Have You Considered Commissioned Work?
Welcome back, my friend! Are you ready to jump into another area of opportunity for you to explore as a means of getting your artwork out into the world? We’ve covered a bunch of options already but there are always more!
Commissions, which you can also think of as freelancing, involve creating art very specifically for one person or for a company or organization. It’s a great way to gain validation that your unique style has an audience and people who are eager to purchase work done by you.
Here are a few possibilities you can explore:
#1 – One-of-a-kind designs.
One of my Academy students, Natalie Rotman Cote, is dipping her toes into the world of commissioned art. This is a totally new area for her and it happened quite serendipitously!
People noticed what she was posting on social media: beautiful repeating patterns that included pictures of her dogs. People loved the patterns and reached out to see if Natalie could make other products for them - blankets, dog coats, bedding and more - that would include their own dogs in the design.
The dog industry is huge! People are very passionate about their dogs. What a great way for Natalie to get started as a new surface designer and create one-of-a-kind products for dogs.
#2 – Lifelong heirlooms for family & friends.
Do you still have your child’s (or children’s) baby blanket or onesie? We still have the baby blanket that my aunt gave us when my son was born 25 years ago. It’s a very sentimental piece that we’ll never give away. Do you have any friends who might need a one-of-a-kind blanket or onesie for their grand children?
Another Academy student, Pauline Reilly, started to publish her designs on social media and showcased them in her physical store which is part of her beauty salon. Soon her family and friends asked her to do some work on commission. So far, she’s made a lovely baby blanket and an adorable onesie for her nephew, Noah.
#3 – Join a freelance organization.
You can take commission work a lot further by joining online services like Fiverr where you’ll become a freelance artist. Google freelance services to see a list of the most popular ones and explore their websites to learn more about how they work.
An important point to keep in mind is that while commissions that you get through friends let you set your own timing and pricing, joining a professional freelance organization is quite different. It will be a more competitive environment where you‘ll compete with other freelancers for work. On the flip side, you’ll get a lot of practice and you can decide how much work you want to take on. It’s a great way to learn how to create artwork to meet a specific design brief. And you’ll get exposed to a large variety of projects which helps you build a portfolio.
Remember to grab my free ebook: Craft a Career You Love in Surface Design. It’s chock full of student examples from each of the categories we’ve covered over the past several weeks. It’s inspiring to see how these opportunities come to life in a way that’s unique for each person.
Pop over to my YouTube channel to watch the video version of this blog. Please subscribe while you’re over there and don’t forget to join me LIVE for my weekly Wednesday chat on Facebook. Every Wednesday. Noon pacific / 3pm eastern. Click HERE to bookmark my page.
Bye for now!
xo,
Anne
Dive even deeper into how to Craft a Career You Love in Surface Design by downloading my free ebook HERE.
Have fun and I’ll see you next week.
Remember,
It’s Never Too Late to Create®
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MEET ANNE
Hi…I’m Anne!
My creative inspiration comes from a lifetime of observation. I grew up in Paris on the Place St. Sulpice and walked to school through the Luxembourg gardens. And that was only the beginning… Learn more by watching the video on my About page.
