Embracing challenges from your audience

I have written about being true to yourself as an artist and not allowing others to change your course, style, vision, or adhere to their concepts. With that being said, there are times when others like work you have done that you may have thought to be mundane. There may also be times when someone will ask or suggest a subject or scene. The featured image was one of those times.

My wife made a request for a photograph of a tree line. I thought about it and, at first, thought eh. I tried a variety of tree lines. Nothing really grabbed me. I didn’t stop looking but I still wasn’t “sold” on the idea.

In the winter of 2013, we had a big snowstorm and, at the time, I drove a 4-wheel drive truck. Since I was retired at the time I decided I would venture out and take some photographs. One of the places I visited was a conservation area and as such, it had lots of trees. I shot a whole wide variety of trees and treelines.

Then I saw the treeline below. Normally, it was a mundane open grassy field in the foreground. Fortunately for me, there had been enough snow few others had ventured out. There were no footprints or other distractions in the snow.

The photograph above was edited to convert to black and white as well as to remove some of the sticks and tall grass from the snow in the foreground. I would love to list exactly what I had done at the time, but I didn’t save the Photoshop working file and it has been long enough ago that I don’t recall my steps.

I showed the final photograph to my wife, who had requested the work. She immediately wanted a print made to hang. I ordered a 16×24 and got it professionally framed and matted. The photograph still hangs on the wall today.

This isn’t the only time I have had such a request. In 2011, I was contacted by a person who had seen a photograph of mine on my website. She wanted to buy a print to use as wall art. I was amazed that someone I didn’t know wanted to pay me for a photograph of mine.

The image above is the one that was requested and as you can see it is a piece of artwork that was on the lawn of the Nelson Atkins Art Museum. Since this was the work of another artist, I contacted the art museum and asked if I could sell my photograph of the piece. I was given permission from the museum to sell my photograph.

The lesson I have learned and continually remind myself of is that you can remain true to your vision as an artist while listening to your audience or others who are potentially your audience. I have also learned that sometimes the photographs and artwork I like may not always be what others like.

Do quality work. Display your work and you may find an audience or buyers of your art that you didn’t know existed. Following this mindset, I have sold a few works and most were pieces I wasn’t personally wowed by.