Merry Christmas- How not to make your christmas PRESENTS suck

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Every year  you are on the hunt for the perfect Christmas present. Every year you feel like you have not done enough. I mean, did they really like it or were they just nice? You wonder "Did I spend enough money/time/energy researching that perfect thing?" 

We all want our Christmas to be perfect. But really, the buying for buying sake doesn't matter at all. What really matters is how much thoughts you have given to please the loved person. It's not about the size or the price, it's about how well you know that loved one  to give him/her something that truly reflects who they are. 

At this point, since this is an art blog, let's talk about giving the gift of art.(However what I am saying here can be applied to pretty much everything).

​ Important question arises : 

Why should you buy art from a real artist vs mass produced art from stores like Target or Michaels?
 
Let’s say you have a problem: you need a Christmas present, or your walls are empty and you need to fill them, or your significant other has a birthday and you need a gift, maybe it’s your parents’ anniversary or you need a gift for a dear friend. You need a present and since you are feeling artsy today, you want to gift something artistic, maybe a painting. Target is known for having super cool and cute stuff as home décor so you head out there. You look and you find a cute painting you can gift and it’s only $30. Maybe you have a coupon, maybe it’s on sale, score! 
 
Now why should you not buy it but order instead a custom commission? Aren’t commissions more expensive?  Most likely so (also depends on the artist, mine start at $35)
 
The difference between mass produced commercial art and art made by a real person – aka the artist, is that even though the commercial art is cute, probably cheap or cheaper than custom art, it is an empty shell, it has no soul. It was mass produced somewhere in China or India and it has absolutely no meaning behind it other than filling a space on your wall. In couple years when you move or remodel your house, you will toss it out because it will look dated or not match your new curtains. 
 
When you order custom commission from a real artist, you are not only getting something that is unique, very special and one of a kind, custom made just for you, but also a piece of soul of that artist. It shows that you have given thought to the gift and planned ahead. It is not the first thing you saw at the first store you entered and said to yourself “this will work”. NO, it is not. It shows commitment, thoughtfulness, organization and planning. It tells the person that will received it that you have planned this months in advance, did some research, find an artist they will like and that you really care about him/her. 

When you order custom commission of a house for example, chances are your children (that you don’t even have yet) will still have that paining and one day show it to their children saying “this is where I grew up”, or “this is nanna’s house”, or something like this “This is where I used to go every Sunday to eat lunch with my grandparents before grandma died” or “this is where I spend my summers learning how to bike with my grandpa” or “this is the beach house/mountain house we used to go every summer for family retreats”.
Art like that speaks volume, it has meaning. It has history, it shows you care about the family and its history. It shows you know where you came from.
 
Going back to original problem, your partner has a birthday and you need a gift. You can give them a cool print of a motorcycle or a dragon, or you can give them print of an Eifert Tower or some bride in Venice, or you can give them a painting of their childhood home where they have the best memories from childhood, after that they went to college, something happened and the house got sold and they never lived there again. 

Ask yourself, which one has more meaning?


In summary, if you dont want your Christmas presents to suck, you need to put in the time, effort and energy into it. Theres no way around it. You can't just throw money at the present thinking if its expensive it will do the trick. It simply needs to come from the heart and touch the loved ones' heart. 
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You know what to do now, make it best Christmas yet!
 

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It's not about the size or the price, it's about how well you know that loved one  to give him/her something that truly reflects who they are. ​

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the buying for buying sake doesn't matter at all. What really matters is how much thoughts you have given to please the loved person.

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It tells the person that will received it that you have planned this months in advance, did some research, find an artist they will like and that you really care about him/her.

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“this is where I grew up”, or “this is nanna’s house”

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Merry Christmas and happy new year!
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