The Trap Of Doing What Other People Like (And You Don't)

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As a self-taught abstract artist, I had to carve my own path into the art world—literally digging it out, most of the time rearranging it, according to circumstances.

One of the pivotal moments I faced was in December 2023. A couple of months before, a guy contacted me for a commission. He wanted a copy of Knight's Dream by Antonio de Pereda, but with one of my colorful, high-contrast backgrounds. I mean… what even was that?

 

 

A detail of the painting I had to rearrange.

 

But I was a beginner, and this was my first commission from a complete stranger. Even though it wasn’t my style, I thought I could do it and not come across as a choosy artist.

So, I embraced the project with professionalism, sent the contract (yes, I had a contract!), and even though the piece was small, I set aside an entire week to complete it. I remember taking my daughters to buy the materials in pouring rain.

 

 

The digital preview approved by the client

 

I worked with patience and dedication. On Friday, I sent a picture of the painting to my client. He said it didn’t look like the angel. So I kept modifying it, but then he started acting rude, daring me to do better (yes, some people are really that disrespectful).

In the end, he rejected the painting. The worst part? He pointed out that the contract didn’t clearly state that material costs were non-refundable.

I remember that night. I felt empty and humiliated. This man was being rude after I had worked an entire week—over 15 euros! My daughter was even vomiting. The whole situation felt unreal and tragicomic.

This is what I did: I gave him his 15 euros back. I didn’t fight for what was fair. I knew I could, but I just wanted this person out of my life. I sent the money and cut off all further conversation. Deleted.

Then I sat down and asked myself: “What did I do wrong?”

The first answer I gave me was: "You are not enough qualified". But that was superficial, I knew I was good in portraiture and oil painting, so why did the commission went wrong?

I accepted creating something that wasn't in my style and that I didn't like. Basically  I ACCEPTED TO UNDERGO SOMEONE ELSE’S CREATIVITY.

And I promised myself that my ideas, my style, and my abilities would never, ever take the back seat again.

There’s a quote by Jim Carrey that says it all for me:

"You may fail at something you don’t like, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love!"

Since then, I’ve continued exploring my style, experimenting with new subjects and mediums, always staying true to my creativity and trusting my gut. And yes, I still accept commissions—but I make it very clear what my style is and who I am as an artist.

Till now all the customers are satisfied.

And that's all!

With love,
Laura

P.s. : This is me with the angel. It probably doesn’t look like the one in the reference, but to me, it’s beautiful—in the end it saved me from a sad future of soulless paintings…