It doesn't matter whether you're buying toothpaste, jeans, doorknobs or art, your choices are endless. You're limited only by your budget and how soon you want the thing. Even within different price levels, your choices are virtually endless. It's easier NOT to choose than to make a choice and risk buyer's remorse. Especially when you put more money on the line. What do you do? Or if you can't touch and feel and see the thing first hand. Like buying art online.
I could wax poetic about so many different products, but let's focus on strategies for choosing art. There's not one right way to make a decision, but I offer these basic strategies for making decisions about art you'll love to live with.
- Find your voice. Ignore the 'experts' and pay attention to what brings you joy. Notice how a piece makes you feel inside. If you don't feel a spark, move on. And don't let anyone 'talk' you into why you should like a piece.
“Your time is limited, don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living the result of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, they somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary..”— Steve Jobs
- What's your style? Modern? Renaissance? Pop Culture? Impressionism? Photography vs. Paintings? Oil vs. Watercolor? Do you like quirky or serious? Colorful or monochromatic? Abstract or Reality? Within each of these categories there are so many variations. Consider creating a mood board of art styles you like by snipping images from the inter webs into a folder or going old fashioned and clipping magazines and pasting images together on a large piece of posterboard.
- Look at your furniture and colors in your room. Think about art that either brings out the color or if you're fairly monochrome, can add a pop of color that draws in your eye. Think about the mood that you want to create in a room. Is it calm and peaceful or vibrant and loud?
- Scout interior designers that match your style. Notice how they curate rooms and art. Notice the framing and positioning. The mix of colors, texture and media. Notice current trends (i.e. neutrals, whites, minimalist color, etc.) Notice designers that rise above current trends and a voice. Scan instagram and you'll start to notice a sameness. Think about what might look cool today will be passe tomorrow. As an example, look at hip coffee shops around the world. You'll likely notice concrete floors, white walls and wood no matter if you're in Los Angeles or Amsterdam. This is why you want to find YOUR style. One that will endure today's fad.
- Ignore your friends. Or anyone offering unsolicited advice. Only you ultimately know what feels good to you. Don't succumb to being 'talked into' liking a piece of art. If it doesn't resonate, it's not for you.
- More options leads you to regret thinking there are things you've missed. We're living in the era of the tyranny of choice. If you find something you love. Stop looking.
- Don't buy all your art at once. Buy a piece or two and live with it awhile. Do you still love it in three months? If so, yay! If not, ask yourself why. And then review your style and seek alternatives for your next piece. The more you curate slowly over time the more likely you are to acquire an art collection that represents you. Once you start acquiring art, you'll know more what you like and don't like and overtime your intuition will lead you to new pieces that you might not have considered at first.
- Have fun! Buying art shouldn't be like a trip to the dentist.