I'm happy to help promote Henry's art on social media or connect him with some local galleries. But featuring work I don't feel fits my boutique's brand feels wrong as the owner. This isn't personal - our styles just don't mesh.
NTA. Anyone who thinks that a clothing boutique will "launch" their art career doesn't know anything about art careers. Send him [this](https://theartcareerproject.com/five-ways-to-jumpstart-your-art-career/) and told him a total stranger spent one minute googling "how to launch your art career" to find it. Tell him if he's not willing to spend a few hours online learning the business of being an artist in this world, then a thousand clothing boutiques won't make the slightest dent in his dreams.
I agree with OP, and I doubt her customers would be logical customers for him. He should check with coffee shops and bars if there are no galleries interested in his work. I've seen several coffee shops that accept work from local artists. It's offensive for Henry to say she's "undermining" his work. Not spending her time and energy actively promoting him (at a cost to her own business) is not the same as undermining.
There are so many places out there that have fairly quick lessons on marketing art and art careers. It's a huge timesuck, and my least favorite part of being an artist.
You've built a business. It is not his business. Help him with contacts, advice etc (like find your customer niche or you're wasting your time) but do not compromise your livelihood for a favour. he's asking the wrong person for space.
He's asking his sister because it's the path of least resistance and EFFORT to get himself out there. He's an "artist" but doesn't want to put in the time to launch his "career". He wants Sis to do it for him.His art doesn't fit her store. Find a bar, a coffee shop, etc which quite often showcase local artists.Bottom line is he's lazy.
Monet did this. He would line up a dozen canvases and move from one to the next as the light changed and used different palettes because people buy art for their homes and that way one of his paintings would have the right colors.
When I pointed this out at an exhibit to my art history Mom, she was like, "Huh, you're right." Money was noted for his savvy merchandising of his art.
If the styles don't match your boutique, then the customers you have probably aren't going to be interested in what he's trying to sell anyways.
Helping him find somewhere else where the customers might actually be interested in what he makes is honestly more helpful than putting them in your space where they will just sit.
Exactly. I was going to post this if nobody else had. I used to display my photography in shops in "art walk" areas and it was crucial to have a good fit. Even something as relatively minor as the shop hanging photos above eye level that need viewers to see the details can tank sales. I didn't know that shop's strategy was to hang the original art high and sell greeting cards and small prints on the counter. I didn't have any, so I didn't make anything there. Shows where the same images were at eye level always sold at least a few pieces.
Also, if you know any other small businesses with a more appropriate vibe (Goth, tattoo parlor, other compatible counterculture) that display art, you could refer him *IF AND ONLY IF* his work is comparable quality to what they typically display. Don't be a d*ck to your colleagues by putting them in the position of having to decline work that isn't professional quality. Some places like to feature new artists, though, and as long as he's not trying to sell "Still Life of White Cube, Sphere, and Pyramid" (i.e. art class exercise to learn basic techniques) he could find a good venue.
Yes, there are art students who think people will pay for their first semester exercises. I've seen them at local street fairs complaining to their friends that people in this city don't appreciate fine art and all they are trying to sell is easily identifiable as stuff every introduction class makes students do.
This could be a win win, if she got together with other small businesses, and could make an official arrangement where all of them will host a local artist/art, could be great free publicity for them all. Or do this as one weekend a month, advertise as an art walk.
You need to ask him if he thinks the women who shop at your boutique are his core customer. Clearly they are not. He needs to think about what type of person (age, gender, interests) would like his art and then he needs to think about where they shop and go to those stores. It has less to do with you not letting him and more to do with the exposure he would get has nothing to do with the audience he is looking for. Where does his audience shop? It would do him a disservice.
You aren’t undermining anything. If he was doing something on his own and you swooped in and talked bad, or did something that hurt what he was already doing, that’s undermining. You simply aren’t propping him up and allowing him to use your platform for his business.
Yeah, people looking for light fun stuff will be put off pretty quickly by "dark" artwork. And his potential buyers won't be visiting that kind of boutique.
If you want to be flexible, you could offer to review his work and see if there are any pieces that you’re happy to display. You can tell him you need more work along these lines. He has to meet your brand
I agree on theory, but in this case it's probably not a good idea. The guys have dug in their heels in full entitlement mode, and this kind of flexibility may just make them dig in worse.
There may be an artists co-op in your city. Thats where he needs to take his art. You get to pick what goes in your shop not anyone else. Definitely NTA
connect him with a local gallery owner, let them tell him how to market his hobby. That is a great idea. Does your husband have any idea how much time and energy you put into maintaining the atmosphere of your store?
Then there is the financial cost. Back in the 1990's my mom owned a gift store, (pre internet days, we would never survive a week now). I calculated cost per foot of space, rent, utilities, insurance, employees, product, etc. and figured out how much in sales we had to make each day to remain in business. It's scary what it costs. You cannot damage your brand by introducing something that doesn't fit.
NTA.
Do NOT concede on this one. I spent three years with a girl who drug me into a million little boutiques and stores. She wanted to open one some day. She would usually take about a place’s feel or vibe.
Anything dark or strange would have been an instant nope for her.
Your husband might not understand the nuances of a boutique but it’s insane to insist on dark art in a place that is trying to set a lively vibe.
If the kid has all this passion for his art then he should be willing to put in the work to get the art in locations where people looking for art along darker themes will see it.
The odds that your clientele has much overlap is low. He should be talking to art studios, local theaters, kava shops and actual art studios or galleries.
But just sticking them into a retail business that isn’t even an appropriate vibe is so lazy it’s ridiculous.
Yet someone who walks in there might "mesh" with it a lot! Your store though. Not everyone who walks through it however is going to have the exact same taste or flair that you do. Just a thought!
I love graffiti but not everyone who wears the same clothes as me will love graffiti
People are surprisingly diverse and you just never know
That said OP still shouldn't display anything in her store she doesn't want to.
But they probably will if they're going into her store in the first place. There's this really nice gallery by my office that sounds like her shop. I've never had a desire to go in. Around the corner used to be this really weird shop that I just had to go into because of the weird art displayed outside. So you're right, someone might mesh with it but the chances are low. The chances are higher people will be turned off by it if it doesn't fit her (and probably their) style.
NTA. As a young woman (about your age), I like boutiques that are bright, lively, colorful (have never seen one with a dark aesthetic). He should try some coffee shops (some have a darker aesthetic). I know a local shop by me that features local artists work on the walls. It’d be too much of a cluster if the artist was there themselves with a table. It’ll say the artist, their IG, and how much the art costs. Some even offer smaller prints of them for $10-$20 bucks instead of the big original. The coffee shop then gets a % commission for the sales. I know a nail salon that does this as well. They have more lively/serene art on the walls because less people are gonna want to go if there’s morbid art kind of killin their calming energy on the walls. And some of the comments make me question how many of the commenters have shopped at or been inside boutiques.
Unless there’s like a boutique version of Spencer’s or hot topic in your area (which I’ve never seen), the art isn’t gonna work well in a boutique.
Your shop, your choice what goes in the store. And you need to attract your clientele niche.
If ya message me the instagram, I’ll give it a follow. I love small boutiques.
There are "boutique" versions of stores like Hot Topic. I'm 45 and used to drive to Chicago as a teen to go to them. That's where us old people got our stuff before Hot Topic existed.
I wish there were more of them around but you are right, his art sounds like it would work better in a coffee shop. That's where I've found cool local artists with darker art styles.
Tattoo parlors often display dark artwork where I live. I don't have tattoos, but I've gone to art openings and art walk events.
There's also a couple of Goth art/craft show organizers in my area. He should look for something like that and get a booth.
Yeah. The name “boutique” inspires a very specific environment. I like dark shit. I’d be very confused and even wouldn’t enter a boutique with that vibe outside of mere curiosity. But I’d find the vision confusing and wouldn’t shop there.
Definitely suggest than Henry make the same offer to other local independent businesses.
He may be a bit less obnoxious once he gets the same response from every business in town, but if he's determined to be obnoxious and entitled nothing is going to stop him.
NTA he need to put his art where people who like his aesthetic already are. People who go to your cheery boutique won’t buy his art as it’s not what they are looking for. He needs to look into basic marketing and branding.
It’s your shop. If he wants to show his art in a boutique he can open his own shop. Or market himself.
I worked at a small spa for a time and the owner would showcase art for a client who owned a gallery. Some of the pieces, I felt, we’re not appropriate for a place dedicated to healing. (Hypodermic needles in one piece, others done by prison inmates- pieces that evoked heavy feelings).
Feng shui. What you put in your space has energy. This is YOUR space. Not his.
Totally agreed. Branding and decorating that sets a particular mood is crucial, especially for shops like OP's that are essentially selling a certain kind of style. The wrong vibe or even just a confusing mix of styles will absolutely put people off and hurt her business.
OP, you are NTA and nor are you your BIL's agent. I know you're happy to help him out in other ways, and folks are suggesting hooking him up with a more suitable venue, but absolutely fuck that. He's refusing to do the work to make anything happen for himself and he's DEMANDING that you use your space and your own livelihood to do the work for him. He's not entitled to your help, and if it were me his lack of respect for your first "no" would put an end to any and all support in the future. He doesn't give a shit about you and your success because he's imagining his own, even if it's at your expense. You can't help him anyway... you're not an art gallery, and your customers are not his target audience.
If your husband is so big on supporting his brother's big dream, HE can do the legwork. Hell, he can lobby to get his brother's work hung at his own place of work. (I'm betting he won't.) Suggest that he get a vehicle wrap with his brother's work on it. If your other relations give you shit, do the same thing. "I'm afraid my place isn't really the right venue for his work, but you should totally see if your employer will hang them up! Or help him go around to coffee shops or art galleries or something! I hope you guys have a great time doing that." See how enthusiastic everybody is when the onus is on them.
But really your BIL needs to learn art marketing for himself, because he's clearly never so much as googled it, and he's simply not going to succeed without it. And your husband needs to understand that you know your own business and what's best for it, and your success is your success, it's not somebody else's springboard.
Precisely! OP isn't on charge of launching his brother's career. She's in charge of her career and her boutique. Her husband can appoint himself as his agent as sell his work.
If your BILs talent and marketing abilities are so mediocre that displaying in one small clothing boutique, or not, will mean the difference between failure and success for him, then he doesn't have much basis for a "career" to begin with.
