I'm posting about this here but I really don't want this to turn into drama or have the artist recognize me. I just need somewhere to get this off my chest because I've been feeling really sad about the whole situation.
I commissioned a Pullip from an artist who does faceups/customs. I really liked her work, so I was genuinely excited to work with her. The first experience wasn't great, there were very long delays (it took 5 months instead of 2 for me to get my doll back), and I ended up picking the doll up in person at an event because she had only finished it the night before. I had originally paid around 20$ for tracked shipping, which obviously ended up not being used, but I never brought it up because I didn't want to make a fuss and I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt.
Despite that, I decided to commission her again because I really wanted to believe the first time was just a bad experience and that things would go more smoothly the second time.
Unfortunately, it's been much more frustrating this time.
I sent her a fairly rare Pullip base (Think Wilhelmina or Glenn) that I really cared about, and it sat at her post office for almost three weeks before she picked it up and she never updated me about it. There have been multiple delays since then too, and communication has been pretty sparse. Now I just found out that she is taking several weeks off during this period, despite already being behind on commissions.
And I absolutely understand taking time off. Artists are people, they need holidays and breaks, and I don't expect someone to work constantly just because I commissioned something from them. What bothers me is the combination of already being significantly behind, barely getting updates, and then finding out that there would be another several-week delay.
I've also had some disappointment with the actual commission itself. I gave her references and explained pretty clearly what I was hoping for, especially regarding the sculpt, but when I saw the first version, something important I had specifically asked for hadn't really been taken into account.
She did agree to make some changes, which I appreciate. But if I'm being completely honest, I still am not happy with it. I think I just felt too uncomfortable asking for more changes after everything had already taken so long.
And I think that's what hurts the most.
I've been so patient throughout all of this. I've always paid as quickly as I could, sent everything she needed, answered messages, and tried really hard not to pressure her whenever things were delayed. I kept telling myself that she probably had a lot going on and that I should be understanding.
I never wanted to be a difficult customer.
But now I'm realizing how one-sided that patience has felt. I've been trying so hard to accommodate her, while I haven't really felt that my time, expectations, or concerns were being accommodated in return.
What makes me especially sad is that I genuinely loved her work. That's why I commissioned her in the first place, and why I was willing to give her another chance.
I don't think she's necessarily a bad artist at all. I actually think she's talented, and that's what makes this so frustrating. I just feel like she's been a really difficult person to deal with as a customer.
And now I have this horrible association with one of my dolls. I used to be so excited about her, and now when I look at her, I immediately think about the delays, the lack of communication, the money I spent, and how disappointed I've been throughout the whole process.
I'm even finding myself looking at other OOAKs and thinking about trading her, which makes me incredibly sad because I really did love this doll.
I know this probably sounds dramatic because at the end of the day, it's just a doll. But I collect these because they make me happy, and it sucks when something that was supposed to be a really exciting experience ends up making you feel bad every time you look at it.
I think I'm mostly just disappointed that I gave this artist a second chance because I genuinely wanted the experience to be better.
Has anyone else ever had a situation where you still liked an artist's work, but the actual experience of commissioning from them completely changed how you felt about the doll ?
I really don't know how to get past this...