Commissions: To Do or Not To Do

18"x24" charcoal "Meredith's Lovely Children"

??? I've been pondering the question lately whether to continue to do commissions or just to call it quits on that part of my business.



~As the solstice approaches and the New Year right on its tail my mind turns to re-evaluating my life and work. And just don’t see commissions as part of the picture.



$$$ I know many artists don’t like to do them but as a young artist and mom it proved necessary for me to have a semi steady source of income. I just never was employment material. Pastel and charcoal portraits have been a mainstay.



( ) My first commission was at the tender age of just 14. Heck I didn't even have boobs then. And that was a long, long, long freakin time ago.



(..) Then I grew up and grew boobs, had kids and kept doing commissioned art….and a lot of it. In the last five years or so I’ve all but quit promoting them. In my Etsy shop you can find a charcoal and pastels. I do but a fraction of the portraits I have in the past.



:0 Pastel and charcoal portraits have brought so much joy to families over the years and that is the part I will miss...But I am so bored with them and the only ones financially dependent on me are my horses. Commissions have become a huge source of procrastination for me. So I think it’s time to hang up my pastels and charcoals and pull the portraits out of my shop.



 Now don’t you freak out if you are one of my portrait clients and need more of your grand kids done. I of course will continue to help you get a matching set and accept commissions from past customers. But that is pretty much it.



I know all you artists out there have some interesting opinions on this subject. I sure would like to hear them.



And I am even more interested  in opinions from non artists.