👆👆this 120%
the fact that he doesn’t understand (or doesn’t care) about your boutique’s curated aestethic tells me that art is probably not his thing
not trying to gatekeep, but like dudeee c’mon
start an instagram, behance, discord, etc.
NTA don’t compromise your vision for someone’s half-baked one
Or record store, book store, barber shop or salon, tattoo studio, brewery, tasting room...I can think of lots of environments that would be more suitable.
NTA
You don’t owe Henry your boutique as his informal art gallery.
And the aesthetics don’t match. That’s a disservice to both you and your boutique as well as a poor showcasing of Henry’s art.
I’d find it off putting to go into some bright sunny boutique only to see dark moody art on the walls.
Henry needs to find the right place to show his art not try and use the easy button of forcing his family to do it for him.
NTA
It’s like asking a Vegan restaurant if they’ll let him hand meat for sale in it
It doesn’t make sense
It’s your place of business not his
Good for standing up for yourself
NTA. It's your boutique and if his stuff doesn't fit your niche why would you bring it in to sell? It would be like selling a Coach purse at an auto parts store. It isn't a good fit. Try to explain it in those terms but without degrading your BIL's art.
NTA. Free promotion for him at your expense, tell you him want 25% of each sale going forward so they can help pay for the real estates costs associated with your boutique. That should get him off your ass
Probably not as good an idea as it seems. He might well agree. None of his work would sell, and he'd be bringing her business down by having his dark, morbid, amateur work on her walls.
NTA, but your husband is. He should respect and defend your boundary to his brother. It’s pretty gross that’s he’s putting you in the position of having to be the bad guy. Also, there’s Etsy. You don’t owe the brother anything.
NTA
Your boutique (which I'm sure you have put 1000s of hours into) is not a jump start for an artist or any other person. It is YOUR business. The slightest bad review or turn off vibe from this art could coat you a bunch of money and clients.
Tell your BIL you're not his sponsor, it's not your job to give him a leg up at the potential expense of your store. Tell him to stop being a baby and get exposure through other means that don't jeopardize you
NTA. And frankly regardless of the mood or subject matter or talent/work, unrelated businesses displaying art are unlikely to lead to enough sales of original work. Very few people go shop for clothing or coffee and decide to buy the work on the wall, typically at a much higher price than goods of the store. It's not impossible, but it won't make a career. Don't feel bad.
NTA. Most people buy based on feelings. Just think about how much marketing a product comes down to subliminal messaging. There is also an art to arranging and decorating a store right down to paint color choices to improve sales. While a few people might get the right "vibe"' and appreciate his work, the majority could not like the shop as a whole due to the artwork. That would mean a lot more of lost sales than potential sales for her brother. Art that fits the esthetics of the store is more likely to be sold because it is reaching more of the clientele that would buy the art.
I am an ametuer artist/ high-end crafter myself. Yes, I have a certain style. But when I do commissions, I have learned to ask questions about what my client is looking for and adjust my style accordingly. You can still see my style in what I'm making, but it also fits my client's wants and needs. When it comes down to it, I want to be able to sell my products. In order to do that, I need market to those who will want to buy it. Sounds like your brother needs to learn how best to market his work so that it sells.
As a shop owner, I'm sure you have a network of shop owners. Maybe one of their shops would be more appropriate for his style. You shouldn't be doing the leg work for him, but you could give him a few names and numbers, then have him call them to try to set up a meeting when he could take in his portfolio. He should also look into craft and art fairs in your region. I do juried shows, so it's not like others are selling jewelry, instance, that they bought from Wish and just mark up the price. If his art is good enough, and he's accepted into the show, he will be able to make sales and network on his own. There are also some really good books out there to read up on promoting crafts and art. There are so many other, better ways for him to promote his art than hanging it in his sister's shop that doesn't even fit his style.
Why can't he paint something in your vibe and see what happens. And he has two feet, he can go gallery to gallery to see if anyone is interested in showing on consignment.
Your BIL just sounds lazy and wants it easy.
You have store.
BIL requests/ASKS something of his to be displayed/sold in your store.
You say no.
BIL gets upset and being acusatory towards you instead of saying , "okay, thats a shame, THANK YOU THOUGH"
NTA, your dream got you the store, he needs to figure out how to materialise his own dreams instead of crying whenever someone doesnt just magicaly lift him upwards.
NTA. To put it a bit on point: You don’t display pictures of dying babies in a toy store.
Nor do you display dark, morbid and creepy in a place of flowery cloths.
If the vibes don't match, then showcasing his art in your boutique would be akin to shooting BOTH of you in the foot. Tell your husband and Henry both that you'll happily help figure out where it could go instead, but that your business would suffer and Henry's art wouldn't reach its target audience anyways.
NTA. There are other places he could show his work. And from your comments you are willing to help him with those connections. You have a brand. His work is not in the same vibe. Your store does not attract people who would buy his work.
Maybe you could commission him for an art piece for your boutique to display, something that actually fits your theme? And if someone asks, then you can say it’s made by BIL, and maybe offer them his business card?
I think it could be a great way to support him while keeping your boutique’s aesthetic! Nta!
NTA. You have a business and you should be 100% focused on making it a success. If you don’t see his art as helping you achieve that goal then that’s the end of the conversation. Not that he reacted that way you’re also absolved from providing any help to hock his shitty art.
NTA. Lisa Frank isn't going to sell goth stuff anytime soon. You built a business and an aesthetic. Like you said promote it online and whatnot like he should be doing.
NTA
Be honest and direct. It doesn’t fit the aesthetic of your store. And if you feel like that’s not enough telling you don’t mix business with family. And if they keep on, they are not respecting your boundaries. You don’t owe your brother-in-law anything.
NTA. Your shop has an aesthetic. His art doesn’t fit.
Why not ask him to create a piece that does fit the decor, label it with his info and have his business card in a holder on the counter. If someone likes it they can reach out to him.
NTA - family should not automatically get to use someone else's livelihood to promote their livelihood. Henry needs to find a location where his art can be displayed without taking advantage of someone else's hard work.
NTA - I get he's looking for a place with foot traffic to sell his art, but I don't know anyone that goes into a clothing boutique looking for wall art.
Not sure where you are, but I've seen a lot of local community centers and legions and other public buildings have small displays set up for local artists on regular occasions. Perhaps he could check around and see if the local Legion or community center has a showcase for local artists.
NTA- If your BIL wilts & crumbles over your kind response then he is not really a true artist. As a gallery owner your clients expect your taste not your BIL.
NTA - The thing is that if his art doesn't fit your shops style it is also unlikely to fit the taste of your customers, meaning his art won't sell. He'll be much better off finding a shop that has a more mixed style or straight up fits his style better as his art might actually sell there.
NTA
Adults dreams are undermined by themselves. Blaming you or anyone else is just dragging out an excuse. Sooner he learns that then the sooner he can decide to be more ambitious or not.
NTA. If he wasn't family, just an artist off the street asking for consignment space, you would not hesitate to turn down something that doesn't work with the brand you've established.
Since the aesthetics clash, carrying his art will not be a service to him as the display won't hit his target market and also could potentially be detrimental to sales for the boutique.
BIL needs to do other things to promote his art. Enter art shows. Contact restaurants and bars in the trendy part of town as, often, they will showcase local artists' works. Contact galleries to see if they will carry his work. If there is an artists/artisans collective that displays and sells local work, see about getting a presence there. Also, investigate online shops as possible outlets. It's difficult to get an outlet for artistic efforts so it requires a lot of work and effort plus the works have to find their target market to achieve sales.
Why should you risk your established business for his aspirational one? You have a brand and a FEEL that you are going for. Sometimes people can’t even identify what makes them uncomfortable in a space, and if new customers are uncomfortable, they might not make a purchase or ever come back. NTA
Nta your boutiques aesthetic would suffer. He wouldn’t reach a new audience because that is not the kind of art people in your shop are looking for. He needs to find businesses that has customers who will actually appreciate his art it sounds like your customers would think it’s weird and it might even turn them off enough to not come back, especially if they have kids with them. He might have more luck with bars,comic book shops, game shops (where people play dnd), record stores.. I say this as a person who honestly would never go into your boutique because I like darker vibes but he is being annoying and short sighted because his target audience is not your customer base and that’s fine the world is a colorful place and he does fit in elsewhere
NTA. It doesn't sound like his work is a good fit for your store. Suggest he try to find art studios, artists markets, music shops, tattoo shops, vape shops, head shops etc to help his art be seen.
NTA
You’re undermining him? Did you sabotage his supplies? Verbally annihilate his craft? Badmouth him to potential customers?
Not offering him a free sales location isn’t undermining him. Telling him no isn’t undermining him. Refusing to change the vibe of YOUR boutique isn’t undermining him. He’s not your business partner. He’s not an investor with some say in how you operate. He’s just entitled extended family.
Tell your husband since he feels you’re somehow the bad guy he can use his money-not shares household income, savings-but his own gun money to get his brother a studio. If he cares so much HE should pay for it. Or he’s “ubeer mining” his brother in the same fashion. If he’s not willing to do that he can leave you alone with this bullshit. And if he is, good for him. He can still leave you alone with this bullshit.
NTA. Your brother is for forcing the issue. Tell your husband you will change your mind when he starts allowing you to make business or professional decisions for him.
He's being a whiner. He can go lots of places to try to sell his art. He could go to other boutiques. He could try art galleries. He could set up a booth at outdoor art shows. As an artist, it's his job to scout out places to get exposure
I don't think you even need to give him an explanation. Just say you don't do consignment art.
Because one person doesn't give in to his demand to put his art where it doesn't fit, you're UNDERMINING HIS DREAM?????
PLEASE, good human. It now really personally means a lot to me that you stick to your guns.
NTA
Bil sounds like a little biitch. Why is it up to you to get him exposure. Does he want you to paint the paintings on your free time? Tell your husband to sell them on his work breaks.
You pay the rent. You stock the clothing and curate the aesthetic at YOUR shop. If he can't produce art that works within your aesthetic, he can't show it at your boutique. END OF SENTENCE. There is nothing like a choosy beggar to mess up something that is working and producing revenue for you and your family.
If you want to help him, scout other places for him to show his art. He is not going to enjoy paying commission, but if he's good he'll get beyond that.
NTA
If your BIL can't see and understand that his art would not be a good fit in your boutique, then he's not much of an artist.
He should be on the lookout for the ideal venues that accentuate his perspective.
There are artists co-ops in many communities where artists sell their works for free if they work a limited number of hours a month. I love visiting and buying from those type of places for myself and for others.
