Launching Your Career As a Freelance Artist - Your First Commissions, Social Media and Workload 

that's not what she's talking abt, honestly u missed the point

@@TheCrimson147 How's that not what she's talking about, when she said exactly that?

@@ojelandro I've been a software developer for about 12 years now, I've worked with hundreds of people and I don't think I've met anyone who only slept 4-5 hours a day (obviously, maybe someone did, but it never came up in conversations). Maybe artists do well on less sleep.

@@mav45678 most artist dont, and u were right.

I get her point, she didn't prioritize her sleep and therefore got more work hours out of the day. And with more hours in the day to work on commissions, she were able to reach her goals faster than other artists (who got enough sleep). Which objectively made her one of the more popular artist on the market, because she delivered faster and made better art (because she reached new 'levels' faster than others). As she said this industry is rather small and therefore the competition is tough. I don't believe this is the only way to reach your goals as a freelance artist (as Astri also claimed) and your health should always be prioritized higher than anything else. 7-9 hours a day is recommended for age 18 to 65 and if you get less sleep for a longer period there will ofcourse be some health risks. But in the end it is up to the individual if this is all worth it in exchange for a dream career.

Kenyce Amen

Good luck with that

Once you start doing it you probably will start kinda hating it...

I know it's kinda late to respond, but... You know, when you love doing something, that means you are doing it constantly, and then naturally you become good at it (Though, sometimes you need a lot of theory as well, not only practice). When someone is very good at something, he will get paid no matter what is the subject. So basically, you only need the desire or love for something, and also time, that's it. Talent is not that important, it's just a potential boost in terms of time.

Well there's no other way than to make a lot of sacrifices if you want to achieve on your own something that people specifically train for since being 10 - you're in a competitive field where your competition are people who had burning passion since being a kid, attended art schools their whole life, made connections on the way, etc. etc., If you're someone who tries to do it on your own, you must sacrifice things like health, other opportunities and such. You can't just be like 16 or 18, without any previous formal training, and just do what they do and expect yourself to catch up

@@TheMozk No, art is a marathon, not a sprint, you need to take care of yourself to draw for longer.

So underrated, I myself am struggling with Carpel tunnel and cant draw or do much before my hands start hurting, The Whole grinding mentality is romanticised but it comes with serious consequences if you aren't careful and not a lot of people talk about that.

@@BladexEyes yeah I do art for fun and I sometimes worry about the things I don’t have to worry about. I’m doing RU-vid for a living, if lucky I might get my story founded by publishers and I could become an author

I have tendonitis from painting photorealism for 12 years. Finally getting physio since I got it diagnosed. TAKE BREAKS. Seek a professional if needed. I'm trying to now fight my instincts and paint more loosely with broader paint strokes on my tablet. Sometimes obstacles face us and can steer us in a different direction. Eb and flow

What!?!? I mean, i didn't even try to guess by the voice... Looking at the art i was already like "She's surely 30+ or something"

The moment you realise you called a girl old

@@andrelfr92 yeah same 😭😭😭

@@andrelfr92 30 isn't old, are you kidding?

@@thetomatolife1825 it's old for a 20yo

I replayed that part a gazillion times.

haith salamin I'm sure a job is right around the corner! Keep up the hard work :D

Thanks :) i really hope so im not sure what exactly is the cause as to why im not getting anywhere with this. but with this vid at least it got narrowed down just gotta keep pushin i guess XD

@@Haithz Any updates?

@@Haithz any updates?

I feel you on that one. I'm sure you'll find your place in the world though :)

I’m learning about this right now in American history, how Ben Franklin started working harder and working his workers harder, so everyone else had to do it too to keep up. It’s funny because I’m learning how this is all BS and humans work for the sake of progress while losing all personal meaning, while participating in it myself at some elitist private school specifically meant to work you harder to get you ahead of the curve before college. It seems to me that if you want meaning in this society, you have to either be content with your place and find meaning in that, or step back from the system, and find a way to sustain yourself and explore your interests at your own pace

This is because you are doing something simple that most people can do. The only thing that is a challenge is to be creative. Drawing is simple, drawing professionally is also common. We as an artist need alot of various skills such as 3D modelling, graphic designing, Visual Effects, Composition, Script writing and more. As an artist we need to be able to create great cinematography as well. If you are just a one-trick artist, there are so many others who are more capable than you. Just an advice. Also freelance is terrible because it is something that is terrible by name. People only find for freelancers when they want something quick and cheap, if not they would already had employ you with promised payments monthly.

@@Curryfishballa Well I would not call it simple, and not something that most people can do. But you are right about a lot of things. In my opinion, there is certain let's call it "media overload" Not only in visual arts, but in books and even music ( for example, Amazon lists more new books each month that was previously written in the whole history). Problem is as you very well pointed out an overabundance of "technicians". People that are fantastically skilled but bring no originality. There is a huge lack of originality. There are lot of fantastic artists doing great work. This channel artist for example. But as much her art is great, I can in the second set it next to other 100 just as good art pieces that look the same. Blink and you will forget it. This is why artists like for example Mike Mignola or Pendelton Ward are not fantastic technicians. But you will recognize their art among one million other pieces. I think that many of us forgot why they were doing art in first place. And became simply machines. And I always say to my colleagues that for example practice the fine art of photorealistic painting, "Why do you do this, we already have cameras ?" And should I mention concept artists, I personally seen people that bleed from their fingers ( I am not joking ). Making work that is beyond amazing. For what? So that some 3D artist would have a reference. Work that would after that be shredded and never shown to anyone. And all the time in between fighting among themselves like rabid dogs fighting over a bone thrown away by their master. If you been in industry you will know what I am talking about. To close this I will just quote late Kurt Vonnegut : “If you want to really hurt you parents, and you don't have the nerve to be gay, the least you can do is go into the arts. I'm not kidding. The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possible can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.”

