Artist Advice: How do I pick freelance jobs early in my career? Should I argue for higher pay or take what I can get?

First of all, never work (for someone else) for free!

I'll break those four ideas down below, but just remember that only you can determine what your time is worth. You can always go lower, but it's hard to go higher. I recommend starting high. Never accept the feeling of being underpaid for your time and skill. You'll be surprised how quickly you can fall out of love with art.

That said, both of these questions require an honest assessment of your skills, availability, the client's personality, and your enthusiasm in a particular project.

  • Skills: Browse "open for commissions" tags on social media and look for artists with a similar style and skill level as yourself. Try to do this with a healthy perspective. This isn't an attempt to make yourself feel bad or good. Think of it as co-workers organizing for better pay. You're just assessing a fair pay rate. Even if all other skills are equal, you might still opt to charge more for the same project than another artist. 
  • Availability: As you look at the current commission market, check where other artists are based, whether art is their full-time job, and how fast they promise to complete their commissions. Take all of those factors into consideration when you determine your pricing. If you live in a major city, this is your full-time job, and you're very fast, you should charge much more. If you live modestly, this is a side hobby, and you don't promise a fast turnaround, then you'll have to make adjustments accordingly.
  • Client: There's some old advice that there should be a "jerk tax" for working with difficult clients, but I recommend just declining those offers outright. Even a good project can last for weeks or months depending on the scope of work, and you don't want to be chained to a miserable experience that long. Set your parameters in the beginning and stick to them. Be ready and willing to fire a client if the project goes out of scope.
  • Enthusiasm: When I freelanced, I accepted  projects that had a noteworthy license or interesting theme that would look good on my portfolio. Beware of unscrupulous licensees using this to their advantage. They'll low-ball their offers because they expect the prestige of the license to be an honor in its own right. Prestige doesn't pay the rent. Get your fair rate.
Remember that you should have a contract from the beginning. At minimum the contract should list:

  • What you get paid
  • When you get paid
  • What you're expected to deliver
  • By what due date you're expected do deliver
Get those terms locked down early and you'll have a much better experience earlier in your career. 
    Never work for someone else for free!

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