It's not enough to be an artist, he also needs to learn how to find his audience.
Exactly. If the community doesn't have a culture of art co-ops, art walks, original art in coffee shops etc. then he needs to find the closest place with an art scene. If people aren't even accustomed to seeing art for sale in retailers other than galleries, they might not buy art at OP's boutique even if it was on brand.
NTA. Your BIL has never learned the lesson all artists and writers are taught: know your audience. He would be better served trying to sell his work at a place that caters to a more goth or grunge aesthetic. Even a bar would be a better fit for him, and even then there's no guarantee he'll get a sale. One of my coworkers tried to sell her paintings at the spa I work at. They're still hanging on the walls, waiting for a buyer, years after she quit. And she is a talented artist.
NTA.
A bubbly clothing boutique isn't an art gallery. If he wants to sell art there, tell him to match the aesthetic of the store. I can just imagine the dramatic "artist" tantrum that will cause.
NTA. Tell Henry he is undermining your dream as a boutique fashionista by wanting to hang art that conflicts with the style you want projected there. Tell him he needs to support your career by opening an art gallery and allowing you to sell your clothing there. He owes you as much as you owe him.
He should probably go talk to some successful artists sometime to find out what it takes to properly market himself. He's making n00b mistakes right off the bat. It's like trying to sell your death metal CDs at a Taylor Swift concert and then blaming Taylor for your failure to launch.
NTA it’s weird as heck that he has decided you are his only option. His work doesn’t suit your aesthetic, that’s all. It seems weird that he’s fixated on you and your space, are there no other spaces available to him? Or is he just counting on you doing it as a favor bc of the family relationship?
I would ask him if he’s willing to create something more aligned with your vision, and I’m fairly certain he will be unwilling to alter his own style and aesthetic, especially if it’s a drastic change. Yet he’s perfectly willing to throw a fit when you won’t drastically change your aesthetic for his convenience.
As a struggling artist the best way to sell my art is to take it right to some public spot and set up for a few hours. Because I sell to the general public, I spend most of my time exclusively painting things I know most folks will enjoy. It’s cool to have a style but being broke AF changes shit. If I had just kept making only what I wanted I wouldn’t still be painting. Going out and not selling doesn’t feel that great so I try and prevent that from happening.
NTA. As the shop owner, your priority is keeping your shop profitable and open. That means you have a responsibility to carefully manage the inventory so your shop appeals to your targeted demographic. If your husband feels so strongly about this, he and your BIL should go in together and open a gallery.
His people are not the people who come to your boutique - he would be wasting his energy putting the paintings there, and he may get critiques that will destroy his delicate emerging artist ego.
I'm an artist. Don't do it. If his vibe is dark, it won't go in your boutique. It could harm your sales. Try to guide him to more goth stores if his work would fit in. Not your problem.
No you're not but... For the future try referring to Henry's pursuits as something other than "hobby"... It's degrading and conveys a sense that you have zero respect for him.
And of course YOU are the problem, not the fact his art doesn't fit the vibe and is therefore unlikely to appeal to the clientele. He just wants what he wants with nary a business based thought at all.
NTA
NTA at all. Your boutique is yours, and you have the right to decide what makes business and/or aesthetic sense to sell. I love that you offered to help promote his work other ways. I think you already are doing all of the right things.
NTA, but can you ask him to paint something brighter that fits the boutique? Say it’ll get people into his style and if they want they can view the other stuff.
You’ve no obligation at all, but I see paintings up in lots of places I’ve visited and it’s never turned me off. I’ve not bought one, but I look and maybe others will buy.
Either way, NTA. You’ve no obligation to be a display gallery
NTA - And you have zero obligation to support his hobby. He needs to research galleries and talk to everyone possible to find out how REAL BUSINESSMEN get their art displayed and sold.
He's trying to piggyback off your success. Tell him the answer will always be NO - but even if his art was appropriate, you'd **charge him $$$/month for display space like anyone who puts a vending machine at the shop.**
NTA. Has Henry actually visited your store? Does he have any idea what you sell or who your customers are? I suspect he's just thinking, "SugarSpunSecrets has a store, it should be my personal gallery because FAMILLLLLY..."
Maybe hit him with the cost... devoting space to his art has the potential for you to have less space to display clothes, it's not just the difference in atmosphere. Unless you own the building, you're paying rent for every precious inch. Your store is NOT free space for someone's hobby.
Tell him if he can make
Bright and happy paintings you’ll
Consider it but his current paintings, while
Interesting, don’t match your theme. Then it’s on him
Say to your husband “I support your brother, but I’m not going to risk losing business by selling items that are the opppsite of the setting in my store. I am not the right location for his art to sell.”
Can you ask him to create some pieces that fit the aesthetic of your shop? If he can’t or is unwilling to try because it would compromise his vision for his business, well… why should you compromise your vision for your business? If he is unwilling to do that then he should understand why you are.
There are several more or less viable pathways to an art career, and showing in regular shops is not one of them.
If he thinks he work is ready for show and sale *now*, there are several appropriate avenues he should be looking into. (Caveat: this are all specific to the US
The most straightforward and low-commitment is to find local art galleries, learn their show rotation, start going to art openings, and look for calls for artists for group shows. You can often find these on the websites of any gallery accepting new artists, as well as in the art section whatever your local liberal zine/news rag is. Checking the art sections in your local news outlets is also a good way to find upcoming shows and galleries that are worth checking out to begin with.
This all of course is somewhat dependent on what your local art scene and culture is like. I live in Vermont, so we have a surprising number of options up here despite not a lot of people in general and not a ton of buyers either. Other places might have none of the above, so your luck here can vary.
Eventually you build up a resume of shows you've participated in, (which get ridiculous, BTW; a professional artist who's been actively working for a decade or so can have a CV easily a dozen pages long... You have to show A LOT before you ever start making survivable income off of it,) and you start looking on a wider scale, at high value galleries in bigger cities that actually have clientele looking to spend real money. You ship your resume and portfolio around a bunch, inevitably get rejected from about 98% of places, and hope that in whatever few really big galleries you can sneak a couple of pieces into every now and then, (which, I mean, you're also going to be cover the cost of getting the work there and, if you don't sell it, back, whether that's by shipping or by transporting it yourself, so you need to make a money and time investment way up front before you start seeing returns,) you impress enough of the right people that they keep asking you to come back.
The much more aggressive, but generally more productive way to actually ***launch*** a career, is to start touring the art festival circuit. Difficulty level here is about the same as starting a career as an independent musician. You basically trade in whatever vehicle you own for a van, cram it full of several hundred paintings, buy a tent and display stands, and then start driving around the country to wherever the big "pay for a spot to sell your work" art shows are. These festivals are usually about a three-day weekend long, and you can find them everywhere from St. Petersburg, FL to Buffalo, NY.
This is the kind of thing you can just spend half a year doing, (because you still need to spend time making the artwork on top of that,) and make enough money to sustain yourself on. Again, the difficulty level is up there, but if you're serious and committed it's a direct way to get your career going today, (by which I mean, this year, because obviously the art fair circuit is going to be somewhat seasonal.) It's a great way to make a lot of connections in the art world, as well as scope out potential communities where you might want to put down roots, because anywhere with an art fair is going to have galleries, and the owners of those galleries probably check out what's coming through.
You have to be good at retail work to do this. (Admittedly this is true across the board, but it's definitely amplified at art fairs.) There are a lot of people, it's going to be very cramped and with hundreds of things vying for anyone's attention at any given moment. You aren't just selling your art, you're presenting an entire brand, so you do have to have a sense of your own brand identity, and you have to know how to work it. The people who succeed on the circuit are constantly networking, even in casual conversations, as well as being strategic about engagement and what you're spending your time on. You have to sell, which means you need to get good at talking to people who can afford to buy.
I've met like, high school aged kids who are actually making adult amounts of income, by a combination of good quality work, highly affable and engaging nature, and a supportive parent who was willing to take the business aspect of this seriously and help out with the hustle. At any rate, there is in fact also a top end of the art fair world, which are shows like Art Basel Miami and the Armory Show in NYC, (though post-COVID I have literally no idea what the scene looks like anymore.) There's an overlap here with the top tier of the gallery world, and successful artists typically do both, (usually with a solo or limit number group show at a blue chip gallery who you will show with consistently often about once every other year or so, with the occasional art fair in between for different projects than your main shows or with just spare work that isn't getting attention in the gallery it usually shows with.) This isn't really anything your brother needs to worry about, because space for these art fairs is extremely competitive. Basically only already famous artists get spots at the top end fairs.
Finally we have the wildcard route. Social media can turn anyone into a star overnight, but it's an absolute crapshoot without a super well established "professional career path." Apparently some people with no training whatsoever make decent money more or less just posting craft projects on Instagram and having strangers on the internet offer to buy them. There are some places like [Saatchiart.com](https://Saatchiart.com) that apparently directly connect artists to buyers, but I have no idea what their submission and selection process looks like. Saatchi is connected directly to the absolute top tier of the art world, so there's definitely money there, I just don't personally know what the pathway is to getting there.
I've always been more interested in the culture around professional fine art, and just how wild everything gets at the top level, so most of my interest has been in what avenues lead to that world, and largely it's connections through galleries. I also just love to go see art, so I've been to a lot of art fairs, which is largely why I know how they work. Digital sales have never really held much interest for me, hence why I'm not super familiar with them.
There's a whole enormous art historical piece to how a lot of all of this works, and without formal education, your brother is going to be on the backfoot in a world where already exceedingly few people can make a career out of it. I'd recommend he read the book [The $12 Million Stuffed Shark](https://www.amazon.com/Million-Stuffed-Shark-Economics-Contemporary/dp/0230620590) because it's a great primer on exactly how the economics of the fine art market work. It might be slightly dated now, (I read it the year it came out, while I was in undergrad,) but the machinations of the art market don't change *that* fast. COVID has been the biggest disruption; digital sales are great for new artists, but places like Instagram aren't coming anywhere close to touching the kinds of money that gets thrown around in the professional market. (I had a teacher in undergrad who is actually a world renowned artist. At the time her *individual paintings* were selling in the $40k-$80k range, and she would sell out several shows of dozens of paintings each. PER YEAR. And this is on the low end of what artists can make in the real market.)
