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Every client interaction begins with a conversation, we all know this.
I say that conversation truly begins when you throw away your list of questions.
In all of my years creating bespoke artwork for clients- whether it was a commissioned painting or a mural, or a body art installation for a corporate event- I've always known that understanding the client is the only real way to create the perfect piece for them. Of course I create art in my own style, but MY vision for the piece is secondary to that of the client.
But I've also learned that coming in with a checklist of questions is just the preamble to the real conversation. Even when I've done research beforehand to tailor my questions to each person. The real "magic" happens when the checklist is done, and the person doesn't feel like they're being interviewed any more; when they're just talking about life. This is when we start to see glimmers of their spirit; who they REALLY are. THIS is who we create for.
Way back, in my days as a clown and face painter, people started calling me "the psychic face painter." I never liked working from a set design sheet; when there wasn't a long line, I delighted in getting the person in my chair to talk about themselves (I painted a lot of adults at corporate events and night clubs). Then I would literally get a visual flash come into my mind, like a stroke of lightning leaving an indelible mark. I'd say, "I have it- you're going to love this", and when I'd finish, and they'd look in the mirror, they'd almost always gasp, "how did you KNOW I loved ___?" It wasn't something they explicitly spoke about, it was something that was delivered to me by The Muse as they chatted about themselves.
I don't think this is unique to me... I've just trained myself to be open to it. It's not easy to come into a commissioned art conversation with an open mind- I think too often we come in to any discovery call with a client with the ideas of OUR solutions, and how we're going to make whatever they tell us fit our pre-established idea of what we're going to create for them.
It's a skill that can be learned. We need to not only listen to our clients, but also listen to our intuition. Clear our mind of what we THINK the client needs/wants; all our ideas about what WE want to create for them. That's all clutter that bars the muse's entry.
“[The professional] eliminates chaos from his world in order to banish it from his mind. He wants the carpet vacuumed and the threshold swept, so the Muse may enter and not soil her gown.” - Steven Pressfield, "The War of Art"
How long to you stay and chat with your client after you're done with the "checklist?"
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