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Update: Regarding fixing my career / what to expect from me
6 years ago
So, over a week ago, I had a big breakdown because of my art career and what felt like impending doom on a daily basis. Things haven't been going well and I keep slipping farther behind and making shitty promises/deadlines/goals that have been impossible to keep because I've just been blinded by my depression, stress, anxiety and inability to focus because of everything going on. After I brokedown, I spent a signifigant amount of time avoiding being online, away from art, so I could figure out my options, including quiting and finding a regular job, or the work it'd actually take me to fix my career.
I decided I wanted one more chance to fix this. I want to continue being an artist, even if its a struggle for a while, because I love making art, I can't picture myself doing anything else. It's going to take a lot of time and patience but it's do-able. However, this is honestly the last chance I'm giving myself to fix things, and if I don't make decent progress within the next 2-3 months, then I'm out. I'll quit being an artist, figure out what I have to do to finish the art I owe or pay customers back if it comes to that.
As of right now though, I owe over 100 commissions. I failed to see that it was getting that bad because I kept turning a blind eye to my backlog. Because of this, I have a lot of work ahead of me, and to support myself I'm gonna have to keep taking commissions, and I may eventually get a part time job as well to at least ensure I get my bills paid. I hate to take on more work, but if I quit, it'd take an even longer time before I would be capable of repaying that.
So there are several changes to the ways I'm going to be handling my business that I need to make if I want any chance at succeeding. I just hope ya'll understand, and know that I am dedicated to my art and I will do your commission. It may just take a lot longer to get to, but I guarantee it will be worth the wait.
Here's what I'm changing:
Deadlines:
I promise nothing. I cannot provide you with a deadline. Reason being is I’ve got a bad habit of just throwing out a date, forgetting what I’ve said to who, and in turn pissing people off and wearing their patience thin because I keep giving bad deadlines. What I can do however is start keeping up with a Trello account so you can keep track of where your commission is. On it I’ll be keeping track of my backlog and typically trying to work on the oldest ones first, however I may still jump around my list from time to time to work on commissions I feel will best fit my work flow at any given time.
Working on both new and overdue commissions:
I gotta do what I gotta do to cover my bills. Nothing says peace of mind like knowing I got things covered for at least the next couple of weeks. In order to make that happen, and ensure I get enough business to pay my bills from here on out, I will be taking commissions I plan to be able to turn around and finish within a month from taking payment. I will also be working on overdue commissions along side them.
Refunds:
I can't afford refunds. Period. I only ever take on exactly what I need to to pay my bills and basic living expenses. I have no money in savings, nor to I spend money on myself aside from eating out occasionally. Because of this I've had to scramble every time someone's asked for a refund in the past, either pushing their commission ahead of schedule to keep their business, or putting so much strain on me financially that month that I have to take on more work than I can handle just to afford a refund.
Once I start making positive progress, it may take me 4-6 months until I’m stable enough to afford a few refunds here or there. If you strongly desire a refund, I can put you on a waitlist to get one, but I cannot guarantee how long it will take until and honestly I feel it’d be better for both you and me to give me a little more patience to allow me to finish the art I owe you, with an appropriate amount of time. Regardless of what it is or however long you’ve waited, I still want to make it for you and I haven’t forgotten. If it’s a matter of no longer wanting the content you commissioned (say you had a falling out with a friend or no longer have an interest in the subject matter), then I’ll be happy to draw something else for you.
Schedule for replying to messages-
As of right now I want to aim for reply to messages for a short period twice a day, 3 days a week, on Monday-Wednesday-Friday. Having a schedule like this will help me get back to you faster, and take a lot of tension/stress off myself when I get messages when I’m ‘off work’. If you message me during my downtime and see me posting, please don’t worry and think I’m ignoring you. I just have a lot of work to do, and outside those times, I want to focus on my art and life.
Thank you for your time and understanding. I want to do the best job possible and keep making awesome art for ya'll.
I decided I wanted one more chance to fix this. I want to continue being an artist, even if its a struggle for a while, because I love making art, I can't picture myself doing anything else. It's going to take a lot of time and patience but it's do-able. However, this is honestly the last chance I'm giving myself to fix things, and if I don't make decent progress within the next 2-3 months, then I'm out. I'll quit being an artist, figure out what I have to do to finish the art I owe or pay customers back if it comes to that.
