Julie R. Neidlinger: Lone Prairie Art and Writing

Don't be too hungry.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 0 comments link this post

A great challenge for me while trying to make a living as an artist was that I was too hungry. I wanted the sale, the job, the commission so badly that I ended up getting burned almost as often as not.

I don't know the fine line between getting yourself out there for exposure and knowing when you might be dealing with someone who just wants to take advantage of you, but I'll share three incidents that might at least give a new artist a heads up on what to expect or avoid.

The eager patron: A surgeon from the East coast began calling and emailing me, telling me how much he loved my work. It is flattering to hear such things, and so without thinking I agreed to send him a portfolio so that he could show all his friends who had art galleries. He assured me he could get my art into a gallery. At my expense, I printed up full-color prints of my drawings and paintings and put them in a high-quality binder; the project ended up costing me just shy of $100 which, though it might not seem like much, was a lot to me. It was more than I made from the painting he bought from me, a painting priced on the lower end of my pricing spectrum. After all, it is difficult to say no to a person who has already purchased something from you. As you have probably guessed, I've never heard from him again, never had the portfolio sent back, and never seen any kind of financial compensation for my time or costs. Send your portfolio, but make certain it's to the actual gallery. Anyone else is just a bunch of hot air.

Kill fee: A software company from Australia contacted me and wondered if they might use a little brown cow cartoon I'd drawn and had on my web site. They have a software called HowNow and wanted a brown cow to use with it. After the initial contact, I heard nothing. Then, nearly a year later, I was contacted again and began working on tweaking the brown cow. I emailed back and forth with a pleasant fellow named Michael and we eventually agreed that the cow was ready to go. I just needed to email all the various file formats for them to use. At this point, having devoted much time and energy into the cow, I wanted to see the money. There was no way I was going to email a bunch of files without something to show for them.

Suddenly, the emails chugged to a halt. I emailed. And waited. I sent pleasant reminders, and then I'd get an email back full of apology and then it would start all over again. To this day I have not sent the files (thank goodness I waited) but I have also not seen any money to pay for my time. Agree on a kill fee or get some money up front. Otherwise, particularly when dealing over the Internet or with a company in another country, you'll be lucky to get paid for your time. Some people seem to think that as long as they decide not to buy the "final product" they don't owe you anything for your time.

Money up front: My most recent incident involved a nice fellow who wanted some custom bookplates made. He wanted a set of bookplates that could stand on their own but also had visual connections so the two people who would receive them would have "matching" bookplates. He wanted them by Christmas 2006 so I found myself, in the midst of December and my most hectic and stressful month, sketching and drawing and reworking the designs. I pushed myself to get them done so that I could email the digital files and he could have them in time to print and give as gifts. Then I waited. I heard nothing. I sent another email. Nothing. Christmas passed. There I was, two bookplates drawn to custom request after multiple emails discussion options. As I said above, get some money before doing any work. Your time, like mine, is valuable and just because the "final product" never passed hands doesn't mean money isn't necessary.

I would say this: money talks. If a person is serious enough about their request for you to design or draw or paint something for them, then they can prove it by paying you some money up front. If they don't trust you for asking, then let them go. I've heard every excuse, reason or plea in the book at this point in my career as to why someone couldn't/didn't pay or why they want me to wait or give them a deal in price. Sometimes the reasons are valid, sometimes people "just forget" but many times the nature of the Internet allows them to just rudely stop communicating after changing their mind without any penalty or discomfort.

Forget it. People pay other professionals; if a plumber's time is valuable, so is mine.

Don't be too hungry, because you'll only end up starving.

Incidentally, if you'd like to buy the bookplates that I drew for this customer, or just want to see them, check those designs, and others, out on my bookplates page.