FriendlyHand's avatar

FriendlyHand

Friendly
429 Watchers0 Deviations
89.3K
Pageviews
FriendlyHand's avatar
FriendlyHand

Freelancing is like an MMORPG

3 min read
I've used this analogy a few times so I figured it was time to add it to the journals.

Many people like to play games but they don't like to work. People will spend hours and hours working at virtual tasks in a game, but they will procrastinate in real life where work seems boring, stressful or even overwhelming.

If you are thinking about freelancing, there are a lot of in-game strategies that you can apply to your real world work to make it seem more manageable, linear and enticing.

It can be difficult to get started with art freelancing (or other types of freelance work). You must develop skills, you must be able to research what people want, figure what things you can offer and how to find the people that want those things, organize your time, estimate prices, communicate effectively, compete with other artists for the same jobs, figure who is a good client and who to avoid, do the work , deliver it on time as described, and get paid.

Those seem like a lot of difficult, overlapping, boring tasks, but all in all they are not so very different from the tasks involved in playing an MMORPG.  You start small and inexperienced, you figure out how things work bit by bit, you gather hints and tips, you talk to contacts, you work on your skills, you do repetitive tasks, you upgrade your equipment, you fail sometimes, you figure out what works and what doesn't, you learn the easiest way to do things until completing the tasks eventually become second nature, you take on bigger and bigger challenges and get bigger payoffs.  In some cases you decide to start over with a new skill set that will allow you to advance further or faster. The more hours you put in, the faster you advance.

Sometimes freelancing will be frustrating, and you really do have to focus a lot of time and effort on studying learning and practicing to improve your art skills, your communications skills and your marketing skills. However, if you realize that life rules are a lot like game rules, they may begin to seem more manageable.  Learn from your failures and rejoice in your successes.  Real experience is your XP and real money is your gold.

Level up!


PS: check out my other journals for more specific advice on getting started with commissions, pricing, picking good clients, and other freelancing tips.

anonymous's avatar
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
FriendlyHand's avatar
FriendlyHand

How much is my art worth?

6 min read
If you have never priced or sold your art and you don't know where to start, it can be difficult for you to assign a price to it. For a variety of reasons, it is also difficult for complete strangers to assign a price for you.

For the purposes of THIS discussion, I'm going to define "worth" or "price" as the amount of money for which I can successfully sell a piece of art or a commission. I'm not necessarily going to focus on dollar amounts recommended by well-meaning strangers who have no intention of buying art. I agree that skilled artists should be paid more than minimum wage, but I also believe that not everyone is a skilled artist and that beginners may need to go through a learning process while developing their pricing and marketing skills. Hypothetically, if I have a piece of art that I am using as a sample for commission work, and I want to assign a price at which clients will actually hire me. Here is a hypothetical list of prices along with the various methods one might use to calculate a price:

1) $0.00- if my apparent skill level is so low that no one will buy my piece of art, then the price at which I can successfully sell is $0. If no one is looking for the style or subject matter that I am offering, and no one suddenly decides they want it when they see my sample, then the price at which I can successfully sell is $0. This does not mean I should give my art away. It means I need to address one or more problems with my art. Don't Give up. Read on!

2) Less than $10.00- This is the price I can expect to get if my hypothetical art sample is worth selling... but I am terrible at marketing myself and my art. If potential clients like my subject matter, my style and my samples... but I only advertise on my DA profile and a few DA threads, then I might only get less than $10 for my commissions. If I clean up my portfolio, contact more potential clients, and communicate well, I will be able to sell commissions for more money.

3) $20.00 to $40.00- This is a price based on minimum wage (USA $) multiplied by the amount of time I spent creating the hypothetical piece of art. If I am starting out and I have no idea how to price my art, this is a quick and easy pricing method. I should avoid wasting time worrying about finding the perfect price or a fair price to start out with. That time would be much better spent improving my art skills or my marketing skills. If I try this pricing and I cannot sell anything, then I should work on my art and marketing skills until I start making some sales. It's okay to price things lower just so I can get a few sales and some marketing practice, but I should focus on getting to this minimum wage price and moving forward from there. If I work very slowly, this method may give me a price that is too high for the quality of my work. If my skill level is high and I work quickly then I can move on to the other pricing methods below.

4) $30.00-$50.00- As I gain experience and sell more art, or client demand increases, there is a minimum price below which it is not productive for me to produce additional art. This price might be higher or lower than my minimum wage price estimate. In other words if I can get plenty of work that pays about $20 per hour, then I can choose not to charge less than that amount. Most beginners don't know what this price should be for them, so it's pretty difficult for anyone else to guess it for them. If in doubt, go back to number 3. If I decide to go a little lower that the "minimum wage" price just to get a few commissions and get some practice, that's okay. But it's really best for me and for "my community of artists" if I focus on improving whatever I need to improve to get my price above minimum wage.

