Am I the only one who keeps a notebook of client feedback quirks

I was working with a painter in Portland last fall who told me her favorite part of the process was when I stopped second-guessing her color choices. She said I kept suggesting tiny tweaks that actually made her work feel less like hers. It stuck with me because I realized I was treating every project like it needed my stamp instead of just helping her execute her vision. She wasn't being rude about it, just honest. I started keeping a little Moleskine where I write down specific things clients say about how they want to work with me. Has anyone else had a moment where a client basically told you to back off and let them do their thing?

2 comments

2 Comments

jake_mason302d ago

That painter's honesty is a huge gift honestly. I just finished reading a book about art direction where the photographer kept messing with the lighting on set until the model finally said "you're making this look like everyone else's work." It made me think about how easy it is to over polish something until it loses its soul. Your notebook idea is smart because it keeps you from repeating the same mistakes. I started writing down one specific thing each client says they love about my process after I had a similar wake up call. Now I look at it before every new project to remind myself to stay in my lane.

morgan_jenkins902d ago

Dude yes, that's such a good point about over polishing. I had a client once tell me they picked me because my work looked "less perfect" than the other bids they got lol. At first I was like wait what, but then I realized that's exactly it, too much polish just makes everything look the same.