DJ Geribo

I can’t count the number of articles I’ve read where the author talks about artists who freak out when they are asked about selling their art, or pricing it, or about making a living with their art. I have to ask, what artists?

Apparently the majority of artists are not interested in selling their work, are terrified to even think about putting a price on something so precious (like putting a price tag on your kid, there is no amount), and hate the thought of their artwork appearing anywhere but in a museum that will hopefully pick up their work and display it once the artist, who remained unknown throughout their artistic lifetime, has passed on.  Again, what artists?

I recently read another article where the author said that when they mention the word ‘contract’ to artists the color drains from their faces from fear of the unknown. Really? Are there professional artists out their so incompetent about the business side of being an artist that they will let themselves get stiffed again and again rather than draw up some kind of a contract between themselves and the customer. Really? When I started marketing my animal portraits in various publications, I only had to get stiffed once before I drew up a contract. And this was before the internet was so stock full of information that you couldn’t find a myriad of contracts to use as models to write up your own.

It is actually quite simple to put a contract together for a commissioned portrait. Why anyone would be terrified to do it is beyond my comprehension. Do you really want to spend your time painting someone’s pet, or child, or house, and not get paid for it? Protect yourself, that’s what it is all about. And you can keep it very simple: the customer’s name and complete contact information, the size of the portrait and medium, the time you need to complete the portrait with the date of completion, and the number one most important detail, half the money up front before you even begin the portrait by putting pencil to paper. That should be non-negotiable. And then, when you complete the portrait, you get the final payment. Not a week after you give it to them, not a month from now, but right at the moment the portrait is given to them, that is when you receive the final payment for the commissioned artwork.

And one more thing, make sure they sign the contract. Now you have a legal document with their signature that says they agree with everything you’ve written in it.

I don’t know who these artists are who are afraid of the business side of being a professional artist, but it isn’t me. And the sooner you accept the business side of promoting yourself and what you do for a living, the easier your life will be and the happier you will be that you are in control of making a living with your art. Otherwise, you should get an office job with a steady pay check.