Commissions, Requests, and Collaborations Part 3: Collaborations.
I sometimes think collaboration is one of the best if not the best way to to kick-start inspiration. I collaborated with fellow artists in school. and when I did, it produced work neither of us would ever have made. Combining your creative style with that of another artist is always eye-opening. Why? Other people see something different when they look at your work just as you see something completely new in theirs. I love collaboration in all my creative endeavors because another person's creative process pushes my creativity in new directions.
Artistic collaboration is assumed to be a collaboration between two artists; I have lived with this assumption most of my life. But in recent years as my artist friends gradually became more "facebook friends" than the people I spent every day with, collaboration in my artistic endeavors became less and less possible. "But," you say "we've been discussing selling unmade art to patrons; why are you talking about your loss of people to collaborate with? This is depressing."
Well... I have been fortunate in some of my patrons who came to me with "commissions." Their requests eventually started to feel more like collaboration than anything else.
And this has led me to a conclusion: the BEST "commissions" are really collaborations in disguise.
I have had two such "jobs" (for the lack of a better word). One came from my cousin, Emily, (who the more I write is seeming the perfect client.) The other commission was from a dear, widowed friend who moved into a new house to get a completely new outlook on life.
So, I will tell you my stories to illustrate this magnificent phenomenon.
The first time a "commission" slipped into a collaboration I had been helping my friend and her two boys sell just about everything she owned in preparation for moving, not only into a new house but into a new chapter of her life. As we wrapped up her last garage sale she turned to me and said, "I just sold all my china. I think I want my next set to be Deborah Lewitt originals."
I responded as any starving artist would, "Okay! Lets talk about what you want when we have more time." Through various subsequent meetings, we discussed what kinds of hand-made dishes she liked and what pieces she wanted. We settled on table settings for eight, plus a platter, serving bowl, butter dish, and maybe some other miscellaneous items. So I started thinking about the project and what I could bring to her aesthetic and needs.
After a few days she gave me a call and said, "I just found this beautiful set of dishes on sale at Wal-Mart and it would be amazing if you could make my dishes so that if I had more than eight people over for dinner I could mix and match." I cautiously told her I'd try but before I did anything I would have to see the dishes.
When I saw the dishes they fit right in with my ascetic and inspired me with new ideas for what I wanted to do for this commission. I threw out my thoughts on how to make her purple dishes and started planning an expansion on my "Enchanted Wood Cups."
I worked long and hard on that dinner set, and was very excited to finally get them to their new home. So when I had pulled them out of the kiln I called her up to ask if I could drop them by.
When I delivered the dishes later that day we put her new "fine china" in her china cupboard together and hugged, happily, and parted.
A few weeks latter my family and I were invited to their first dinner party at their new house, When we got there the table was set with both the leaf patterned Wal-Mart dishes and the Deborah Lewitt original Enchanted Wood set. They worked beautifully together. Both artist and patron were pleased. This collaboration started me down several explorations in both my Enchanted Wood work and the types and styles of dishes I would make in future.
My second story starts earlier this year. I received a call from my cousin, Emily. She wanted to give her friend two mugs; she had pictures of the mugs her friend liked that I had made. One she liked for the shape and the other she liked for the colors. I was still reeling from the last disaster that was my Wiggle-wire-mug commission (see part one) and was being cautious, but then my cousin continued, "We're having an "Alice in Wonderland tea party" to celebrate the birthday and I was wondering if you could make me a three spouted teapot to match the mugs." I thought for a minute and asked myself if I was inspired by this "commission." I loved the idea of switching up my work to move into a more whimsical aspect. I said yes, and started work. I sent photos
at various stages, keeping Emily in the loop, and just in case I was way off track with what I was doing. But she loved every picture and was as excited as I was.
The full commission is now in a box on its way to its new home. I have enjoyed my trip to Wonderland in my studio What a joy to discover all the whimsy that can be found there when I collaborate with Emily.
The best part about these "jobs" is not the satisfied customer (though I love having those), but the inspiration that flows from the requested work. Had it not been for my friend I would have never made an Enchanted Wood bowl let alone any kind of butter dish. and I am now looking forward to a time of play in my Ceramic work because once again Emily has pushed my inspirational comfort zone into new and wonderful places.
Working with another person is one of the most challenging and rewarding things we artists can do. Just ask Michelangelo about the Sistine Chapel. But you must be careful who you work with because working "for" someone can suck the artistic joy right out of you, yet it is worth the risk (and those risks can be limited) because if you take requests rather than commissions you will always have a satisfied customer and sometimes if you're lucky, it won't just be a "request" it will be a "collaboration."
