i feel as if its worded a bit aggressively in places but i understand lD;;
for reals though... i get its hard to find a job, i used to work retail too and it stressed me out so bad i had to quit after a year and a half of it, and im trying to price my art so that for the amt of effort i put in, im making close to what i did make, and hopefully more, by the hour
the only problem with pricing for me is that i have adhd really really bad and i can almost never sit down and finish a piece of art without getting distracted a million times... so timing doesnt work for me ;v;
but yeah, sometimes it feels like this makes it hard for people who rely on commissions as a replacement for income to get commissions.. ive seen so many topics, no hate here, where ppl are offering things for super cheap that id charge Much more for
and an additional note to everyone else: if someone is undercharging, please tip them a lot and tell them that they should be charging that as the whole price particularly if theyve mentioned how long it takes for them to do that partic type of commission.
i get for younger folks that art is more for fun than about money but we all deserve to make enough off our art to not constantly be swamped with super cheap commissions that arent worth the amount of effort that goes in for what you were paid...
What in the name of all that is holy is that commission board.
That is a disgrace.
I made more money standing around in an empty retail store doing nothing than half of you. I was paid minimum wage in my state, 7.25 an hour and let me tell you- it wasn't enough money to make it worth it. $2 to $30 for a piece that takes you 5 hours? No. No, no, no.
I don't give a flying rat's rear end where your skill level is at, if you spend any time using a skill you have to create a piece of work for someone, you deserve to be paid more than that. If you spend 3 hours on a single piece and charge $5 on it you are getting paid $1.60 an hour. I can find that much change by rooting around in my sofa and dryer in thirty minutes, and guess what? I still can't buy anything with it.
What do you need to be paid an hour to live? To cover expenses? $14 an hr? $24? Okay, well here's what we do.
That piece takes you three hours? Cool beans, now we multiply 24 by 3. That's $72 to go toward your savings. Those savings can be used for emergencies. Be it your pets, your car, or your health. If you're feeling wild, it could go toward a pizza. Now you don't have to scramble and beg for Kofi contributions or bust your rear end doing a thousand $5 comms.
If you come here and say 'but my customers will go away'! I will grab you by the face and yell GOOD and then take your teeth for wasting my time. People who only purchase commissions for cheap are not worth it, they are taking advantage of you.
Do yourself a favor, value your time, energy and skill. Price your artwork better, and price it by the hour. Get a timer app and start tracking how long it takes you to do something, and then calculate how much money you're missing out on.
If you can make more cash spending the same amount of time at a minimum wage job, you are doing. it. wrong.
I honestly do not put any faith in the community to actually tip and tell an artist they are undercharging.
We've got people out here who throw hissy fits over a $25 comm, and in a retail setting- Karens throwing fits over not getting to use their coupon from the 1980s. It's up to the artists, they need to stop undercharging, period. Pull up your depends, and start charging like you're worth your time.
No excuses, look for ways to manage and make sure you're getting what you are worth. This is inane.
I will slap you so hard, nobody's art is shit as long as they are trying. You need to start believing in yourself and your skill level immediately, putting yourself down only digs you a hole in which it becomes harder and harder to climb out of.
Even if you don't believe your skill is up to par, your time is worth the money. Price it for your time until you can get out of the hole you've dug.