Can you gift original art?
TLDR: Yes, carefully.
The holidays are rapidly approaching and as we are bombarded from every angle about holiday sales and gift shopping, I often find myself recoiling from the ‘marketing’ world. Yes, art is an object, but is it a giftable object? It is certainly not ‘stuff’ and I feel like so much of what we buy and receive as gifts is ‘stuff’.
I hate ‘stuff’.
I like useful. I like joyful.
For the former, I turn to marketplace and secondhand stores whenever possible. Useful can be a gift if you are willing and able to wait for a holiday or birthday to specifically ask for what you need, and I am grateful to the many useful gifts I’ve received over the years (socks! Hand lotion, a new winter coat) but let’s be honest, useful gifts tend to be less thrilling.
For the latter, joy can come in many packages. Sometimes seeing Elf the Musical is joy. Sometimes loading your family into the car and driving around looking at Christmas lights is joy. Sometimes baking cookies is joy. Sometimes, for the 7 year old, ‘stuff’ is joy. And certainly, original art is joy.
But…people have taste. Whether it be opinions on type of socks or color of winter coat, people have preferences. And preferences are hard to understand when we don’t know someone well, when we aren’t paying attention or asking questions. This is why we all end up bringing home useless ‘stuff’ after a corporate holiday party. Because what can you buy someone you barely know? Something random from the front display at Marshall’s or a bottle of wine (please don’t do that).
So my meandering answer to this question: can you gift original art?
YES!
With care and collaboration.
Original art is an intimate purchase. It often comes from a deep sense of connection an individual has with a piece and its story and it is close to impossible to know someone well enough to pick for them, even spouses cannot do it without some serious hints.
But the same goes for buying someone a new winter coat: what color, down or synthetic, parka or hip length? You ask the questions because you care about giving something the receiver will treasure. You might even say, “I know you love X, send me a link.”
And so maybe it’s not a surprise, but the awesome thing about art is its still thrilling to receive when you know it’s coming. The right piece of art sparks joy and it keeps sparking joy for years. The person loves that artwork and the story it tells, but when you gift art, you become a part of that story too, and it takes on even more meaning:
My mom gifted me this painting that reminds me of where I grew up for my first Christmas in my new home.
My husband gifted me this painting of the place where we first met for our 20th wedding anniversary.
My best friend gifted me this painting that feels like a piece of my soul for my birthday.
So yes! If you are able, gift art or ask for art as a gift! And if you love supporting artists and giving unique non-‘stuff’ gifts, but don’t have the budget for original art, prints make great gifts AND many artists also sell calendars or ornaments this time of year!! I no longer sell prints myself but do have a few options available via The Crafted Prints.
