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Guilt on past framing jobs

A

Amy Gibbs

New participant
Messages
1
Loc
Durham, NH
Company
Amy's Frame Shop
How do you deal with knowing you've framed things incorrectly in the past? I love learning new techniques & industry standards, but the guilt of knowing there are jobs out there that I've framed incorrectly in the past eats me up inside. It's not economically feasible for me to fix all the mistakes I've made over the years for free. I could run a special to put glazing over all the canvases I've framed without glazing? I'm not sure. Should I have everyone sign a waver when they drop art off? I feel like that's saying, " I'll do the best I can right now. but maybe I'll learn later that it's not the right thing". Anyway, am I the only one who struggles with this? I know learning new techniques is important & I don't want the guilt to stop me from always wanting to learn how to frame better. Thank you for letting me vent. -a conflicted framer
 
Framing is like anything else; we do the best we can with the knowledge and materials available to us. As new materials and techniques become available, we integrate them into our businesses and go on. Unless you knowingly did something that was harmful, there really isn't anything to feel guilty about. It is like advancements in any other field. Besides, there are plenty of framers out there still framing like it was 1959.

The fact that you are even thinking about this is commendable and suggests that you will always be a great framer providing real value to your customers. The best thing you can do is to keep learning and keep striving to provide your customers with the best options. They will not always follow your advice, but they are making informed decisions.

The specific example you used of glazing paintings is an instance where knowing what is best does not always translate into the customer choosing it. :sour:

Although I stress its importance, and customers believe me, only one in twenty actually chooses to do it. We can only do our best. Don't be discouraged by this.
 
For some reason, children come to mind. How many of us with children who are raised can look back and say "Boy was I a good parent. If I had to do it over again I wouldn't change a thing."?

As long as you are doing the best you can with the knowledge you have at the time, no one can reasonably expect any more out of you. Rather, just be thankful as you learn new things and take joy from the fact that you can do something better today than you could yesterday.
 
Don't feel guilty. As others have said you did the best you could at the time with the knowledge and materials available. We have all been there.

Now what you could do is use this a promotion to get those people back in your shop. I have been advised by others to send out a card to my customers offering a Free Art Check Up. This is just the inspection part. If they come in and you see there are acidic mats, non conservation glass, non conservation backing, the wrong hangers, you get the picture. You can point this out and then tell them we can fix it for this cost. Who knows it could get them to bring in the old stuff or it could get them to remember that picture in the closet they would like to get framed.

Now if I would only take my own advice!!!
 
Amy Gibbs said:
How do you deal with knowing you've framed things incorrectly in the past? I love learning new techniques & industry standards, but the guilt of knowing there are jobs out there that I've framed incorrectly in the past eats me up inside. It's not economically feasible for me to fix all the mistakes I've made over the years for free. I could run a special to put glazing over all the canvases I've framed without glazing? I'm not sure. Should I have everyone sign a waver when they drop art off? I feel like that's saying, " I'll do the best I can right now. but maybe I'll learn later that it's not the right thing". Anyway, am I the only one who struggles with this? I know learning new techniques is important & I don't want the guilt to stop me from always wanting to learn how to frame better. Thank you for letting me vent. -a conflicted framer
Click to expand...

You know Amy, I don't think there is a person in the industry who has been framing for more than 10 years who hasn't done something in the past that would be considered harmful by todays standards. You are not alone in your wish to be able to go back. Don't let it bother you. Just do it better now by being the best framer you can be. That is all any of us can do.
 
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