Welcome to The Art Biz Kid

The first commission finished in my new shop, completed even before the SuckWOW is fully operational, does not have me busting a champagne bottle on the doorway so far. Let me clue you in on kind of a dirty little secret-- we artists don't really like doing commissions, not really.

A commission is when someone offers to pay you to make something specifically for them. A lot of times it's because they missed out on buying something they saw of yours and are having remorse they didn't pull the trigger for whatever reason. The best kind of commissions are when people have been watching your art for some time, and like it, and how it's been evolving over time and know only that they want "something" from you.

These arrangements give you the freedom to make whatever you want so it removes that "doing what your told" aspect-- which is the thing we really aren't so hot about. The thing is, unless you're loaded, you usually wind up taking the other kind of commission too, no matter how many times you've promised yourself you won't.

Exhibit A:

This is the original sculpture the client saw and liked. I told her it was one I really liked too, and liked the theme behind it so wouldn't mind returning to it, but whatever i made wouldn't be exactly like it. When you buy an original piece of art, it's with the understanding that it's unique, not just one of many cranked out.

This is the one I just finished. The welds and grinder marks aren't rusted yet (they look tons better when they get that artifact look, super rusty around the edges), and the lighting is terrible in this shot, but -- it's done. It elicited an all caps email saying this isn't the one she remembered and "I should know which one she's talking about, after all, I made it" etc etc.

So, after my initial reaction of wanting to deliver it personally to the client's backside, I wrote a polite email back saying my goal wasn't replication of the original, but to work off of that theme of a serene boat on roiling water. The symbolism, to me, is staying centered amid chaos but hey-- it's art, see whatever you want in it.

Now i just wait. I don't want anyone to own any of my art unless they're into it and I've told her it's totally fine w/ me if she wants to just forget it. Once again I'm promising myself I'll never do this again (face-palm), knowing full well if I'm broke enough I probably will.