Happy New Year!

Today I received an e-mail from Karen, who handles the office here at Charles Pinckney Designs.  She also from time to time advises me on a variety of things.  As many of you already know, I like to present my supporters with what I call my spiel when a piece of mine is collected. That is, if time allows, sometimes there's just not time.  Anyway, the way it goes is that I take your hand in mine and look at you while saying this:

I thank you for investing in me and my future works.  I just wanted to take a brief moment to tell you how sincerely I do appreciate you.  I know that you enjoy my work and for that I am grateful.  I, however, also know that neither you nor anyone else is in 'need' of anything that I make (this is not food) to breathe one more second in this world.  So, I do appreciate you very much. 

Well, today Karen sent me a version of my spiel that she had tweaked.

This is how she tweaked it.

I want to take a moment to tell you how sincerely I appreciate you and to thank you for your patronage.  I know that you enjoy my work and for that I am grateful.  However, I also know that neither you nor anyone else is in 'dire need' of anything that I make to survive, except in the regard that art feeds our soul and stimulates our imagination.  I wish you the very best for the coming New Year and hope that I see you once again in the future.  

My reaction after reading it was that it's not my voice.  I would not say the rest of the sentence after the word 'survive'.  Not that I disagree with the thought.  It's just that to my way of thinking that part of that sentence is me making a case for why you or anyone should 'buy' my work.  If a patron wishes to express that sentiment then wonderful, I can embrace that.  It is not appropriate, though, for me to tell anyone why they should buy my work.  I do believe that Art feeds the soul and stimulates our imagination. To tell you that my art does that crosses a boundary and enters a realm that I believe belongs solely to the viewer of the art, not the maker.  It is for the viewer to decide what Art feeds their soul or stimulates their imagination.  It's just not how I'm wired.  Anyway, I thought you all might enjoy a peek into some of the perspectives that I feel shape the artist that in turn shapes the work.

Thank you for your time.  If you have been, thank you for reading.  

Comments are always welcome!      Charles