Collector Guide: The Overthinking Person’s Guide to Buying Art
Find the perfect piece without second-guessing yourself to death
If your brain has ever responded to "just pick something you like" with 104 follow-up questions, a spreadsheet, and a mild existential crisis - this one's for you.
Buying art when you're an overthinker is a particular kind of torture, because the stakes feel enormous and the rules feel made up (they are) and everyone else seems to just... know things that you don't.
They don't. Everyone’s winging it. Here's a list that might actually help, though.
Your "but what if" brain is not the enemy
Write down every anxiety. What if I choose wrong? What if it doesn't work in the room? What if my taste changes? What if people think it's weird? Get them all out. Then, next to each one, write: "and I'll handle that if it happens." Because you will. You've handled everything else life has thrown at you so far.
The overthinking brain is actually quite useful here if you point it in the right direction. The problem isn't that you think too much - it's that you're thinking about the wrong things. Stop thinking about whether you're choosing correctly and start thinking about how things make you feel.
The only question that matters
Not "is this good art?" Not "will this hold its value?" Not "does this go with my sofa?" The question is: what is this doing to me right now, standing in front of it?
One of my collectors described it as feeling "fizzy in my tummy." Another said a piece made her feel "seen and understood" in a way she couldn't entirely explain. These are not frivolous responses, they’re kinda the whole point. That visceral, physical, slightly-embarrassing reaction is your ‘inner knowing’ speaking. It knows what it's doing. Trust it.
The difference between "should like" and actually love
Make two lists. One of art you think you should like - the stuff that's critically acclaimed, that your most culturally sophisticated friend has on their walls, that you feel you ought to appreciate. And one of art that actually excites you, makes you want to look longer, makes you feel something.
The gap between those two lists is extremely informative. The second list is your actual taste. It doesn't need justifying to anyone.
Practical things that genuinely help
On size: cut masking tape to the dimensions of the piece you're considering and stick it to your wall. Live with it for a few days. You'll know whether it's right or not.
On originals vs prints: this isn't only a budget question, it's a feeling question. Originals have a physical presence that prints can't replicate - the texture, the evidence of the hand, the way light catches the surface. Prints let you collect more widely and test your taste without the commitment. Both are completely valid. What matters is how they make you feel in your space.
On budget: if a piece costs €300 and makes you genuinely happy every single day for a year, that's less than €1 a day. Framed like that, most art is extraordinarily good value. The things society tells us are practical expenditures and the things that actually support our wellbeing are not always the same things.
When you're truly stuck
Give yourself a deadline - a week for smaller purchases, a month for larger ones. "Perfect" is the enemy of "wonderful" and you are not looking for the single correct piece that will solve all your art needs forever. You're looking for something that makes you feel more yourself in your own home. That's a lower bar than you've set for it.
If you keep coming back to look at something, or can’t stop thinking about it, that's your answer.
Other people's opinions
Can do one, frankly. This art is going on your walls, in your space, for your eyes. The person who doesn't get it doesn't have to live with it. You have spent quite enough time trying to fit your specific, singular self into spaces that weren't designed for you. Your art choices get to be entirely, unapologetically yours.
One last thing
Buying art that genuinely means something to you - that makes you feel seen, that reflects something true about who you are - is not a frivolous act. It's an act of self-knowledge. It’s a flag in the ground. It's saying: this is what I value, this is what I want to look at, this is who I am when nobody's telling me who to be.
That's worth taking seriously. And also worth not overthinking to death.
Are you interested in collecting my art? If so, I have a selection available online in The Gallery, or you can contact me directly for a Studio Visit or a complete list of available pieces.
