping and handling or anything. There isn't the worry on either end that the customer or the artist won't come through. I offered to make a deal with her, to lower the price a little. She told me again how cute they were, and walked away, still telling her family how much he loved them.
How many times have I heard "That's so cute!", "So clever!", "So artistic!", only to have it followed up with the tired joke of "But I have enough of those under my bed". And I have to laugh along, nod, and say I understand. I want to say to them, "Yes, I'm glad you love them! It makes me incredibly happy to know that I'm making people smile! But it won't help me get food, gas, or art supplies! You've got too many Dust Bunnies, you say? Okay! Look! I have all this other stuff, too! Prints and paintings! 'Real Art', to you! ...But you can't make cute little jokes about why you won't buy them, so you pay them no notice..."
Yes, I know I'm whining. I know my situation is far from unique. That's why snarky button companies can mass produce those pins that say "I'm the artist currently known as Starving". I'm just stressing because of finals and lack of work and the stupid Holiday season.
On the upside, I've been reading Mark Twain quotes (for a speech). My current favorite:
"It is discouraging to try and penetrate a mind like yours. You ought to get it out and dance on it. That would take some of the rigidity out of it."
ALSO:
"Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot."