Does a bad encounter with an artist affect your purchase?
- Posted: April 10, 2012 @ 7:58PM
- Category: Open Conversation
Months ago, when I first got into art vinyl, I wrote a little missive on my "shopping" experiences on a popular toy forum. I was new to the scene, and, understandably, the OG's at the forum took umbrage with my bravado about shopping around for the best deal (lots of talk about being pro-flipper/anti-community...I'm sure, if you have an account here, you can imagine the scenario). I tried hard to keep it civil, but one particular OG was an artist/customizer and was very insulting and got fairly personal.
Fast forward to today, hundreds of toy purchases later, and, although I'm fan of this artist's work, I've avoided buying anything from him. Something about his disdain for me when I was but a n00b left a bitter taste in my mouth that I've been unable to remove.
How about you, trampters? Would a rough exchange with an artist, in person or through the anonymity of the net, affect your willingness to buy their art? Or can you seperate the two things?
Conversation Stats
- 100% Approval
- 6 Upvotes
- 0 Downvotes
- 855 Views
- 39 All Ups
- 0 All Downs
- 10 Members
- 9 Replies
- 11 Comments
Portfolios Mentioned
- Artist
- Series
Add Your Reply
You are not currently signed in. Sign in now.
Once signed in, Trampt users can vote, comment and post replies if they have unlocked the required badges by earning reputation points. As a member of Trampt, you can also manage your collection, help us maintain the library, earn reputation & badges, and more.
Joining is free and you can do it now in minutes!
9 Replies
To some degree, I think one needs to separate the artist from the art. From time to time I hear rumor about an actor or musician I love, and how they are really not kind or likeable in their personal lives. I try not to let that bug me when I appreciate their work.
That said, the world of art as it applies to Trampt, especially commissions or toy customizations is a highly personal thing. One of the biggest benefits of owning a custom is that connection you get to enjoy with the artist. For that reason, I would agree that it is very difficult to look beyond a tarnished relationship and simply appreciate the art.
about 12 years ago · Comment ·
I know of another collector who has sold off large parts of his collection after a bad encounter with an artist, personally I think it would make me more hesitant but if the piece was strong enough I would probably cope, I have been fortunate in dealing with only super nice people, Sucklord & Abe Lincoln Jr. are 2 prime examples of people I have dealt with who have been super rad, helping me to get stuff to my part of the world & always a nice interaction
about 12 years ago · Comment ·
keegan a I really like artists, like Sucklord, who realize you're a passionate collector and go out of their way to help you get pieces you want. about 12 years ago
Mister-Quiche m Absolutely, he has been great in helping me get stuff which has only officially had localized releases about 12 years ago
I don't know that I'd write off someone for being a jerk... I will write off an artist if they give me a very subpar product. This has only happened once and since the product was so bad that I had to have another artist completely redo it, I asked for my money back and left it at that. No need to mention the artist to anyone publicly. I simply decided that I wouldn't ever buy anything of theirs again.
about 12 years ago · Comment ·
Easily_Amused @masao626 That sucks! It's also a good conversation for "What is the Biggest Mistake You've Made Learning to Customize Toys?" The thread has become a collectors perspective and an artist perspective thing. I hope you never have trouble like that again. about 12 years ago
Easily_Amused @crazylikeafox11 Thats why I try to ask about the process used in the creation of their piece to avoid any misunderstandings. Its sad when you can do it better than the "professional." I have a rule with restaurants that probably translates here, "If I can cook it better, I don't go out to eat it." about 12 years ago
I'm about as loyal as they come in collecting but, for me, it begins and ends with the art. Usually the pieces speak first and I do what I can to add them to my collection. If the artist ends up being a twerp, I'll typically keep what I have and simply never add anything new.
However, with the advent of message boards and blogs, there have been times where I've encountered an artist's attitude/philosophies/general treatment of fans before the work itself and I've opted to never support them with my hard earned dollars.
A note: Fans and collectors are often nuttier and more demanding than an artist with even the most defunct social skills, so I tend to weigh the environment a bit more than the artist's response. It's hard to put yourself out there in the midst of a legion of foaming, frothing people and not lose your cool every now and then.
All in all though, I've found that the majority of the artists I've been fortunate enough to collect from, interact with and get to know have been incredibly humble, thankful people who make it a pleasure to support!
*edited for spelling. i'm awesome.
about 12 years ago · Comment ·
Well for me it's dependant on how bad the experience was and how much you like the artists work. If i like an artists work enough i'd look beyond it but if their work was 'meh' I would see it as a chance to narrow my collection ;)
about 12 years ago · Comment ·
i can definitely see where you're coming from. i'm sure that if an artist was a jerk to me, i could see myself just sort of stoping my support of them - of course it depends on the situation.
that being said, there are plenty of musical artists who i really enjoy that are either confirmed or suspected d-bags (to use a technical term) but i still buy the music. so who knows. i guess at a certain point, it's hard to avoid problematic people.
about 12 years ago · Comment ·
I edited the title a bit to make it more appropriate to the actual question, hope you don't mind. :)
As for an answer, thankfully I have had nothing but good experiences with every artists I've dealt with directly. That being said I've seen many collector/artist arguments, and artist/artist arguments that while not directed at me would definitely make me hesitate working with them in the future. I'm sure you're not the only one who has run into this.
about 12 years ago · Comment ·
I'm Sorry to hear about your unfortunate encounter. So far I have been lucky not to have had a similar experience. For me my purchases extend from the impact of the image, then the ideas behind the image, then how the artists body of work fits with my collection (if it is a one off for him I might not get it because I prefer getting multiple pieces by the same artist), and then I take personal considerations into account. After all this I try to keep the opportunity cost of purchasing any single piece in my mind (what I'm could do with the money instead). If everything ballances I buy. Of course, I've also been struck with the fever the minute I see something and have to have.
Theoretically, if I find I don't like an artist personally I probably woouldn't sell the pieces I already have, but definitely wouldn't support them any longer (Unless his work is just that good). There are just too many great artists out there and more pieces available than I care to think of to get hung up on a d-bag.
about 12 years ago · Comment ·
If you absolutely love an artist, buy all thier work, go to shows and then finally meet them and turns out they are complete dicks. Then hell yeah its going to affect things.....more then likey I would never buy anything from them again. I love Obey and Shep is a huge influence...met him at his show in Cincinnati and he was a very cool dude. I would have been pissed if he was a jerk.
about 12 years ago · Comment ·
Promote your new release, event & more to 29,000+ people each month.
Unlimited impressions starting at a rate of .38¢ per 1,000.
crazylikeafox11 m And on the flip side, if an artist is really cool, personally if I like their work anyways, I'm more likely to really seek out something from them. A little kindness goes a long way, even if it's just joking around on twitter or responding, even briefly, to a kind message about their work. about 12 years ago