An Answer To: "Am I Good Enough for Commissions?"

This is a post I wrote for my Reddit, however I wanted to include it on my blog too, as to have all of my writings in one place. 

Note: This is all just a discussion, so don't take everything I say as fact. Be creative and experiment with what works best for you. This discussion mostly focuses on digital commissions being sold to individuals, as opposed to businesses and companies.

I see people ask this constantly, in this reddit as well as other art reddits, and I always give people the same answer. The reality is: there is no distinct line between “bad” and “good enough”. If you’re waiting for a sign, here it is.

You lose absolutely nothing by opening commissions. At best, you get lucky and someone DOES commission you, but if nobody does, so what? You get the experience of creating a portfolio, have now considered business aspects such as pricing, and can be proud of yourself for taking what is, for many, a scary first step in your career. Once you’ve already done it once, it can be easier to try again later.

One of the common arguments against it is, “well you should be focusing on building your skills instead”, which I find to be misguided. If you get no commissions, you’re not going to be too busy, and if you DO get commissions, you’re getting direct experience in both art and business. You can always practice in the meantime, because it’s unlikely you’re going to be bombarded with them at first anyways, so it’s not like you’ll just suddenly have no time to be studying.

You might not get any at first, but that’s okay! When I first opened commissions in 2022, I had 100 followers, no customers, and a goal. Give it time and focus on your skills. You’ll be working on improving, and maybe you don’t get them this try, but there’s always next time. I ended up trying a year later, and I got my first customer, and this year I’ve done over 20 sales. Never give up!

The biggest challenge, I think, that artists struggle with when it comes to commissions is not a lack of skill, or their pricing, it’s a lack of audience. If someone has not seen your art, they can’t commission you. Opening and promoting your commissions is one of the ways you can start to find that audience. It will take time to gain a following, so don’t blame yourself if you haven’t gotten any customers yet.

Now, is there anyone who shouldn’t open commissions? And to that, I say yes. If you don’t have time, or lack motivation, or don’t expect you’ll be able to finish them, then don’t. Wait until the circumstances of your life are more suited to them. But otherwise, if you want to, give it a shot.

Keep trying, keep working hard, and you’ll get there! Best of luck to everyone!

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