I've begun to notice things from my customers that have never been an issue before.
There's been a huge upside, business-wise, for me. Social media has allowed us to reach customers far and wide, so that's a good thing. I'm all stocked up on canvas at the moment, so my own supply chain issues are smoothed out but I've notices some craziness in my customers.
They've started altering my canvases.
Now, for all I know, they've been doing it for years. They can if they want, it's none of my business what they do with a piece once they buy it. They can scribble all over them with magic markers or burn holes in them if that's what they want to do. I doubt if anyone has done that on purpose but hey, stuff happens. I don't see most of the vast majority of the canvases I sell once they leave my drawing board. Once in awhile, I get to see a stitched piece come in; it's always fun to see how a stitcher interprets my designs. People choose their own threads, change colors, use decorative stitches, stitch over details they don't care for...whatever they want. It's theirs: that's what makes it an art form.
But recently, two of them altered canvases I'd painted, then brought them back to the shop saying they didn't like them anymore.
One gal painted out the background and outline of a piece then brought it in and asked if I could fix the shape she'd obliterated. Another gal, from out of state, ordered a design she saw online. She wanted it in a different size, shape and gauge. This kind of custom work is my bread and butter so I was more than happy to redraw the design to her specs. We sent it off to her. Once she received it, she drew an outline around it. I have no idea what she used. If it was anything but a black Sharpie, there's a real danger that it will bleed into the threads when she has it blocked. I hope it doesn't.
How do I know she drew a line around it? oh; she sent it back. She said I drew it wrong and sent along a sample of the design she actually wanted.
Remember: she ordered something that she saw online, then complained that it didn't match something different, that she already had.
I was more than happy to paint a copy of what she sent in the dimensions she'd asked for. I just don't know why she wasted time ordering something else first.
I like to keep my customers happy. It helps when they don't order what they don't want.
And as I said; they can draw all over them once they own them. But they can't return a canvas once they've altered it.
I've done work for that particular customer before and she's always been delightful. This was just a very weird episode.
Also in the last few weeks, a gal asked if a design she saw online could be done with "really bright colors". Of course it can! I'll paint any colors you like! So I painted it with color straight from the tube. You can't get any brighter than that. You guessed it: she didn't think it was "bright" enough. G. told her that any threads she chose would cover the canvas but the customer insisted that the canvas be painted exactly the colors she wanted.
I'm at a loss.
Now I don't know what she means by "bright". I have a feeling she meant "dark". But I really don't know. I told G. that when the gal comes back, have her choose the threads she wants to use and I'd paint to match. I do that all the time; I have no idea why this one wouldn't choose threads first.
People are going a little Covid crazy.