Commissions

The good, the bad, and the ugly of all creative work: commissions. I’ve been lucky, I’ve had some really great experiences doing commission work! But I’ve heard horror stories about artists getting their work stolen or clients who don’t pay and leave the work behind after the artist has put in weeks of work. Someone in the United Artists Collective chat asked about taking some commission work and it struck me that I have a great many thoughts on doing this kind of work. And of course I want to share those with you! Let’s get into taking commissions!

Know yourself

Knowing yourself is a lifetime’s work. So this is an ongoing process for all of us no matter where we are in our careers. The stereotype is that artists are kinda crazy and not particularly well adjusted. But the truth is we all make better work when we are emotionally and physically healthy. You probably already know at least part of the work you need to do in this area. Make your art no matter what: Moving beyond creative hurdles by Beth Pickens is a really good read if you are exploring some of these issues.

If you are going to take commission work you have to know yourself and feel comfortable in your own abilities. This is about your self-esteem and your confidence in being able to take someone else’s idea and solve the problem. If you feel like you are your art and your art is you, if you feel defensive or flustered about negative comments or feedback, then you’ll definitely want to understand that about yourself going in. People can be very critical and if that upsets you or hurts your feelings, then commission work might not be for you. But if your self-esteem doesn’t take a hit when you get trolled on IG then you might be in pretty good shape already for this work.

You have to be able to sell your abilities. This is a weird thing where you have to be your own biggest hype person. I had to really concentrate on developing this skill. It doesn’t have to be flashy or over the top but you need to be sure your work is worth what you are charging for it. You have to have confidence that what you are going to make is going to satisfy your client’s requirements. You have to act excited about what you’ve made for them. Because your excitement will get them excited. This is tricky though because it has to be genuine. If I’m struggling to be excited about the whole project then I try and point out details where I feel like I’ve really addressed their asks well.

Communicate with your client

Communication during the entire process is critical. This evolves listening to what they are asking, asking clarifying questions, offering suggestions, and being open to their vision. You have to see what you are doing as a collaboration between you and your client. It can’t be adversarial or it’s going to crash and burn.

I work very hard to make sure that people understand what kind of work I make. Before we get started, I ask them to look at my website and Instagram and let me know what they are really responding to in my work. I ask what kind of work they are looking for. If they are looking for representational work, I refer them to a fellow artist who takes representational/figurative commission work. There’s zero hard feelings to refer someone to a friend. I’d rather the client be happy and a friend get some work than spend my time churning over a project I don’t enjoy only to produce a piece that the client doesn’t love.

Once we start work, I try to send updates during the process and offer the client opportunities for making decisions as often as possible so they feel involved and invested in the process and outcome. This can include asking for feedback/approval on any sketches or mock ups I make. Asking for input on sizing, color, or papers. If I make a tiny mock up I give it to them so they have a tiny memento. Who doesn’t love a tiny thing!?!!! These are all ways to build relationships and truthfully that’s at least 50% of commission work.

Protect Yourself

You’ll also want to do some upfront work to protect your time and peace and money. Talk with your client about pricing as soon as you have a good handle on what they are asking for (preferably in an email so you have a paper trail) and get a deposit. 50% of the total is pretty standard for commissions. Getting a deposit is a way for the client to show good faith in you and you to have a bit of a cushion if they flake out.

If you want a contract, that’s a great idea! It makes you look like a professional business person and makes many people think twice before pulling any shenanigans. If the client balks at any of that then they might end up being more trouble than they are worth. I tell my kids to always listen to their gut about having weird or off feeling about people. Trust yours in this endeavor. If something stinks, don’t take the job.

Before I start a job, I typically send an email listing the discussed requests and a price quote and have them return an ok with their payment. That way you basically have a checklist of what is supposed to be happening. And again communicate with your client about any changes! If you have some life event that happens and you have to stop work or change your schedule, let them know what’s happening. A quick email saying you’ve had an emergency now is better than a deadline zooming past and your client getting mad because you haven’t said anything.

Do I make and sell NFTs?

This is probably a whole blog post on it’s own. The short answer is no. This is a field rife with scammers and bad actors. Every dude on Insta who isn’t asking me if I want a sugar daddy is asking me if I will sell my art as an NFT. I want to put things out into the world that I have made and molded with these two hands. Then I want other humans to interact with them, preferably in person but I can live with people viewing them online. I clearly have zero problems with digital, since I’m typing this on a computer and hoping you read it on a digital device of some kind. And I’m also hoping you’ve spent some of your time looking at my art digitally. But for me personally, NFTs are a bridge I’m just not interested in crossing.

So do I take commissions?

I have to be honest, I don’t love doing commission work. I never feel like the end result is the best articulation of either my vision or my client’s. It seems like the people who I’ve made work for are happy and they pay on time. I’m always left feeling like some spark was missing. Maybe because it’s a mingling of vision? I’m not sure where this breaks down for me. But what it means is that I think very carefully before I say yes to a commission. And depending on what else I have going on, I say yes or no accordingly.

This makes it sound like I think it’s a terrible enterprise and it’s not! It can be really energizing for someone to give you a problem to solve and then pay you to solve it! And getting to have conversations about art and what people like is a lot of fun for me. I’ve had some really good interactions with clients over the years. And it’s freaking amazing to get to install art in someone’s house and see it in their space knowing they will enjoy it every day.

What about you? Do you take commissions or nah? Tell me about it on socials, email me, or go old school and leave a comment on this post to be immortalized for all of time.

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