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Why the "Buy one, get one half off" & other deals like it applied to a custom art service is unhealthy and undervaluing you.
[A Thread] https://twitter.com/Tosthage/status/1276907669903880199
[A Thread] https://twitter.com/Tosthage/status/1276907669903880199
First off, let's talk about the value you put into your craft artists. Yes. A craft. This isn't a retail item. You are not an assembly line. You are not creating merchandise by fulfilling what is a unique piece of art tailored to a client's specific preferences.
When you compose a full figure in any capacity, there's a lot of problem solving you do. It takes us a lot of time to solve those problems. Does it take less time to do a second full figure in the same composition with the first? Arguably, it can take even more time.
Why? Because when you start introducing more figures into a composition, you have to arrange them- and THAT creates more problems you have to solve which in turn, will draw on more of your time and skill to solve them.
What problems? Tangents. Negative space. Color. Composition. Value. Any and all fundamentals depending on what style/result you are offering. The point is, you will always do MORE work than your first figure to include your second figure.
So why do artists feel they need to charge less for an addition that is almost always more work than the initial figure? Every peer of mine I've talked to has expressed some manner of lack of confidence or need to make an enticing hook to get people to buy.
Look, I'm not going to preach to the choir here and give you the be more confident speech. I'm 10 years in and BOY HOWDY do I have my own moments where I still kick myself for undercutting myself. But I'm going to tell you how you can catch yourself and do better.
1. Stop approaching your commissions like adding another line on a cellular plan. In fact, stop thinking about retail & retail concepts altogether when it comes to custom work. The ONLY time you should be thinking about BOGO deals & the like is for merch. NOT COMMISSIONS.
2. If you're looking to attract clients, focus on making your services unique with "gimmicks" that don't undervalue your worth. Do themes. Try something other artists of similar quality aren't doing. One year at a con, I did "butt badges" rather than faces & it was a smash hit.
3. Conversely, simply building trust by having a clear ToS, good turnaround, & honest work goes a long way into securing clientele. Clients talk about you! I see people posting about new artists open in discords all the time. Build a good rep & you'll have healthy business.
4. Be honest with yourself and understand a hard pill to swallow about quality & pricing. https://twitter.com/caraidart/status/1076580423625527296?lang=en
5. TALK to other art peers. Other artists are not your competitors (again, a retail concept you need to remove from your brain). Having a couple of artist buddies to talk to, chat about business stuff with is super helpful. Also tons of mentorships out there via patreon.
I want to end this by saying that sales on art & deals are not all bad. But there is a difference between shaving $20 off for a special occasion/promo vs. completely undervaluing your time & skill. When there's so many gimmicks out there you can get creative with, why would you?
"But coming up with gimmicks/unique offers is hard."
Welcome to the freelance hustle, my good folx.
Welcome to the freelance hustle, my good folx.