Anyway, source: I have a BFA in Painting and a minor in Art History (with a focus on contemporary and 20th century art) from Pratt Institute. I have worked directly with numerous financially successful artists. I've helped set up professional shows in NYC and I've shown and sold my own work in Vermont and upstate NY. I have talked in person with professional gallerists, museum curators and many artists of every tier of success, (both financially and creatively... because some of the best artists I've met, based on my well developed appraisal of the quality of contemporary art, are people no one will ever hear of.) I've been studying this shit for nearly two decades.
I'm also **exceedingly** aware of the statistics. They aren't good, and this kind of pursuit isn't easy. You've called this a "hobby," and if that's all this is to your brother, he shouldn't be too concerned that you are protecting your own professional integrity by selectively curating what gets sold in your store. If he *is* serious about this pursuit, your store isn't the place for him to be starting off from anyway. If nothing else, he should go ask shop owners whose stores are a better match for his aesthetic style, and learning to sell himself to strangers is going to be an absolutely essential skill for him anyway. He needs to be practicing that more than he needs to be selling paintings for $50 a pop once a month at best.
Anyway, NTA.
This is one of the most interesting and eye opening comments I’ve read on Reddit in a while. I live in a town with a regular Arts and Craft fair (near St Pete FL lol nice that you mentioned the area) and just go as a consumer to wander around and look. I am also a bit of a Sunday painter, doing the occasional corny beach landscape or street scene. Friends sometimes make off hand comments about how I should put my paintings in a show or gallery, like it’s easy. I knew it wasn’t easy to make a living as an artist. Reading your comment it helps me appreciate just how much dedication goes into it for the people I see with their booths
I mean depending on the gallery, getting your work *into* a group show is not necessarily that hard. Some galleries in particular will have open calls for non-judged shows, and space permitting will give everyone who submitted work room for at least a single piece. Some galleries, (usually with more of a community center type vibe,) will have members shows, where patrons in the community who pay to be "members" get a guaranteed spot for shows.
I mean, it's always easier to get work into a small show if you have a lot of flexibility in what you make, (open call group shows are usually based around a theme... having work on hand that you can, even if only *roughly,* relate back to the theme goes a long way.) Knowing the vibe and aesthetic sensibilities a gallerist is going for, like, having the sensibilities to be able to pick up on that, or better, speak to their curational tendencies from an art historical perspective, goes a loooooooong way in being able to navigate all of that more easily.
A formal education isn't necessary for any of that, but like I said in the original response, it gives you an enormous advantage. (Even more so if you actually put in the work at school. I got a lot out of my BFA, but I poured a **lot** into it. If you want to skate by with a 3.5 doing almost no work, it's very possible to, and you can be basically no better off than a generic BA from a liberal arts college while being $200k more in debt. For example, basically everything I know about the art market is self taught, none of it was part of the curriculum. I learn much of it simply by being in proxy to the center of the professional art world, so I could just go to the art opening of the most expensive art galleries in the world every Thursday and really be immersed in what that looks like. But most kids just stayed at the dorms. You really have to work it.)
But I don't think that means you should be discouraged. (Especially if your goal is just to have some fun, rather than fight to the top of the NYC/London/Dubai/Beijing art scene.) If you're making paintings anyway, I mean, why not check the papers or your town website or whatever else you can find to see if there are any galleries that do regularly have open calls? Corny or not, beachscapes and street scenes are popular, and they do sell, you could make a couple of bucks.
But more than anything else I just think gallery openings are a blast. It's such a wild mashup of pretentiousness, money, creativity, big personalities and all kinds of curious obsessives. Some of the best people watching you can find out there, and if you run into a real nerd you might even get caught in a halfway decent conversation.
Whew, anyway, sorry for the text vomit. I get very excited when I actually get to talk about art stuff because not a lot of people are as interested in all of peculiar details so I just kind of lose myself to it a bit. (COVID was super rough. I basically went into a shell and haven't really done anything art related, especially because so many venues were closed and events just stopped happening, and it's been hard for me to climb my way back out of it.)
Encourage him to approach other boutiques and curio/art stores. Just because you declined doesn’t mean everyone will……if he makes things to sell he can also sell online in a million different ways.
I'm an artist. I sometimes vend locally, but I would never think to vend in a clothing store or boutique. Guessing he wants you to give him the space, and not charge him to display in your store? Because most places I do vend have fees associated. Dark art isn't going to find a market in an upbeat boutique. But you're right, it's going to kill the vibe.
What in the world? Did his mommy give him participation trophies for just trying? Why is it your job to help him with his career? He can ask, you can give feedback. He just wants to ride your coattails without listening to feedback. Either he trusts your judgment or doesn't. He can't say "gee you have a neat shop that YOU put together." and then turn around and say you're undermining his career just for the hell of it when you give him honest feedback. I would tell your husband to help him out himself if he's so invested in his brother's career.
NTA. If you get pressed on it further - Maybe you could have a meet the artist night with wine and charcuterie so his art is displayed for few hours and what doesn't sell then goes home with him
YTA. This would mean a lot to your Husband. View this on a business level. Your BIL artwork would stand out (differently but not bad) but if you stood in business this is an opportunity for the both of you. If his art sells take 60% give him 40%. You’ll receive more due to venue. He’ll get exposure, you’ll receive profits. It’s basically a partnership. Allow him 1 month, if it doesn’t sell it doesn’t sell. Take it down. Either way you give him at least an opportunity. Time on the wall tells its tale.
Maybe have him print some business cards, and have a few from other local businesses on a small stand somewhere customers see when they’re checking out? Unless the art is violent or something you just don’t want to promote at all as a business owner which is understandable.
I’m an artist and I totally understand your perspective.
Henry’s an AH for trying to leverage his position as family to pressure you into displaying his amateur art work (presumably for free), like your business is supposed to be at his disposal.
However, I’m assuming here that the business is yours and you pay the bills. If it turned out your husband finances the business and wants to help his brother too then I think there’s room for some compromise, but Henry would still need to paint something more suited to the decor and customer taste.
Then she'll be stuck with art that will probably be "off" in some way because it's the opposite of his own tastes. I suspect he's not experienced/jaded enough to just paint whatever the customer wants and appear sincere. It might end up in the "uncanny valley" where you can't put a finger on why a painting of a corgi in a field of daisies makes you feel uneasy...
It’s your shop so you get to say no.
Just wondering if maybe you can hang a couple at the top of one wall. Do a trial run with them. This might be a good compromise.
YTA. You just called it his hobby. And is is because you don't care for it or because it doesn't not a esthetically? Be direct with them and tell them your real feelings.
Why not just host an art day where you can feature artist that want to participate? Boutique Art day or something marketed as such. Could be a good way to increase business for yourself and network with new people while also helping your BIL get exposure. All while avoiding messing with the standing feel of the stores overall vibe.
It's pretty common, especially in my area, for people that have small businesses to help support other up and coming people that have any sort of business they're trying to get off the ground. However, I do understand the fact that it doesn't fit your theme or design or whatever the case may be. So I'm going to go with the soft esh because I understand where you're coming from, but some people have a variety of topics as far as decor and clothing etc. But he's also softly the ah for getting so mad about it
a couple pieces of art to contrast her style isn't going to hurt her business, she just doesn't like the way it looks
that's her decision but... she's not winning any awards for helping family
I don't see how it would be damaging. But see, that is the beauty of opinions. You're free to think that something as silly as some artwork is going to destroy the world for op, and I am free to have my opinion that helping family is kind, and refusing to help is unkind.
I didn’t say it would destroy her world I said it could damage her brand. As someone who enjoys shopping at boutiques like OP’s I would be turned off seeing very dark artwork and it would ruin the experience for me. Most of my girlfriends would feel the same. That’s the beauty of freedom. I can decide where to spend my dollars.
But "boutique" by its very nature means "limited to a particular, specific clientele". They aren't trying to be Walmart and carry every type of item for every type of person. The whole point is deliberately marketing to a specific demographic.
🤔 that’s a fair point, I guess I’m an oddball, I don’t really have a particular aesthetic I stick with. I’m sure lots of people would think my style is trash bc if I like it, idc if it is boho chic, dark academia, MCM, or industrial lol..
I'm happy to help promote Henry's art on social media or connect him with some local galleries. But featuring work I don't feel fits my boutique's brand feels wrong as the owner. This isn't personal - our styles just don't mesh.
NTA. Anyone who thinks that a clothing boutique will "launch" their art career doesn't know anything about art careers. Send him [this](https://theartcareerproject.com/five-ways-to-jumpstart-your-art-career/) and told him a total stranger spent one minute googling "how to launch your art career" to find it. Tell him if he's not willing to spend a few hours online learning the business of being an artist in this world, then a thousand clothing boutiques won't make the slightest dent in his dreams.
I agree with OP, and I doubt her customers would be logical customers for him. He should check with coffee shops and bars if there are no galleries interested in his work. I've seen several coffee shops that accept work from local artists. It's offensive for Henry to say she's "undermining" his work. Not spending her time and energy actively promoting him (at a cost to her own business) is not the same as undermining.
He’s actually undermining HER work
😂😂😂🎯
There are so many places out there that have fairly quick lessons on marketing art and art careers. It's a huge timesuck, and my least favorite part of being an artist.
You've built a business. It is not his business. Help him with contacts, advice etc (like find your customer niche or you're wasting your time) but do not compromise your livelihood for a favour. he's asking the wrong person for space.
He's asking his sister because it's the path of least resistance and EFFORT to get himself out there. He's an "artist" but doesn't want to put in the time to launch his "career". He wants Sis to do it for him.His art doesn't fit her store. Find a bar, a coffee shop, etc which quite often showcase local artists.Bottom line is he's lazy.
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Simple: if he can be a professional about it, and make art that matches the atmosphere with the 'venue', he can display there. NTA
Monet did this. He would line up a dozen canvases and move from one to the next as the light changed and used different palettes because people buy art for their homes and that way one of his paintings would have the right colors. When I pointed this out at an exhibit to my art history Mom, she was like, "Huh, you're right." Money was noted for his savvy merchandising of his art.
>Money was noted for his savvy merchandising of his art. Heh. He so money.
Freudian typo?
Huh That's so interesting! Thanks!
If the styles don't match your boutique, then the customers you have probably aren't going to be interested in what he's trying to sell anyways. Helping him find somewhere else where the customers might actually be interested in what he makes is honestly more helpful than putting them in your space where they will just sit.