As of right now though, I owe over 100 commissions. I failed to see that it was getting that bad because I kept turning a blind eye to my backlog. Because of this, I have a lot of work ahead of me, and to support myself I'm gonna have to keep taking commissions, and I may eventually get a part time job as well to at least ensure I get my bills paid. I hate to take on more work, but if I quit, it'd take an even longer time before I would be capable of repaying that.
So there are several changes to the ways I'm going to be handling my business that I need to make if I want any chance at succeeding. I just hope ya'll understand, and know that I am dedicated to my art and I will do your commission. It may just take a lot longer to get to, but I guarantee it will be worth the wait.
Here's what I'm changing:
Deadlines:
I promise nothing. I cannot provide you with a deadline. Reason being is I’ve got a bad habit of just throwing out a date, forgetting what I’ve said to who, and in turn pissing people off and wearing their patience thin because I keep giving bad deadlines. What I can do however is start keeping up with a Trello account so you can keep track of where your commission is. On it I’ll be keeping track of my backlog and typically trying to work on the oldest ones first, however I may still jump around my list from time to time to work on commissions I feel will best fit my work flow at any given time.
Working on both new and overdue commissions:
I gotta do what I gotta do to cover my bills. Nothing says peace of mind like knowing I got things covered for at least the next couple of weeks. In order to make that happen, and ensure I get enough business to pay my bills from here on out, I will be taking commissions I plan to be able to turn around and finish within a month from taking payment. I will also be working on overdue commissions along side them.
Refunds:
I can't afford refunds. Period. I only ever take on exactly what I need to to pay my bills and basic living expenses. I have no money in savings, nor to I spend money on myself aside from eating out occasionally. Because of this I've had to scramble every time someone's asked for a refund in the past, either pushing their commission ahead of schedule to keep their business, or putting so much strain on me financially that month that I have to take on more work than I can handle just to afford a refund.
Once I start making positive progress, it may take me 4-6 months until I’m stable enough to afford a few refunds here or there. If you strongly desire a refund, I can put you on a waitlist to get one, but I cannot guarantee how long it will take until and honestly I feel it’d be better for both you and me to give me a little more patience to allow me to finish the art I owe you, with an appropriate amount of time. Regardless of what it is or however long you’ve waited, I still want to make it for you and I haven’t forgotten. If it’s a matter of no longer wanting the content you commissioned (say you had a falling out with a friend or no longer have an interest in the subject matter), then I’ll be happy to draw something else for you.
Schedule for replying to messages-
As of right now I want to aim for reply to messages for a short period twice a day, 3 days a week, on Monday-Wednesday-Friday. Having a schedule like this will help me get back to you faster, and take a lot of tension/stress off myself when I get messages when I’m ‘off work’. If you message me during my downtime and see me posting, please don’t worry and think I’m ignoring you. I just have a lot of work to do, and outside those times, I want to focus on my art and life.
Thank you for your time and understanding. I want to do the best job possible and keep making awesome art for ya'll.
Hope for the best. Lots of love ❤️ 💙💛
Sticking to the contract is the difference between being an artist and being a con artist.
Also, consider a delivery service as a supplemental income. Door Dash or Uber Eats is a fantastic way to be your own boss.
Create an excell sheet with all commissions you still have to do in 3 columns.
Older than 3 months, newer than 3 months, and 1 week old.
Doing one of each category a day will finish up 90% of your workload in a month.
Up to you how many you want to do a day.
Used to do vector illustrations on a contract and having to do quick progress on work that's piled up for months because nobody thought about graphics for their software.
A few small suggestions you may find beneficial;
Alternate between completing new work and old work, it'll keep the size of both queues decreasing regularly and will help motivation
Create a spreadsheet with all your customers, and set yourself rough deadlines for when specific pieces will be completed. Even if you're not communicating those deadlines to the customers, it'll help you to have order and structure.
Communicate with your customers proactively, let them know that you are working on their artwork. Especially if it's been a long time since they placed the commission, ask them if the idea or character refs have changed before you begin.
I wish you all the best! Make it right bud, your art is great and I would love to support it further in the future!