Jagoshk that, my dude, is a fantastic fucking quote

I think you have a really good point. With my extremely limited experience freelancing, I’ve found a lot of people don’t understand at all what goes into making a piece of art. I have to explain or demonstrate the process extensively to my family or friends to get them to understand digital isn’t cheating or just plain easier. Most of the passion is in the game or film industry, where big companies work enthusiastic artists as hard as they can, and replace reasonable people who want balance and a life in general with people who are more willing to suffer for their work. It sounds absolutely brutal, but I want to do it anyway. My hope is that after working my ass off long enough, I’ll be skilled enough to bring my own ideas to life in a way that will capture others interest, and then I can slowly trade working for a company, for working on my own projects and living off that. I have seriously considered your suggestion, that it is better to work a “normal” job and do art on the side as your hobby or passion, and I’ve experience this with music, which is my hobby right now. I’ve grown as a guitarist almost as much as I have as an artist, because music is my own, and art has become work. Even with this realization, I would rather suffer in the art industry, because I’m young, competitive, and reckless, and I think I’ll be able to come out of the experience with way more skill, and still be able to work on my own stuff in the end. I’m probably naive, I’m only in high school, but I’m gonna give it my best shot anyway

@@MartinBrunswick Sharpen your weapons than. Adjust your armor. And dive in with a battle roar. It will not be easy. But you have chosen your path. But let me give you two weapons that will help your way to victory. First is the Sword of Work. Work work work. The secret to being the best artist is deceptively simple. Work. Draw at least 6 hours a day. And I ensure you will be among best. Second is elephant skin armor. You will be attacked, insulted, called out as an example, betrayed. React to nothing. Dont let anything of that affect you. Let it be only skin deep. You knew what you are getting in. Just swallow your pride and soldier on. Armed with this you will succeed. Cause there is no other way than up for one really dedicated to their craft. There are easier, more pleasant ways. But this way is the one you chose. So be it :)

I know this might be a bit late, but try not to zoom in too much when drawing, do quick reference studies (under 1 minute) and time yourself when drawing.

I'm not a copyright lawyer so take what I say with a grain of salt - but I think you should avoid that. I've seen people do it and get away with it but it's not technically legal, I think. I do know that if you try to sell prints of copyrighted characters, they will be removed from your store/booth if the copyright holder/company sees it so this is a similar situation, where you'd be making money off pre-existing, copyrighted characters. But then again, I also know that certain companies almost encourage that sort of stuff. Some people are very lax about it. So it's kind of a grey area, but yes, you can certainly get in trouble for it. Personally, I wouldn't do it.

Yeah, that's what I thought to. I just recently saw a higher profile artist make Warhammer commissions of in-lore characters and that got me thinking. Tho, he also made some official art for Games Workshop so mayby he just has a permission, or at least knows exactly where they draw the line. Better safe than sorry, thanks.:) On a side note, I'd be carefull telling people to always take any job o matter what. If you sign up for a bad deal it can really drain you, I had an awful experience that single handedly almost made me quit alltogether. Learning to say "no" and knowing when to do it are also really important things to figure out as a freelancer. Marco Bucci has a very insightful video on the subcjet, still thanks for sharing your view poitn and experiences.:)

Yeah, might as well be careful! I meant if you get offered a great job where the only downside is stress and time constraints. Like, the pay is good, it's exciting, but it'll be uncomfortable to work on, requiring all-nighters for a short while e.g. Should have been more clear on that, I definitely do not think you should say yes no matter what :)

Yeah if its just having to work "overtime" for a while that's fine, you have to start out somehow, ussualy that involves quite a bit of work. What I meant was when you get your "first big job" or just something much bigger than what you did before, that can make you really excited and in the process agree to very unfavourable circumstances. That was my case, I took lower than normal rate and agreed to do stuff I knew Im especially bad at and knowig it will take ages because it was that first big thing. But as long as you stick to your standards it should work out fine, just staying focused on improving will eventually land you that big job.

This is what I came to this video for. I already know that you have to work hard at something to achieve success. But what absolutely no artist ever talks about is HOW to actually do that and where to find work. It feels like they are all scared to share it with people as it will mean more competition. Kind of sucks.

I don't read replies I agree that people don't usually talk about where to advertise work or which sites to browse to find people hiring. Perhaps it is because the answer is that it'll depend.. I have gotten small commissions before on social media sites or forums by advertising them. I am a bit lost on how to get bigger commissions that would allow me to work as an artist full time. I am assuming companies or commissioners will reach out to you when you have a bigger audience/are more well known and have quality work. But in regards to which sites, companies, or people to reach out to.. or how to reach out, I am stumped on.

I believe she actually said it but you guys missed it. You put yourself out there on social media, and make sure you have your email address showing and say you’re accepting commissions. There is no secretartcomissions.com or anything, companies or people who want your stuff will contact you directly, and your job is to make sure they know you exist, and how to contact you through places like Instagram, RU-vid, ArtStation, etc.