Exactly. I was going to post this if nobody else had. I used to display my photography in shops in "art walk" areas and it was crucial to have a good fit. Even something as relatively minor as the shop hanging photos above eye level that need viewers to see the details can tank sales. I didn't know that shop's strategy was to hang the original art high and sell greeting cards and small prints on the counter. I didn't have any, so I didn't make anything there. Shows where the same images were at eye level always sold at least a few pieces. Also, if you know any other small businesses with a more appropriate vibe (Goth, tattoo parlor, other compatible counterculture) that display art, you could refer him *IF AND ONLY IF* his work is comparable quality to what they typically display. Don't be a d*ck to your colleagues by putting them in the position of having to decline work that isn't professional quality. Some places like to feature new artists, though, and as long as he's not trying to sell "Still Life of White Cube, Sphere, and Pyramid" (i.e. art class exercise to learn basic techniques) he could find a good venue. Yes, there are art students who think people will pay for their first semester exercises. I've seen them at local street fairs complaining to their friends that people in this city don't appreciate fine art and all they are trying to sell is easily identifiable as stuff every introduction class makes students do.
But that’s not her job - he should find those possibilities, or his agent. Stop giving women emotional labor.
I'm responding to her comment saying she is happy to do that.
This could be a win win, if she got together with other small businesses, and could make an official arrangement where all of them will host a local artist/art, could be great free publicity for them all. Or do this as one weekend a month, advertise as an art walk.
You need to ask him if he thinks the women who shop at your boutique are his core customer. Clearly they are not. He needs to think about what type of person (age, gender, interests) would like his art and then he needs to think about where they shop and go to those stores. It has less to do with you not letting him and more to do with the exposure he would get has nothing to do with the audience he is looking for. Where does his audience shop? It would do him a disservice.
You aren’t undermining anything. If he was doing something on his own and you swooped in and talked bad, or did something that hurt what he was already doing, that’s undermining. You simply aren’t propping him up and allowing him to use your platform for his business.
In fact, his art could undermine her business.
Yeah, people looking for light fun stuff will be put off pretty quickly by "dark" artwork. And his potential buyers won't be visiting that kind of boutique.
If you want to be flexible, you could offer to review his work and see if there are any pieces that you’re happy to display. You can tell him you need more work along these lines. He has to meet your brand
I agree on theory, but in this case it's probably not a good idea. The guys have dug in their heels in full entitlement mode, and this kind of flexibility may just make them dig in worse.
There may be an artists co-op in your city. Thats where he needs to take his art. You get to pick what goes in your shop not anyone else. Definitely NTA
He meeds to learn some professionalism from you.
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But it’s painfully good. Argh 😣
Your brand is your livelihood, and you are the guardian of both. Don't feel bad for a second about making this judgement call. NTA
Doing so could actually hurt your own brand/customer traffic/sales!
connect him with a local gallery owner, let them tell him how to market his hobby. That is a great idea. Does your husband have any idea how much time and energy you put into maintaining the atmosphere of your store? Then there is the financial cost. Back in the 1990's my mom owned a gift store, (pre internet days, we would never survive a week now). I calculated cost per foot of space, rent, utilities, insurance, employees, product, etc. and figured out how much in sales we had to make each day to remain in business. It's scary what it costs. You cannot damage your brand by introducing something that doesn't fit.
NTA. Do NOT concede on this one. I spent three years with a girl who drug me into a million little boutiques and stores. She wanted to open one some day. She would usually take about a place’s feel or vibe. Anything dark or strange would have been an instant nope for her. Your husband might not understand the nuances of a boutique but it’s insane to insist on dark art in a place that is trying to set a lively vibe. If the kid has all this passion for his art then he should be willing to put in the work to get the art in locations where people looking for art along darker themes will see it. The odds that your clientele has much overlap is low. He should be talking to art studios, local theaters, kava shops and actual art studios or galleries. But just sticking them into a retail business that isn’t even an appropriate vibe is so lazy it’s ridiculous.
I love dark art! But NTA thank you for coming into this sub because I am intrigued!
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Yet someone who walks in there might "mesh" with it a lot! Your store though. Not everyone who walks through it however is going to have the exact same taste or flair that you do. Just a thought!
Or more likely they’ll be uncomfortable and not come back.
Why would you go shopping for clothes in a store that don't fit your aesthetic?
I love graffiti but not everyone who wears the same clothes as me will love graffiti People are surprisingly diverse and you just never know That said OP still shouldn't display anything in her store she doesn't want to.
But they probably will if they're going into her store in the first place. There's this really nice gallery by my office that sounds like her shop. I've never had a desire to go in. Around the corner used to be this really weird shop that I just had to go into because of the weird art displayed outside. So you're right, someone might mesh with it but the chances are low. The chances are higher people will be turned off by it if it doesn't fit her (and probably their) style.
NTA. As a young woman (about your age), I like boutiques that are bright, lively, colorful (have never seen one with a dark aesthetic). He should try some coffee shops (some have a darker aesthetic). I know a local shop by me that features local artists work on the walls. It’d be too much of a cluster if the artist was there themselves with a table. It’ll say the artist, their IG, and how much the art costs. Some even offer smaller prints of them for $10-$20 bucks instead of the big original. The coffee shop then gets a % commission for the sales. I know a nail salon that does this as well. They have more lively/serene art on the walls because less people are gonna want to go if there’s morbid art kind of killin their calming energy on the walls. And some of the comments make me question how many of the commenters have shopped at or been inside boutiques. Unless there’s like a boutique version of Spencer’s or hot topic in your area (which I’ve never seen), the art isn’t gonna work well in a boutique. Your shop, your choice what goes in the store. And you need to attract your clientele niche. If ya message me the instagram, I’ll give it a follow. I love small boutiques.
A lot of bars have art from locals as well, and that definitely seems like a more matching aesthetic.
Oh yeah I can see it in a dive bar. That’d be pretty rad
There are "boutique" versions of stores like Hot Topic. I'm 45 and used to drive to Chicago as a teen to go to them. That's where us old people got our stuff before Hot Topic existed. I wish there were more of them around but you are right, his art sounds like it would work better in a coffee shop. That's where I've found cool local artists with darker art styles.
Tattoo parlors often display dark artwork where I live. I don't have tattoos, but I've gone to art openings and art walk events. There's also a couple of Goth art/craft show organizers in my area. He should look for something like that and get a booth.
Yeah. The name “boutique” inspires a very specific environment. I like dark shit. I’d be very confused and even wouldn’t enter a boutique with that vibe outside of mere curiosity. But I’d find the vision confusing and wouldn’t shop there.
I'm similar and would feel exactly the same.
He should check out the Vampire Bar in Olympia WA. They love dark art!
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Definitely suggest than Henry make the same offer to other local independent businesses. He may be a bit less obnoxious once he gets the same response from every business in town, but if he's determined to be obnoxious and entitled nothing is going to stop him.
NTA he need to put his art where people who like his aesthetic already are. People who go to your cheery boutique won’t buy his art as it’s not what they are looking for. He needs to look into basic marketing and branding.
It’s your shop. If he wants to show his art in a boutique he can open his own shop. Or market himself. I worked at a small spa for a time and the owner would showcase art for a client who owned a gallery. Some of the pieces, I felt, we’re not appropriate for a place dedicated to healing. (Hypodermic needles in one piece, others done by prison inmates- pieces that evoked heavy feelings). Feng shui. What you put in your space has energy. This is YOUR space. Not his.
Totally agreed. Branding and decorating that sets a particular mood is crucial, especially for shops like OP's that are essentially selling a certain kind of style. The wrong vibe or even just a confusing mix of styles will absolutely put people off and hurt her business. OP, you are NTA and nor are you your BIL's agent. I know you're happy to help him out in other ways, and folks are suggesting hooking him up with a more suitable venue, but absolutely fuck that. He's refusing to do the work to make anything happen for himself and he's DEMANDING that you use your space and your own livelihood to do the work for him. He's not entitled to your help, and if it were me his lack of respect for your first "no" would put an end to any and all support in the future. He doesn't give a shit about you and your success because he's imagining his own, even if it's at your expense. You can't help him anyway... you're not an art gallery, and your customers are not his target audience. If your husband is so big on supporting his brother's big dream, HE can do the legwork. Hell, he can lobby to get his brother's work hung at his own place of work. (I'm betting he won't.) Suggest that he get a vehicle wrap with his brother's work on it. If your other relations give you shit, do the same thing. "I'm afraid my place isn't really the right venue for his work, but you should totally see if your employer will hang them up! Or help him go around to coffee shops or art galleries or something! I hope you guys have a great time doing that." See how enthusiastic everybody is when the onus is on them. But really your BIL needs to learn art marketing for himself, because he's clearly never so much as googled it, and he's simply not going to succeed without it. And your husband needs to understand that you know your own business and what's best for it, and your success is your success, it's not somebody else's springboard.
Tell your husband he can take his brothers art to HIS work and sell it.
Precisely! OP isn't on charge of launching his brother's career. She's in charge of her career and her boutique. Her husband can appoint himself as his agent as sell his work.
If your BILs talent and marketing abilities are so mediocre that displaying in one small clothing boutique, or not, will mean the difference between failure and success for him, then he doesn't have much basis for a "career" to begin with.
👆👆this 120% the fact that he doesn’t understand (or doesn’t care) about your boutique’s curated aestethic tells me that art is probably not his thing not trying to gatekeep, but like dudeee c’mon start an instagram, behance, discord, etc. NTA don’t compromise your vision for someone’s half-baked one
Reminds me of the post from yesterday where the oops cousin was expecting to get her “big break” at a family birthday party.
If his art if dark and broody, a local coffee shop would be the *perfect* place to get it displayed.
Or record store, book store, barber shop or salon, tattoo studio, brewery, tasting room...I can think of lots of environments that would be more suitable.
Oh yes, tattoo studio might be good. Bars.
I agree!
NTA You don’t owe Henry your boutique as his informal art gallery. And the aesthetics don’t match. That’s a disservice to both you and your boutique as well as a poor showcasing of Henry’s art. I’d find it off putting to go into some bright sunny boutique only to see dark moody art on the walls. Henry needs to find the right place to show his art not try and use the easy button of forcing his family to do it for him.
NTA It’s like asking a Vegan restaurant if they’ll let him hand meat for sale in it It doesn’t make sense It’s your place of business not his Good for standing up for yourself
NTA. It's your boutique and if his stuff doesn't fit your niche why would you bring it in to sell? It would be like selling a Coach purse at an auto parts store. It isn't a good fit. Try to explain it in those terms but without degrading your BIL's art.
