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Bad commission practise by Poketto-monsta

I guess I'm just rambling here, but I see a lot of bad commission practise around and it really, really irks me. When someone commissions you, they are paying for a service, and it should be your top priority to complete that service to the highest standard

For example: Spending money before the commission is complete. I never, EVER spend commission money before I've handed over a completed product and a commissioner is happy with it, because something might happen where I have to refund. Now emergency commissions are different, and I understand if you're taking on commissions to pay for say, an emergency hospital or vet bill, but this is usually stated beforehand. If you're taking on commissions for luxury money to spend on goods, non-vital travel, other art, etc, you should not be spending that money until you've delivered a product, it's just bad practise.

Also, doing personal art when you have owed commissions. I understand sometimes it's hard to gt into the groove of doing commission work, and maybe doing one or two pieces of personal art before working on your commissions helps you warm up, and that's fine! But when you have a huge queue of commissioners who've been waiting for weeks or even months for the work they payed for, you shouldn't be submitting personal art every day?? It should just be a given, you don't ignore PAYED WORK for personal stuff. If somebody has given you money to work, you don't ignore the work.

I guess the same could apply to trades, too. I have one trade I've been waiting on for what seems like a good couple of months now, and like... It's kind of a bummer when you work for hours on your half of a trade (which is the equivalent of payed work) and then get nothing in return? You might as well be doing free art, it feels like you've wasted your time when you see them pumping out personal work with your trade still in queue.
Idk, I guess these are just pointless rambles and shit like this will continue to happen for as long as furry art exists.

Bad commission practise

Poketto-monsta

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  • Link

    Tooth.Bones

    Awh man. I'm really bad with this stuff sometimes :c
    I'm trying REALLY hard to get out of the bad habits

    This journal makes me feel baaaaaad about myseeeellllffff lol

    Just reminds me I need to do better c:
    I can and I will.

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      Poketto-monsta

      As long as you're trying to get out of the habit man it's all good! You seem to be keeping on top of your owed work and working on it so all's well c:
      I didn't mean to make you feel bad, I just think people need to understand that commissions are a product like any other and if you're being payed for work you have to actually do the work lmao! I think maybe some people take on too much work at once and get overhwelmed, I understand as an artist myself that artists aren't just art-machines that can pump high quality stuff out really fast and work takes time, but it's easy to get overloaded D:

      • Link

        Tooth.Bones

        I take on too much at once. I want to believe I'll finish everything right when people ask me. But in reality that's not possible. Life happened and gets in the way. Things stack up. And I have an awful memory.
        And I am bad when it comes to commission money. I do spend it too quickly. BUT I have a policy now where I only receive payment once the commission is done so as to prevent me not forgetting and not doing it.

        I'm trying very hard to get on track. Maybe I need a financial adviser lol. Maybe I just need someone to talk to about all this. Idk

        TL;DR

        I suck.
        I'm trying to do better. Lol

  • Link

    Therion

    Preach the truth! xD I'm stuck in the endless loop of the artist doing personal art. Its about 4 months now. I understand commission que and even life problems. However, how much dodging can you do. The continuous production of art that is not on your commission que is small slaps to the faces of the ones in the que. Yes we can understand it's something you have to do however 20 or more pieces and dodging.... Your only securing the fact that the customer will not work with you again. If it gets to extremes your artistic name or reputation can go down as well. Personally I rather be a returning customer because I know there not going to yank my chain the wrong way. My money going to the right places and supporting wonderful practices.

    Though reading TOS and etc can alert you quickly to the artist's personality and policies. There are times when they don't have one or it's very misleading. Not following their own tos and etc. It's a bad practice. Though the buyer is guilty as well in some cases. Knowing there might be problems with the TOS but proceed with the ordering it anyway. (The low price isn't always the best one.) I would just keep in mind of buyers. The money you shoot towards a certain TOS is only supporting the idea it's ok to have. There are reasonable TOS's thats fair for artist and buyer and then there are TOS's that will stiff you in more ways then one.

    Also I like to touch on another idea. Taking on a commission your comfortable with. If you feel your not in-tune with the species presented to you. Don't take it... It will save the commissioner frustration that there donkey turned out to have more dragon qualities then even wanted. I personally try to line up artists with the specific species they are comfortable with. (Species that will produce the most bang for my buck basically.) When you lie and say you do all (Or certain ones.) and then only really specialize in one. (Practiced before hand or personally studied enough.) Your only hurting yourself and future business. We tend to work with our favorite types of creatures and we get really good at it. When you switch gears it is perfectly acceptable to widen your horizon. However if your doing this experimental horizon on a commission. Unless made clear from the beginning it is an experiment, so they know what they are receiving before hand. I find it a bad practice to lead buyers into thinking it's not an experimental piece when it actually is.

    There is a bad practice on taking anything and everything into your que. It varies on degrees and context. But it normally follows the same formula. Lots of things your not comfortable with or so many things it takes ages to finish. I can understand emergencies ques because the buyer has some thought of your situation and normally understanding to it. But time and time again an artist buries themselves in commissions. Some get crushed and others excel. Know your limitations. o.o

    • Link

      Poketto-monsta

      I'm literally just nodding to myself right now I agree with everything you're saying!! Exactly, if an artist gets my commission done and does it well, then I'm 100% likely to go straight back to them the next time I want something doing! The part that baffles me the most is people uploading the personal art they do, like... I can't even fathom it, even when I do warmup doodles for myself before commissions I'd never upload them even if I would be uploading commissions straight after, because it just seems like I'm saying "I'm doing this instead of your commission"??

      Usually before commissioning someone I'll check out their shouts and journals and stuff, and if it looks bad I'll check for an AB or a mention elsewhere about bad practise. I think you have to be a smart buyer and avoid people like this so as not to encourage the behaviour, if you buy from someone KNOWING they have owed commissions and they're likely to do yours instead, that's pretty bad too.

      YES 100%, I think this is a lot of people's problems, they take on difficult commissions that they're not quite at a level to complete yet and then end up getting "stuck" on them because they just don't have the skill to proceed (In which case though, they should be refunding and apologising, which is why they shouldn't be spending the money) There's nothing wrong with pushing yourself as an artist, but THAT'S when you do personal art, you experiment and push yourself in your own work so that you can produce consistent quality in commissions! If you try and push yourself by doing a hard commission, it just becomes stressful as opposed to a learning experience.

      It's a really predictable formula, and that's why I think more people should just take slots and not take any more commissions until those slots are finished. Maybe I'm just talking from a weird vantage point though, because I've never been in a position where I've needed to take on lots of commissions, so I can easily manage what I do and how, whereas some people probably don't have it as easy. I just think if you're going to sell art you should take the same morals as you would if you were selling any other product o.o

  • Link

    LavenderKhajiit

    See this is why I am EXTREMELY hesitant on doing commissions... I get side tracked like nobody's business, and it feels uncomfortable

    So I just like to share and do trades when I know I can

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      Poketto-monsta

      When I started out commissions this year, I started out suuuper slowly and I still try not to take more then a couple at once and I make sure I'm in a super arty mood haha! Otherwise I'd struggle a lot with them :O But it's good that if you don't think you can do it that you're not doing it, bc otherwise it could end badly D: Like it's the right decision if you're not 100% sure you could handle them ovo

      • Link

        LavenderKhajiit

        Besides I have found I'm happier making random arts for random peeps ^^