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edmondnutmeg Jun 11, 2015

Hello every one its been a while as I am/have been redoing the room where I work and apart from it taking forever I am seriously missing my fluff. My house is just too small to decamp to another room as they are all cluttered up with the furniture and boxes from the make over room. I am living with a bed upended in the kitchen at the moment. Yep it's driving me insane    Anyway .... I thought I would open a topic regarding commissions.
So far I haven't really started doing commissions mainly due to the fact that I haven't settled into a definitive style yet so would be a bit of a loose cannon for collectors to take a chance on. I would be crushed to disappoint anyone. Bears are very personal and in my mind made purely to be loved. So it's a lack of confidence that I could produce exactly what they had in mind holding me back. As we all know even using the same pattern a bear can end up completely differently. Plus in addition to my concerns regarding ability to fulfil I really enjoy letting a bear turn out how he wants to be without having to deal with the extra pressure of worrying how he needs to look. However every time someone takes the time to ask me I feel extremely ungrateful letting them down. It's truly a compliment to be asked and consequently end up feeling damned if I do damned if I don't. I am planning on opening a small order book this summer just to see how it goes  I have heard horror stories of collectors who like to micro manage every stage and loads of other nightmare scenarios.
We don't often hear of the positive sides of which there must be loads as so many bear artists undertake them. I would be really interested to know why collectors like to commission a bear in the first place. There are so many varied wonderful bears available every day on the likes of Bearpile/Artist Bears International that could surely make someone happy to own them. What motivates you to commission in the first place? and what happens if you are unhappy with the results?
Over to you
michelle

peterbear Jun 11, 2015

Hi Michelle,

Sorry to hear that your redecorating is driving you insane, but think how glad you will be when it's all over (some time in the future    )

I have had some experience with commissioned bears (from the point of view of the buyer). 
So here are my two cents' worth of advice:
-> I think it would be a very bad idea to let a customer dictate every detail of a bear.  It stifles your creativity and in all probability the bear isn't going to ressemble what the customer had in mind anyhow.
-> When I commission a bear from an artist, I just tell them which of their bears appeal to me most (so they know what my taste in bears is like).   In most cases we also mutually decide on what kind of fabric to use (I generally prefer somewhat denser mohair; other people prefer more sparse distressed fur); although it is difficult to choose a fabric bases exclusively on photos.
-> I insist on paying a deposit, unless I know the artist very well and have adopted several of his/her bears previously. 
-> If you don't know your client, you should always ask for a non-refundable deposit.  If the client doesn't like the bear, then you can still try to sell it without losing money over it.
-> Sometimes it's a good idea to keep your client up to date on the progress of a bear, but I prefer to wait until he is completely finished before I see him.
-> I would advise you to be careful as far as timing is concerned; I think it's wise to avoid a definite deadline (unless the bear is meant for a specific occasion); you never know what is going to happen in the future, so I think it's best to give a rough estimate (2 weeks, a month, 3 months, ....)   

I hope this helps you a bit; so good luck with your commissions!

SueAnn Help Advisor, Banner SponsorJun 11, 2015

Very good advice, Peter.  It's really helpful to get feedback from the collector's point of view.

dangerbears Jun 12, 2015

I agree that Peter's advice is excellent, and your own reasons for wanting to be free to let your bear-making develop naturally make very good sense as well. As for why collectors want to commission a bear, I think it usually has to do with liking your work, and perhaps missing out when bears become available, or perhaps wanting to make a bear even more special by playing a part in the design process.
In my case, I've only had positive experiences with commissions. Knowing there is someone ready to adopt the bear as soon as it's finished is nice, but more importantly, the commissions I've done have sometimes pushed me a bit to try something I might not have tried otherwise. And making a bear with a specific person or purpose in mind has led to some magical results at times.
I know that a lot of things can go wrong, and at this point I'd probably not work with a complete stranger on a commissioned bear. I also need to protect enough of my time and energy to explore my own ideas. But I do think doing commissioned work can be a positive experience, and I hope that it turns out that way for you, Michelle!

Becky

edmondnutmeg Jun 17, 2015

Thank you for the valuable advice and input. It is good to hear some positive sides to commission work. Peter as always you have provided me with helpful pointers and as SueAnn mentioned is great to get the collectors point of view. Timing for me I think could definitely an issue and following your comments think it would be wise to work out some kind of plan/T&C that I can email and then both sides have a good understanding how it will work and give an opportunity to iron out any niggles before hand.
Becky that is very interesting what you mentioned with regard to being pushed creatively - something I hadn't considered and again another positive. It sounds like you have found a good balance which is something I would like to aim for
 
michelle