Written by Maria Brophy, Art Consultant, manager of artist Drew Bro- phy and author of www.mariabrophy.com; a blog that helps creative people to design the lifestyle of their dreams. Check out Maria’s blog for other articles just as insightful as this one!


NEVER GET RIPPED OFF AGAIN – For Artists “Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons.” Woody Allen


Yesterday an artist friend was in my office and she said that she’s been stiffed on payment too many times to mention. It’s worn her down and she feels unappreciated. Getting stiffed on payment is sadly one of the most common and frustrating things that can happen to freelance artists. But it doesn’t have to ever happen to you (again). It’s very simple to avoid. You just have to do two things: 1.) Require a deposit up front 2.) Require the full balance at completion The INSTANT you institute these two policies for your busi- ness, you will NEVER have to make a collection call EVER again. If it’s this simple, why do so many continue to get “stiffed” on payment? Because they don’t ask for the deposit up front and they hand over the goods before being paid. It’s too bad that art school doesn’t teach you the importance of running your art venture like a business. Here are the most common excuses I hear from artists who keep getting ripped off: • • •


“I don’t have a business mind” “I’m new at this”


“I needed the work really bad – I was desperate.”


Trust me when I say that YOU DO NOT HAVE TO HAVE BEEN BORN WITH A BUSINESS MIND TO AVOID BEING RIPPED OFF! Handling your business wisely is a decision you make, not a gene that you’re born with! You simply have to institute your own payment policies. I learned this the hard way when, many moons ago, my artist husband Drew was “hired” by a large clothing company to create an artistic map of the Hawaiian Islands. The art was going to be used for t-shirts and accessories. They were on a tight deadline and needed it yesterday. There was no time to get a deposit. Drew put in countless hours drawing this up, only to be told later that the company decided not to use a map after all. We sent them a bill for the work done, and they never paid us. Dealing with a company that large is nearly impossible to get payment from AFTER THE FACT. That’s why we should have gotten money up front. We were, by some standards, ripped off, taken advantage of and screwed over. But I’m a firm believer that no-one can take advantage of you without your consent. It was our own fault for not getting money up front before Drew put in many hours of work. That was the LAST TIME we ever got stiffed on a commis- sioned job. We learned from our mistake, and since then have required 50% up front and the balance when finished


(before we hand the art over).


THE PSYCHOLOGY OF REQUIRING A DEPOSIT Two important things happen when you say to your client: “I’ll need 50% up front to start the work and the balance is due when the work is completed.” 1


You are viewed as professional: Your client now sees


you as a person who has payment policies in place. They respect you, and they are clear on what you expect and how it’s going to go. 2 A commitment is formed: Your client is fully commit- ted when they pay a deposit. HOW MUCH OF A DEPOSIT SHOULD YOU ASK FOR? Many artists require 50% up front. The average, according to the Graphic Artists Guide to Ethical Pricing, is 30%. HOW TO ASK FOR A DEPOSIT In every conversation I have with a new client, I mention, up front (even with friends and acquaintances and my mother’s uncle’s niece) that we need a deposit to get started. You may feel strange asking for this. Get over it, do it, you’ll get used to it and eventually it won’t feel strange anymore. Learning how to walk was strange also. But you got used to it. When giving a price quote, include your deposit require- ment in writing by e-mail or proposal. Here’s how ours looks in a price quote: PRICING: Fee is $3,800.00. A 50% deposit is required to start the work, and full balance upon completion. Over time, your returning customers will know what you expect and they will be prepared to write you a check for the deposit. All of our longtime customers are used to the way we work. They also know that the work will get done to their satisfac- tion, because they’ve worked with us before. HOW TO HANDLE RESISTANCE: Sometimes as an artist, you are your own worst enemy. It’s not always the client resisting a deposit. Sometimes it’s the artist. Here are some of the scenarios: THE ARTIST DOESN’T REQUIRE IT BECAUSE THEY ARE DESPERATE FOR THE WORK: If you are desperate, than you surely cannot afford to spend time on something that you’ll never get paid for. A deposit weeds out the payers from the non-payers. THE CLIENT REFUSES TO PAY A DEPOSIT: If a client won’t or can’t pay a deposit, they just aren’t ready to commit, which means that you shouldn’t commit your time to their project. The people who most likely will never pay you are the ones who won’t give a deposit. The people willing to


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32