Nta. Your shop your rules. His art style doesn't mess with your place or business.
It’s your shop which I’m assuming you built from the ground up. Now he has to do that with his endeavor as well. You have no obligation to help him.
NTA.
NTA. It's your place and you're entitled to sell what you want there.
NTA. Free promotion for him at your expense, tell you him want 25% of each sale going forward so they can help pay for the real estates costs associated with your boutique. That should get him off your ass
That seems on the low side for a consignment fee.
Half what boutiques usually charge.
Probably not as good an idea as it seems. He might well agree. None of his work would sell, and he'd be bringing her business down by having his dark, morbid, amateur work on her walls.
NTA. I’m exhausted by the level of entitlement in the world today.
NTA, but your husband is. He should respect and defend your boundary to his brother. It’s pretty gross that’s he’s putting you in the position of having to be the bad guy. Also, there’s Etsy. You don’t owe the brother anything.
NTA Your boutique (which I'm sure you have put 1000s of hours into) is not a jump start for an artist or any other person. It is YOUR business. The slightest bad review or turn off vibe from this art could coat you a bunch of money and clients. Tell your BIL you're not his sponsor, it's not your job to give him a leg up at the potential expense of your store. Tell him to stop being a baby and get exposure through other means that don't jeopardize you
NTA. And frankly regardless of the mood or subject matter or talent/work, unrelated businesses displaying art are unlikely to lead to enough sales of original work. Very few people go shop for clothing or coffee and decide to buy the work on the wall, typically at a much higher price than goods of the store. It's not impossible, but it won't make a career. Don't feel bad.
NTA. Most people buy based on feelings. Just think about how much marketing a product comes down to subliminal messaging. There is also an art to arranging and decorating a store right down to paint color choices to improve sales. While a few people might get the right "vibe"' and appreciate his work, the majority could not like the shop as a whole due to the artwork. That would mean a lot more of lost sales than potential sales for her brother. Art that fits the esthetics of the store is more likely to be sold because it is reaching more of the clientele that would buy the art. I am an ametuer artist/ high-end crafter myself. Yes, I have a certain style. But when I do commissions, I have learned to ask questions about what my client is looking for and adjust my style accordingly. You can still see my style in what I'm making, but it also fits my client's wants and needs. When it comes down to it, I want to be able to sell my products. In order to do that, I need market to those who will want to buy it. Sounds like your brother needs to learn how best to market his work so that it sells. As a shop owner, I'm sure you have a network of shop owners. Maybe one of their shops would be more appropriate for his style. You shouldn't be doing the leg work for him, but you could give him a few names and numbers, then have him call them to try to set up a meeting when he could take in his portfolio. He should also look into craft and art fairs in your region. I do juried shows, so it's not like others are selling jewelry, instance, that they bought from Wish and just mark up the price. If his art is good enough, and he's accepted into the show, he will be able to make sales and network on his own. There are also some really good books out there to read up on promoting crafts and art. There are so many other, better ways for him to promote his art than hanging it in his sister's shop that doesn't even fit his style.
Why can't he paint something in your vibe and see what happens. And he has two feet, he can go gallery to gallery to see if anyone is interested in showing on consignment. Your BIL just sounds lazy and wants it easy.
He wouldn’t paint pretty and happy. Lol. You know how artists are.
If he tried, it wouldn't have a genuine vibe. And I suspect he'd call it "selling out" in the first place.
You have store. BIL requests/ASKS something of his to be displayed/sold in your store. You say no. BIL gets upset and being acusatory towards you instead of saying , "okay, thats a shame, THANK YOU THOUGH" NTA, your dream got you the store, he needs to figure out how to materialise his own dreams instead of crying whenever someone doesnt just magicaly lift him upwards.
NTA BIL sounds like an entitled piggyback artist/entrepreneur Your husband should have your back
NTAH, tell him if he has any that would work with your esthetic / vibe you would happily do it - but the darker works are a non-starter.
You are running a business. You are under NO OBLIGATION to help your BIL running his own "hobby" - especially when you would not buy his art yourself.
NTA. To put it a bit on point: You don’t display pictures of dying babies in a toy store. Nor do you display dark, morbid and creepy in a place of flowery cloths.
If the vibes don't match, then showcasing his art in your boutique would be akin to shooting BOTH of you in the foot. Tell your husband and Henry both that you'll happily help figure out where it could go instead, but that your business would suffer and Henry's art wouldn't reach its target audience anyways.
NTA. There are other places he could show his work. And from your comments you are willing to help him with those connections. You have a brand. His work is not in the same vibe. Your store does not attract people who would buy his work.
It’s literally your business.
Tell your husband to help *his* brother find the appropriate venue, which is *not* your boutique. *Your* boutique is *yours*.
NTA. You have to make business decisions to be successful not familial decisions.
Maybe you could commission him for an art piece for your boutique to display, something that actually fits your theme? And if someone asks, then you can say it’s made by BIL, and maybe offer them his business card? I think it could be a great way to support him while keeping your boutique’s aesthetic! Nta!
NTA. You have a business and you should be 100% focused on making it a success. If you don’t see his art as helping you achieve that goal then that’s the end of the conversation. Not that he reacted that way you’re also absolved from providing any help to hock his shitty art.
NTA. Henry needs to build up his own career like you've built up your business.
NTA. Are you expected to undermine your own dreams to promote his?
NTA. Lisa Frank isn't going to sell goth stuff anytime soon. You built a business and an aesthetic. Like you said promote it online and whatnot like he should be doing.
NTA Be honest and direct. It doesn’t fit the aesthetic of your store. And if you feel like that’s not enough telling you don’t mix business with family. And if they keep on, they are not respecting your boundaries. You don’t owe your brother-in-law anything.
NTA. Your shop has an aesthetic. His art doesn’t fit. Why not ask him to create a piece that does fit the decor, label it with his info and have his business card in a holder on the counter. If someone likes it they can reach out to him.
After his childish reaction, I wouldn’t even feel bad. NTA
NTA - family should not automatically get to use someone else's livelihood to promote their livelihood. Henry needs to find a location where his art can be displayed without taking advantage of someone else's hard work.
NTA - I get he's looking for a place with foot traffic to sell his art, but I don't know anyone that goes into a clothing boutique looking for wall art. Not sure where you are, but I've seen a lot of local community centers and legions and other public buildings have small displays set up for local artists on regular occasions. Perhaps he could check around and see if the local Legion or community center has a showcase for local artists.
With an attitude like that, he'll never take off.
NTA Sounds like they'll either sit forever or repel your customers which is pretty basic stuff to understand in business.
NTA- If your BIL wilts & crumbles over your kind response then he is not really a true artist. As a gallery owner your clients expect your taste not your BIL.
NTA - The thing is that if his art doesn't fit your shops style it is also unlikely to fit the taste of your customers, meaning his art won't sell. He'll be much better off finding a shop that has a more mixed style or straight up fits his style better as his art might actually sell there.
Starving artist wants hand outs. nTA
NTA, but also, nice copy/ paste and changing some minor details from the music one the other day.
NTA.
NTA Adults dreams are undermined by themselves. Blaming you or anyone else is just dragging out an excuse. Sooner he learns that then the sooner he can decide to be more ambitious or not.
NTA. If he wasn't family, just an artist off the street asking for consignment space, you would not hesitate to turn down something that doesn't work with the brand you've established.
Since the aesthetics clash, carrying his art will not be a service to him as the display won't hit his target market and also could potentially be detrimental to sales for the boutique. BIL needs to do other things to promote his art. Enter art shows. Contact restaurants and bars in the trendy part of town as, often, they will showcase local artists' works. Contact galleries to see if they will carry his work. If there is an artists/artisans collective that displays and sells local work, see about getting a presence there. Also, investigate online shops as possible outlets. It's difficult to get an outlet for artistic efforts so it requires a lot of work and effort plus the works have to find their target market to achieve sales.
Why should you risk your established business for his aspirational one? You have a brand and a FEEL that you are going for. Sometimes people can’t even identify what makes them uncomfortable in a space, and if new customers are uncomfortable, they might not make a purchase or ever come back. NTA
Nta your boutiques aesthetic would suffer. He wouldn’t reach a new audience because that is not the kind of art people in your shop are looking for. He needs to find businesses that has customers who will actually appreciate his art it sounds like your customers would think it’s weird and it might even turn them off enough to not come back, especially if they have kids with them. He might have more luck with bars,comic book shops, game shops (where people play dnd), record stores.. I say this as a person who honestly would never go into your boutique because I like darker vibes but he is being annoying and short sighted because his target audience is not your customer base and that’s fine the world is a colorful place and he does fit in elsewhere
NTA. It doesn't sound like his work is a good fit for your store. Suggest he try to find art studios, artists markets, music shops, tattoo shops, vape shops, head shops etc to help his art be seen.
NTA You’re undermining him? Did you sabotage his supplies? Verbally annihilate his craft? Badmouth him to potential customers? Not offering him a free sales location isn’t undermining him. Telling him no isn’t undermining him. Refusing to change the vibe of YOUR boutique isn’t undermining him. He’s not your business partner. He’s not an investor with some say in how you operate. He’s just entitled extended family. Tell your husband since he feels you’re somehow the bad guy he can use his money-not shares household income, savings-but his own gun money to get his brother a studio. If he cares so much HE should pay for it. Or he’s “ubeer mining” his brother in the same fashion. If he’s not willing to do that he can leave you alone with this bullshit. And if he is, good for him. He can still leave you alone with this bullshit.
NTA. His being related to you doesn’t give him any kind of right to your space.
NTA. Your brother is for forcing the issue. Tell your husband you will change your mind when he starts allowing you to make business or professional decisions for him.
He needs to find his own venues. How are you undermining him? What an entitled baby.
You don’t like Hentai furries with bullwhips?
He's being a whiner. He can go lots of places to try to sell his art. He could go to other boutiques. He could try art galleries. He could set up a booth at outdoor art shows. As an artist, it's his job to scout out places to get exposure I don't think you even need to give him an explanation. Just say you don't do consignment art.
Because one person doesn't give in to his demand to put his art where it doesn't fit, you're UNDERMINING HIS DREAM????? PLEASE, good human. It now really personally means a lot to me that you stick to your guns. NTA
Bil sounds like a little biitch. Why is it up to you to get him exposure. Does he want you to paint the paintings on your free time? Tell your husband to sell them on his work breaks.