5) $100.00- the price I can get if I am good at marketing myself, communicating confidently, politely and professionally, seeking clients, etc.  Sometimes the difference between a $30 commission and a $100 commission is finding a better client and/or being a more confident artist.

6) $150.00- the price I can get if I choose a slightly different subject/theme that is more popular. The price I can get if I am using tools that most other people can't use to create a more specialized product that cannot be matched in quality,media, or appeal, by other artists.

7) $200.00- highest price someone out there would pay for it. (In general, I may never connect with that ideal client who is willing to pay the most money, unless I am lucky, very well known, or REALLY skilled at finding clients. I can't necessarily control my luck but I can build a good reputation over time and I can always improve my marketing skills!)

There are other factors to consider, but this is a basic list to give you an idea of some things you should consider as a freelancer starting out. Most of all, if you are struggling to find a starting price, start with number 3 and work on whatever else you need to improve to make those sales.

If you don't care about the price and you are just selling art for fun or practice, then what are you doing on this journal page? SHOOO! Go do art for fun and come back when you want to earn some money.

Good luck and keep moving forward!

anonymous's avatar
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
FriendlyHand's avatar
FriendlyHand

FOXOTIC: Suspected scammer client warning

2 min read
anonymous's avatar
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
FriendlyHand's avatar
FriendlyHand

My Deviantart Story

2 min read
Ever since I was just a little pinky finger I've enjoyed drawing.

Many years have passed and I've spent hundreds and hundreds and HUNDREDS of hours practicing, studying and generally obsessing about art and skill building and now I'm a full-time, self-supporting, professional freelance illustrator.

I've lurked on DA for years and I've been posting for over 4 years now. I post in the DA forums when I want a break from my work. I try to provide factual or common sense advice that will help other DA members move in more productive directions, and I learn from other members and the staff.

I may not always write what people want to read, but hopefully what I write is useful to those who are willing to read it with an open mind!

(written for the DA 14th birthday badge: heidi.deviantart.com/journal/C… )

anonymous's avatar
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
FriendlyHand's avatar
FriendlyHand

Moving up to better freelance jobs (short version)

3 min read
We all start off with very little experience or understanding of how freelance jobs are supposed to work. starting with smaller/faster/easier jobs is a good way to ease yourself into the market. As we (freelancers and clients) each gain more and more experience dealing with good work partners and bad ones, we need to learn to identify and EMBODY the characteristics which we value in potential work partners. When choosing your next job, there is more to consider than just the artist's talent and the client's money. For example:

1) Great clients and freelancers tend to be professional, polite, organized, objective, and hard working. They set clear goals, agree on reasonable payment and meet deadlines in an efficient manner. The best clients and freelancers tend to seek each other out and develop ongoing relationships and successful business ventures. They communicate in a timely manner and sometimes contribute more than expected. You may find a few of these on DA, but they tend to prefer other sites and resources. Freelancers in this category need to be able to present a more advanced set of skills and a better portfolio than the other freelancers applying for the same job.

2) Many clients and freelancers fall into this middle area with some characteristics from groups 1 and 3. New clients and artists who are just starting to learn about freelance jobs should probably strive to start in this category and work their way toward category 1 as they learn more, and gain more experience and skill. (Note: If you connect with work partners on DA, learn tell the difference between people with ACTUAL good qualities and people who brag but have no actual experience, insights or useful resources to contribute to the partnership.) In this group, budgets and skill levels are generally a bit lower but both parties strive to fulfill the terms of the work agreement.

3) Clients and freelancers who are rude, condescending, irrational, unprofessional, selfish, disorganized or lazy will probably provide a very difficult, unpleasant or otherwise unsuccessful work experience. Some are intentionally dishonest, but many just lack the proper skills to conduct business in a productive, pleasant, mutually beneficial manner. Freelancers in this category will struggle or fail to earn a living or eventually evolve toward category 2 to survive. Clients in this category may hire an endless series of inexperienced freelancers who quit to pursue more rewarding (or more tolerable) work experiences. Don't settle for a category 3 partner. If that is all you can attract then spend some time improving yourself so that you can move up to category 2.



For a more detailed list of ways to recognize good or bad clients and artists, please take a look at this longer article: friendlyhand.deviantart.com/jo…

Hope that helps,
FH

anonymous's avatar
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
1
2345Next
Featured

Freelancing is like an MMORPG by FriendlyHand, journal

How much is my art worth? by FriendlyHand, journal

FOXOTIC: Suspected scammer client warning by FriendlyHand, journal

My Deviantart Story by FriendlyHand, journal

Moving up to better freelance jobs (short version) by FriendlyHand, journal