In my mind, I imagine that some people who request services from an artist do not know the time or effort that it takes for an artist to prepare, create and produce a commissioned piece. As a result what often happens to artists Whether one is a fine artist, graphic designer, book illustrator, writer or photographer, or what have you, often than not, creatives get seller’s guilt, underprice their work, and therefore undervalue themselves. Some people question the price of artwork when requesting quotes from artists, but would these people question the amount of money their accountant charges when doing their taxes? Probably not. These are the type of people who don’t value the time and effort you invest into your art commissions and are perhaps not your ideal client.

Advice for artists

Money is a difficult subject.

The stereotype of starving artists has prevailed throughout history with the depiction of artists sacrificing material wealth to follow their life’s passion and focus on their artwork.

Undervaluing yourself and pricing your art too low will result in you working harder to attract more clients (who don’t value you) and working longer hours to make ends meet. This isn’t very time effective and can be quite stressful.

Money is a difficult subject.

The stereotype of starving artists has prevailed throughout history with the depiction of artists sacrificing material wealth to follow their life’s passion and focus on their artwork.

Undervaluing yourself and pricing your art too low will result in you working harder to attract more clients (who don’t value you) and working longer hours to make ends meet. This isn’t very time effective and can be quite stressful.

Art is a real job

is a real job. But you, as a client or a consumer, probably find it difficult to even entertain the notion it is a real job. Why? Because if you have ever bought artwork online or otherwise, you will have never paid for a piece as if it was the product of a ‘real’ job or service.

When worth and value in our society are tied so closely to money, how can you think art is a real job when what you pay does not even come close to approaching what you would pay others for a ‘real’ job, a ‘real’ skill, service, product (all of which art is?) When you are even afforded a choice to continue to believe that art is not a real job? There might be one artist charging appropriately for their work, but hundreds of others that aren’t. I doubt one in a sea of many is enough to convince you of the worth of art.

I feel artists charging so lowly for their work breeds an attitude of entitlement in clients. This manifests in the messages artists receive begging them to lower their prices, telling them their art isn’t worth x or y, showing shock at the extravagant amounts that artists ask for their work (‘extravagant’ often being ‘enough to buy one meal in return for six or seven hours of work’). It does not help that art is often marketed as ‘cheap’ therefore worth buying (‘you should commission this artist, their work is so cheap and affordable!’) versus the fact it is worth buying because it is beautiful, custom-made, one-of-a-kind, everything else that art is and can be.