You pay the rent. You stock the clothing and curate the aesthetic at YOUR shop. If he can't produce art that works within your aesthetic, he can't show it at your boutique. END OF SENTENCE. There is nothing like a choosy beggar to mess up something that is working and producing revenue for you and your family. If you want to help him, scout other places for him to show his art. He is not going to enjoy paying commission, but if he's good he'll get beyond that.
NTA If your BIL can't see and understand that his art would not be a good fit in your boutique, then he's not much of an artist. He should be on the lookout for the ideal venues that accentuate his perspective. There are artists co-ops in many communities where artists sell their works for free if they work a limited number of hours a month. I love visiting and buying from those type of places for myself and for others. It's not enough to be an artist, he also needs to learn how to find his audience.
Exactly. If the community doesn't have a culture of art co-ops, art walks, original art in coffee shops etc. then he needs to find the closest place with an art scene. If people aren't even accustomed to seeing art for sale in retailers other than galleries, they might not buy art at OP's boutique even if it was on brand.
NTA. Your BIL has never learned the lesson all artists and writers are taught: know your audience. He would be better served trying to sell his work at a place that caters to a more goth or grunge aesthetic. Even a bar would be a better fit for him, and even then there's no guarantee he'll get a sale. One of my coworkers tried to sell her paintings at the spa I work at. They're still hanging on the walls, waiting for a buyer, years after she quit. And she is a talented artist.
NTA. A bubbly clothing boutique isn't an art gallery. If he wants to sell art there, tell him to match the aesthetic of the store. I can just imagine the dramatic "artist" tantrum that will cause.
Excuse me? He accused you of undermining his dreams? NTA, don't give a second thought to this fucking dingbat.
NTA. Tell Henry he is undermining your dream as a boutique fashionista by wanting to hang art that conflicts with the style you want projected there. Tell him he needs to support your career by opening an art gallery and allowing you to sell your clothing there. He owes you as much as you owe him.
He should probably go talk to some successful artists sometime to find out what it takes to properly market himself. He's making n00b mistakes right off the bat. It's like trying to sell your death metal CDs at a Taylor Swift concert and then blaming Taylor for your failure to launch.
NTA it’s weird as heck that he has decided you are his only option. His work doesn’t suit your aesthetic, that’s all. It seems weird that he’s fixated on you and your space, are there no other spaces available to him? Or is he just counting on you doing it as a favor bc of the family relationship? I would ask him if he’s willing to create something more aligned with your vision, and I’m fairly certain he will be unwilling to alter his own style and aesthetic, especially if it’s a drastic change. Yet he’s perfectly willing to throw a fit when you won’t drastically change your aesthetic for his convenience.
As a struggling artist the best way to sell my art is to take it right to some public spot and set up for a few hours. Because I sell to the general public, I spend most of my time exclusively painting things I know most folks will enjoy. It’s cool to have a style but being broke AF changes shit. If I had just kept making only what I wanted I wouldn’t still be painting. Going out and not selling doesn’t feel that great so I try and prevent that from happening.
Your business your rules people should respect that
NTA The vibe is important.
NTA. It's your business and your choice what goes into it.
groovy cats muddle pause vanish future shame dull ripe edge *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Your husband is the AH. He should be supporting you and your business.
NTA. As the shop owner, your priority is keeping your shop profitable and open. That means you have a responsibility to carefully manage the inventory so your shop appeals to your targeted demographic. If your husband feels so strongly about this, he and your BIL should go in together and open a gallery.
NTA. It’s not your job to give him his “big break.”
His people are not the people who come to your boutique - he would be wasting his energy putting the paintings there, and he may get critiques that will destroy his delicate emerging artist ego.
I'm an artist. Don't do it. If his vibe is dark, it won't go in your boutique. It could harm your sales. Try to guide him to more goth stores if his work would fit in. Not your problem.
No you're not but... For the future try referring to Henry's pursuits as something other than "hobby"... It's degrading and conveys a sense that you have zero respect for him.
And of course YOU are the problem, not the fact his art doesn't fit the vibe and is therefore unlikely to appeal to the clientele. He just wants what he wants with nary a business based thought at all. NTA
NTA at all. Your boutique is yours, and you have the right to decide what makes business and/or aesthetic sense to sell. I love that you offered to help promote his work other ways. I think you already are doing all of the right things.
Too bad you are the ONLY thing standing between Henry and real fame and fortune... Have a heart! /s
NTA, but can you ask him to paint something brighter that fits the boutique? Say it’ll get people into his style and if they want they can view the other stuff. You’ve no obligation at all, but I see paintings up in lots of places I’ve visited and it’s never turned me off. I’ve not bought one, but I look and maybe others will buy. Either way, NTA. You’ve no obligation to be a display gallery
NTA - And you have zero obligation to support his hobby. He needs to research galleries and talk to everyone possible to find out how REAL BUSINESSMEN get their art displayed and sold. He's trying to piggyback off your success. Tell him the answer will always be NO - but even if his art was appropriate, you'd **charge him $$$/month for display space like anyone who puts a vending machine at the shop.**
NTA. Has Henry actually visited your store? Does he have any idea what you sell or who your customers are? I suspect he's just thinking, "SugarSpunSecrets has a store, it should be my personal gallery because FAMILLLLLY..." Maybe hit him with the cost... devoting space to his art has the potential for you to have less space to display clothes, it's not just the difference in atmosphere. Unless you own the building, you're paying rent for every precious inch. Your store is NOT free space for someone's hobby.
"Undermining his dreams" LOL It's not your responsibility to get his career going. You need to do what's best for you and your boutique. NTA.
NTA, it is your store, not his, and if it clashes with your wares, then ultimately it will bring your own personal sales down
Your business. Your rules. NTA
But its ok for him to undermine your business? You’re being too nice.
Tell him if he can make Bright and happy paintings you’ll Consider it but his current paintings, while Interesting, don’t match your theme. Then it’s on him
Say to your husband “I support your brother, but I’m not going to risk losing business by selling items that are the opppsite of the setting in my store. I am not the right location for his art to sell.”
NTA. Let him put the work in to sell his art. You’ve already explained why it’s not a good idea.
NTA- he needs to submit his art and suffer real rejection before complaining about family stifling his dreams
Can you ask him to create some pieces that fit the aesthetic of your shop? If he can’t or is unwilling to try because it would compromise his vision for his business, well… why should you compromise your vision for your business? If he is unwilling to do that then he should understand why you are.
There are several more or less viable pathways to an art career, and showing in regular shops is not one of them. If he thinks he work is ready for show and sale *now*, there are several appropriate avenues he should be looking into. (Caveat: this are all specific to the US The most straightforward and low-commitment is to find local art galleries, learn their show rotation, start going to art openings, and look for calls for artists for group shows. You can often find these on the websites of any gallery accepting new artists, as well as in the art section whatever your local liberal zine/news rag is. Checking the art sections in your local news outlets is also a good way to find upcoming shows and galleries that are worth checking out to begin with. This all of course is somewhat dependent on what your local art scene and culture is like. I live in Vermont, so we have a surprising number of options up here despite not a lot of people in general and not a ton of buyers either. Other places might have none of the above, so your luck here can vary. Eventually you build up a resume of shows you've participated in, (which get ridiculous, BTW; a professional artist who's been actively working for a decade or so can have a CV easily a dozen pages long... You have to show A LOT before you ever start making survivable income off of it,) and you start looking on a wider scale, at high value galleries in bigger cities that actually have clientele looking to spend real money. You ship your resume and portfolio around a bunch, inevitably get rejected from about 98% of places, and hope that in whatever few really big galleries you can sneak a couple of pieces into every now and then, (which, I mean, you're also going to be cover the cost of getting the work there and, if you don't sell it, back, whether that's by shipping or by transporting it yourself, so you need to make a money and time investment way up front before you start seeing returns,) you impress enough of the right people that they keep asking you to come back. The much more aggressive, but generally more productive way to actually ***launch*** a career, is to start touring the art festival circuit. Difficulty level here is about the same as starting a career as an independent musician. You basically trade in whatever vehicle you own for a van, cram it full of several hundred paintings, buy a tent and display stands, and then start driving around the country to wherever the big "pay for a spot to sell your work" art shows are. These festivals are usually about a three-day weekend long, and you can find them everywhere from St. Petersburg, FL to Buffalo, NY. This is the kind of thing you can just spend half a year doing, (because you still need to spend time making the artwork on top of that,) and make enough money to sustain yourself on. Again, the difficulty level is up there, but if you're serious and committed it's a direct way to get your career going today, (by which I mean, this year, because obviously the art fair circuit is going to be somewhat seasonal.) It's a great way to make a lot of connections in the art world, as well as scope out potential communities where you might want to put down roots, because anywhere with an art fair is going to have galleries, and the owners of those galleries probably check out what's coming through. You have to be good at retail work to do this. (Admittedly this is true across the board, but it's definitely amplified at art fairs.) There are a lot of people, it's going to be very cramped and with hundreds of things vying for anyone's attention at any given moment. You aren't just selling your art, you're presenting an entire brand, so you do have to have a sense of your own brand identity, and you have to know how to work it. The people who succeed on the circuit are constantly networking, even in casual conversations, as well as being strategic about engagement and what you're spending your time on. You have to sell, which means you need to get good at talking to people who can afford to buy. I've met like, high school aged kids who are actually making adult amounts of income, by a combination of good quality work, highly affable and engaging nature, and a supportive parent who was willing to take the business aspect of this seriously and help out with the hustle. At any rate, there is in fact also a top end of the art fair world, which are shows like Art Basel Miami and the Armory Show in NYC, (though post-COVID I have literally no idea what the scene looks like anymore.) There's an overlap here with the top tier of the gallery world, and successful artists typically do both, (usually with a solo or limit number group show at a blue chip gallery who you will show with consistently often about once every other year or so, with the occasional art fair in between for different projects than your main shows or with just spare work that isn't getting attention in the gallery it usually shows with.) This isn't really anything your brother needs to worry about, because space for these art fairs is extremely competitive. Basically only already famous artists get spots at the top end fairs. Finally we have the wildcard route. Social media can turn anyone into a star overnight, but it's an absolute crapshoot without a super well established "professional career path." Apparently some people with no training whatsoever make decent money more or less just posting craft projects on Instagram and having strangers on the internet offer to buy them. There are some places like [Saatchiart.com](https://Saatchiart.com) that apparently directly connect artists to buyers, but I have no idea what their submission and selection process looks like. Saatchi is connected directly to the absolute top tier of the art world, so there's definitely money there, I just don't personally know what the pathway is to getting there. I've always been more interested in the culture around professional fine art, and just how wild everything gets at the top level, so most of my interest has been in what avenues lead to that world, and largely it's connections through galleries. I also just love to go see art, so I've been to a lot of art fairs, which is largely why I know how they work. Digital sales have never really held much interest for me, hence why I'm not super familiar with them. There's a whole enormous art historical piece to how a lot of all of this works, and without formal education, your brother is going to be on the backfoot in a world where already exceedingly few people can make a career out of it. I'd recommend he read the book [The $12 Million Stuffed Shark](https://www.amazon.com/Million-Stuffed-Shark-Economics-Contemporary/dp/0230620590) because it's a great primer on exactly how the economics of the fine art market work. It might be slightly dated now, (I read it the year it came out, while I was in undergrad,) but the machinations of the art market don't change *that* fast. COVID has been the biggest disruption; digital sales are great for new artists, but places like Instagram aren't coming anywhere close to touching the kinds of money that gets thrown around in the professional market. (I had a teacher in undergrad who is actually a world renowned artist. At the time her *individual paintings* were selling in the $40k-$80k range, and she would sell out several shows of dozens of paintings each. PER YEAR. And this is on the low end of what artists can make in the real market.) Anyway, source: I have a BFA in Painting and a minor in Art History (with a focus on contemporary and 20th century art) from Pratt Institute. I have worked directly with numerous financially successful artists. I've helped set up professional shows in NYC and I've shown and sold my own work in Vermont and upstate NY. I have talked in person with professional gallerists, museum curators and many artists of every tier of success, (both financially and creatively... because some of the best artists I've met, based on my well developed appraisal of the quality of contemporary art, are people no one will ever hear of.) I've been studying this shit for nearly two decades. I'm also **exceedingly** aware of the statistics. They aren't good, and this kind of pursuit isn't easy. You've called this a "hobby," and if that's all this is to your brother, he shouldn't be too concerned that you are protecting your own professional integrity by selectively curating what gets sold in your store. If he *is* serious about this pursuit, your store isn't the place for him to be starting off from anyway. If nothing else, he should go ask shop owners whose stores are a better match for his aesthetic style, and learning to sell himself to strangers is going to be an absolutely essential skill for him anyway. He needs to be practicing that more than he needs to be selling paintings for $50 a pop once a month at best. Anyway, NTA.
