They Don’t Draw, That’s Your Job
They Don’t Draw, That’s Your Job
“Your clients are doing everything within their power, unintentionally, to keep you from finding your style or developing one…”
-Jake Meeks
When a customer approaches you with an idea, more often than not it isn't complete. Rather, they'll express to you a feeling, or recollection of an event, or a bunch of “things” that mean this one “thing” to them. It's up to you to determine what that means and how it can be depicted visually.
“When they show up with an idea they’re
not making decisions based on a solid art fundamental mindset.”
-Jake Meeks
Aim to build rapport during the consultation, as this is one of the best ways to ensure your client feels comfortable. By asking pointed questions or reframing the situation you can show that you're engaged and listening, which will instill confidence in your potential client. This will demonstrate that you're on their team and invested in finding the best solution for them.
For example: “Wow, thanks for bringing in all this reference, this is really great material to BUILD OFF OF”, or “What inspired you to come and get a consultation for this design?”
Establishing trust is key when working with clients. By showing that you're present and interested in what they have to say, it will prevent them from feeling discouraged or defensive about their ideas. And, framing the situation is super important for creating that environment.
Narrowing The Client’s Focus
“The first thing that I ask is: If you could only have one of these things in this tattoo, what would it be?”
-Jake Meeks
"Cornucopia Tattoos" and "Memorial Tattoos" are both design concepts that you want to avoid. If a client comes to you with twelve images or pieces of reference material, and they start describing a complex design with many different elements; “and it’s got gears and light bulbs and a beehive and a t-rex smoking a salmon and…..”, it is likely best to steer them in another direction. These types of tattoos are often disasterous projects that end up being regretted by all parties involved.
Right from the start, you want to get them thinking more about what their tattoo is supposed to SYMBOLIZE for them instead of worrying so much about how it will APPEAR to other people. A great way to do this is by asking a simple question: “If you could only have one element in this tattoo, what would it be?” By doing this, you're not getting rid of all their ideas at once--you're helping them focus on identifying the most important aspects of the design, or "Finding the Star of the Composition."
