Pia shares Her Dark Half

As most of you know October is my month, especially for Her Dark Half. The days are eaten up by longer nights and “dark” things are more prevalent. I love spooky season and this is the time of year I’m most busy with all the fun horrific things. Coming fresh off of two back to back Halloween-related events, it didn’t take me long to find a topic for my latest newsletter because it hit me like a gut punch:

The art of letting go of your … art!

Selling prints is pretty easy, but selling original art - not so much. And not just for the reason you may think (mo’ money). No, I’m talking about parting with your creations, the works you poured your heart and soul into! 

I remember the first time I ever sold my art, many years ago. It was an acrylic painting and it wasn’t finished. The background literally still had zero color on it. A friend of mine wanted to buy it, the way it was. I protested, but my friend insisted. He asked me “How much?” I was dumbfounded. I had never charged anybody for my art and didn’t know how much to ask for…much less for an unfinished painting! I told him I had no idea and asked what he had in mind. He said $25. At that time, that was a ridiculously high amount of money (to me) for an unfinished painting! I sort of snorted and started wondering if he was messing with me. He produced the cash right then and there and was dead serious. “Ok then”, I said, “If it means that much to you!” And it did. Whatever he saw in that painting was worth it to him, if I agreed or not. (It was a great lesson about how your art it perceived and also that it has value!)

Anyhoo, that one was an “easy” sale because my art wasn’t even finished and I hadn’t had much emotional attachment to it yet.

Fast forward to last week:

I took a bunch of original art in the form of paintings and creepy dioramas to a new two-day horror convention in town. When I prepared for it and made my inventory list and figured out the pricing in the days leading up to it, I didn’t expect people to actually shell out the dough for my higher priced items. (Looking back now, I might have secretly hoped that they would’t sell, because I still felt quite attached to my some of my creations.)

At some point during the horror convention, a lady came to my table and seemed to be interested in one of my favorite paintings. One that actually hung on the wall in my home for a while. But then she hesitated and said “it makes me a bit sad”. I immediately responded that I wouldn’t want her to be sad because of my art, so directed her attention to my other paintings. Then other people came to peruse my wares and I noticed the lady still standing there, contemplating that one original painting. It was one of my higher priced items and I figured she’ll say thank you, smile and walk away. But she didn’t. She waited for me to finish a transaction with another buyer and then said “it doesn’t make me sad, it just reminds me how much we need to live for each day” and something about her children. She said she was drawn to it and it spoke to her. Her decision was made and she wanted to buy it. 

Whoa….and …Ooof!

I asked her if she was sure and she said she couldn’t let it go. She paid for it and I handed her my “baby”. I actually gulped. I did not expect this twinge of pain and sudden clump of emotions lurching inside me. We exchanged a few more words and then she left with a satisfied smile…and a piece of me. Never to be seen again. I consoled myself with the thought that if she was willing to part with her hard earned money, it must have really resonated with her and my painting will go to a good home. I wonder where she’ll hang it.

Then I reminded myself that this is also why most of us artists have digital files of our art and can still make prints. But an original….still… it’s something else. I just recently read an interesting article about how looking at original art is more stimulating to the brain than reproductions. Something to ponder for sure!

Ok, back to the emotional impact of letting go of your creations. How do you deal with it? I mean, I can’t hang on to all my art - I’m running out of room and my walls are already covered, just about every inch!

After some digging around I found some wisdom about letting your art leave the nest. Here are a few tips I can share with you:

Make sure to have your art scanned or photographed so you always have a digital file on hand if you ever want to make prints.

Letting go of your art doesn’t diminish your creativity or expression. Our capacity to create is infinite and that stays with us. 

Think of each (sale) transaction as both an end and a beginning: the conclusion of one creative cycle and the promise of the next.

Don’t store your art in the closet. Let your art live its own life - it deserves it. Picasso said: “A picture lives only by the one who looks at it.” I love this quote!

Realize you might have already gotten what you needed from the painting while you created it - maybe it was therapeutic and you needed to release something at the time, or you simply enjoyed the process. See it as a transfer of that energy. 

Remember that the new owner feels something every time they see your art. If they didn’t love what they felt at the time of purchase, they would’t have bought it in the first place.

It’s kind of satisfying to know that little pieces of you or your energy in the form of a physical piece of art are scattered around the country or even globe!

So, keep creating and spreading the joy!

I’ve always been the kind of artist that creates for myself first, not with the intend to sell. At some point though, I’m ready to sell most of my creations. There are some paintings, though, that I will never let go. They are too personal or I just love having them around and looking at them.

That’s my two cents for today. I hope this is helpful and hit home for you. Feel free to share with your artist/creative loved ones!

Time to figure out my Halloween costume. What are you doing on October 31st?

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Have a Happy Halloween!

Pia aka Her Dark Half aka Pia de los Muertos

🖤