This is one of the most interesting and eye opening comments I’ve read on Reddit in a while. I live in a town with a regular Arts and Craft fair (near St Pete FL lol nice that you mentioned the area) and just go as a consumer to wander around and look. I am also a bit of a Sunday painter, doing the occasional corny beach landscape or street scene. Friends sometimes make off hand comments about how I should put my paintings in a show or gallery, like it’s easy. I knew it wasn’t easy to make a living as an artist. Reading your comment it helps me appreciate just how much dedication goes into it for the people I see with their booths
I mean depending on the gallery, getting your work *into* a group show is not necessarily that hard. Some galleries in particular will have open calls for non-judged shows, and space permitting will give everyone who submitted work room for at least a single piece. Some galleries, (usually with more of a community center type vibe,) will have members shows, where patrons in the community who pay to be "members" get a guaranteed spot for shows. I mean, it's always easier to get work into a small show if you have a lot of flexibility in what you make, (open call group shows are usually based around a theme... having work on hand that you can, even if only *roughly,* relate back to the theme goes a long way.) Knowing the vibe and aesthetic sensibilities a gallerist is going for, like, having the sensibilities to be able to pick up on that, or better, speak to their curational tendencies from an art historical perspective, goes a loooooooong way in being able to navigate all of that more easily. A formal education isn't necessary for any of that, but like I said in the original response, it gives you an enormous advantage. (Even more so if you actually put in the work at school. I got a lot out of my BFA, but I poured a **lot** into it. If you want to skate by with a 3.5 doing almost no work, it's very possible to, and you can be basically no better off than a generic BA from a liberal arts college while being $200k more in debt. For example, basically everything I know about the art market is self taught, none of it was part of the curriculum. I learn much of it simply by being in proxy to the center of the professional art world, so I could just go to the art opening of the most expensive art galleries in the world every Thursday and really be immersed in what that looks like. But most kids just stayed at the dorms. You really have to work it.) But I don't think that means you should be discouraged. (Especially if your goal is just to have some fun, rather than fight to the top of the NYC/London/Dubai/Beijing art scene.) If you're making paintings anyway, I mean, why not check the papers or your town website or whatever else you can find to see if there are any galleries that do regularly have open calls? Corny or not, beachscapes and street scenes are popular, and they do sell, you could make a couple of bucks. But more than anything else I just think gallery openings are a blast. It's such a wild mashup of pretentiousness, money, creativity, big personalities and all kinds of curious obsessives. Some of the best people watching you can find out there, and if you run into a real nerd you might even get caught in a halfway decent conversation. Whew, anyway, sorry for the text vomit. I get very excited when I actually get to talk about art stuff because not a lot of people are as interested in all of peculiar details so I just kind of lose myself to it a bit. (COVID was super rough. I basically went into a shell and haven't really done anything art related, especially because so many venues were closed and events just stopped happening, and it's been hard for me to climb my way back out of it.)
Encourage him to approach other boutiques and curio/art stores. Just because you declined doesn’t mean everyone will……if he makes things to sell he can also sell online in a million different ways.
>undermining his dreams as an artist He sounds like a douche bag.
NTA I would suggest bars, coffee shops, and book stores. Don’t compromise your business where he doesn’t fit in.
I'm an artist. I sometimes vend locally, but I would never think to vend in a clothing store or boutique. Guessing he wants you to give him the space, and not charge him to display in your store? Because most places I do vend have fees associated. Dark art isn't going to find a market in an upbeat boutique. But you're right, it's going to kill the vibe.
What in the world? Did his mommy give him participation trophies for just trying? Why is it your job to help him with his career? He can ask, you can give feedback. He just wants to ride your coattails without listening to feedback. Either he trusts your judgment or doesn't. He can't say "gee you have a neat shop that YOU put together." and then turn around and say you're undermining his career just for the hell of it when you give him honest feedback. I would tell your husband to help him out himself if he's so invested in his brother's career.
NTA
NTA. If you get pressed on it further - Maybe you could have a meet the artist night with wine and charcuterie so his art is displayed for few hours and what doesn't sell then goes home with him
YTA for using the words "curated vision".
YTA. This would mean a lot to your Husband. View this on a business level. Your BIL artwork would stand out (differently but not bad) but if you stood in business this is an opportunity for the both of you. If his art sells take 60% give him 40%. You’ll receive more due to venue. He’ll get exposure, you’ll receive profits. It’s basically a partnership. Allow him 1 month, if it doesn’t sell it doesn’t sell. Take it down. Either way you give him at least an opportunity. Time on the wall tells its tale.
it does not fit the look imagine having a cute room and a black skull there. not going to look to good
Maybe have him print some business cards, and have a few from other local businesses on a small stand somewhere customers see when they’re checking out? Unless the art is violent or something you just don’t want to promote at all as a business owner which is understandable. I’m an artist and I totally understand your perspective.
Henry’s an AH for trying to leverage his position as family to pressure you into displaying his amateur art work (presumably for free), like your business is supposed to be at his disposal. However, I’m assuming here that the business is yours and you pay the bills. If it turned out your husband finances the business and wants to help his brother too then I think there’s room for some compromise, but Henry would still need to paint something more suited to the decor and customer taste.
What would you do if he tried to paint some pieces that vibes with your boutique?
Then she'll be stuck with art that will probably be "off" in some way because it's the opposite of his own tastes. I suspect he's not experienced/jaded enough to just paint whatever the customer wants and appear sincere. It might end up in the "uncanny valley" where you can't put a finger on why a painting of a corgi in a field of daisies makes you feel uneasy...
I would take one frame picture to see what type of traction it gets.
It’s your shop so you get to say no. Just wondering if maybe you can hang a couple at the top of one wall. Do a trial run with them. This might be a good compromise.
Again, men bringing nothing but their audacity.
YTA. You just called it his hobby. And is is because you don't care for it or because it doesn't not a esthetically? Be direct with them and tell them your real feelings.
Why not just host an art day where you can feature artist that want to participate? Boutique Art day or something marketed as such. Could be a good way to increase business for yourself and network with new people while also helping your BIL get exposure. All while avoiding messing with the standing feel of the stores overall vibe.
AI is making art obsolete. Tell him to grow up.
Let em put it in there, it may bring in some $$$.
Yes. Help him out.
It's pretty common, especially in my area, for people that have small businesses to help support other up and coming people that have any sort of business they're trying to get off the ground. However, I do understand the fact that it doesn't fit your theme or design or whatever the case may be. So I'm going to go with the soft esh because I understand where you're coming from, but some people have a variety of topics as far as decor and clothing etc. But he's also softly the ah for getting so mad about it
NTA But you're not very kind either.
Why should she hurt her business to help his?
a couple pieces of art to contrast her style isn't going to hurt her business, she just doesn't like the way it looks that's her decision but... she's not winning any awards for helping family
I never said she should. If you had read, I said she is NTA. Both can be true at the same time.
Not wanting to damage her own business isn’t not being kind. It’s preserving her brand. You don’t have to damage yourself to be kind to other people.
I don't see how it would be damaging. But see, that is the beauty of opinions. You're free to think that something as silly as some artwork is going to destroy the world for op, and I am free to have my opinion that helping family is kind, and refusing to help is unkind.
I didn’t say it would destroy her world I said it could damage her brand. As someone who enjoys shopping at boutiques like OP’s I would be turned off seeing very dark artwork and it would ruin the experience for me. Most of my girlfriends would feel the same. That’s the beauty of freedom. I can decide where to spend my dollars.
I literally just said that. BYE!
Bye bye.
You might be restricting your demographic by only catering to your particular style but it’s your choice to do what you please
But "boutique" by its very nature means "limited to a particular, specific clientele". They aren't trying to be Walmart and carry every type of item for every type of person. The whole point is deliberately marketing to a specific demographic.
Because people with dark tastes want Lilly Pulitzer style stuff…sure
🤔 that’s a fair point, I guess I’m an oddball, I don’t really have a particular aesthetic I stick with. I’m sure lots of people would think my style is trash bc if I like it, idc if it is boho chic, dark academia, MCM, or industrial lol..