jestertoybox - Tumblr blog

jestertoybox · 7 days ago

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Commission Tips

First, why I feel somewhat qualified to offer unsolicited advice for commission sellers in a Tumblr post:

I've bought a lot of stuff - I have purchased about 70 commissions over 15 years

I've seen a lot of stuff - I have viewed countless works and commission info posts from a wide range of mediums* on many platforms** * (digital, traditional, writing, music, plushie, customizations, crafts, cosplay, and more) ** (Tumblr, Twitter, deviantART, Instagram, carrd, Ko-fi, Google Doc, personal websites, etc.)

I do a lot of stuff - I am a varied hobbyist creator (traditional art, digital art, comics, fanfiction, original fiction, screenplays, songwriting, knitting, and other miscellaneous crafting projects)

I know a lot of stuff - I have extensive customer service experience derived from working in various facets of retail for nearly 18 years

I've been around a while - My oldest public media that I still use is my deviantART account, Kira-Ani-McGrath, which I've had for over 18 years

So, with all those solid reasons as to why you should listen to a random internet stranger, here are seven tips I've put together in the hope of helping someone seeking to peddle their wares on the web.

Big, Bold, and BAM!

Any info-graphs/visual commission charts need to be simple, clear, and concise. I often see charts cluttered with far too many example images, making the graphic tough to read. Another problem that often goes hand-in-hand with the former is tiny example images, making it difficult to get a good idea of the skill/quality without hunting for additional information. You can always tell people where to find more examples of your work if you feel you haven't got enough room to showcase everything in the commission post (ex: "Find more examples in my 'KAM's art' tag!").

On Tumblr in particular, the above issues are compounded by a couple formatting missteps. 1) Large single images that are either too tall or too wide, thus being difficult to see (even when enlarged) due to Tumblr's limitations. 2) Placing multiple images side-by-side instead of stacked top-to-bottom. A vertical layout makes for easier viewing, especially for mobile users. Yes, one can click/tap to enlarge images, but it's best to assume people won't bother, and thus you have to quickly catch people's scrolling eyes with your best examples in an easy-to-see format. (Or, to put it another way, you have to slap viewers in the face with your awesomeness.)

The same principles apply to non-visual commissions (ex: writing, music) as well. Don't ramble on in a single long paragraph about your commission offerings. Bulleted lists and block quotes make things much easier to read and comprehend. I'm especially a fan of having a small snippet of your best work somewhere in the post, so the potential customer can get an idea of your style even before they delve into any examples you may have linked or referred them to.

Direction

Lots of things frustrate me about commission hunting, but one of the big ones is someone posting "Commissions open!" with absolutely no mention of where to find their commission info or how best to contact them (bonus aggravation if I go to the blog/profile and there is absolutely no information anywhere - bio, pinned post, tags, search, you name it).

The best option is to have a link to the info anytime you're advertising your commissions (ex: when posting a completed commission, include a link or hyperlink if mentioning or tagging that your commissions are currently open). However, sometimes a link isn't possible, whether due to the social media format or, in the case of Tumblr, links randomly interfering with a post's ability to appear in search/tags. In those cases, telling people where to find your commission info is critical to driving business. (Ex: "Commissions open! Link in bio!" or "Commissions open! See my pinned post!")

Location

A big bummer in my squirrel-like stashing of commission info is saving a link to an artist's info, only to revisit it at a later time and find the post/journal/image has been deleted. Sometimes an artist has deleted their account, has stopped offering commissions, or has changed the account username and the social media platform does not redirect the old URL. Obviously there's nothing to be done in such cases. However, sometimes the artist wanted to update their commission info, and therefore deleted the old post. Thus I'm sent on a hunt for the new info. Sometimes it's easy, and other times it's not so easy. What would be of great help in these cases is if the artist updated the old graphic/text with directions to the new info (whether by link or description) instead of outright deleting the old info.

An even better option is to have one dedicated spot for your commission info that is easy for you to update. It can be a specific Tumblr post, deviantART journal, carrd website, Google Doc, or pretty much anything with a unique URL. You can then link to the info from anywhere on the web, so that even if you stop using a particular site, a potential customer can still find your latest info.

Accessibility

A caveat to "you can put your commission info anywhere" is this: if you want your commissions to be available to the general public, your commission info needs to be publicly available. In other words, it can't be put somewhere that not everyone has access to view.

A problem I have run into is artists advertising their commissions on other sites yet putting their commission information solely in Instagram stories. For those unaware, you must be logged into an Instagram account in order to view Instagram stories. I do not use Instagram. In fact, I deeply dislike Instagram, but, despite that, I do have an account that I made because of this issue. I refuse to have the app on my phone, so viewing commission info in an Instagram story requires I log in on my mobile browser or boot up my desktop. Someone else who doesn't use Instagram may give up on pursuing a commission entirely if they find that an account is required to view someone's commission info.

Similarly, someone might advertise their commissions on Twitter, but put the commission info on deviantART in a deviation that requires being logged-in to view. Or they may put the commission info on a Facebook page or album that requires being logged-in to view. I have not personally run across these, but it's the same idea. Basically, directing potential customers to a different site that they may not be able to access is not a good business practice.

Website quirks need to be taken into account as well. Sometimes Tumblr users will put their commission information on blog "pages" that are 1) not visible on the app and 2) do not always pull up on the app even when directly linked. I have saved blog links from mobile in order to pull them up on my computer to locate commission info, but one can't count on that kind of thoroughness in a field where there's lots of competition. Also, if someone is unfamiliar with Tumblr, they may just assume the link or page was broken and move on.

Additionally, you should be able to be contacted on any site you post your info on, or, if not, have an email you can be contacted through. For example, if you advertise commissions on both Tumblr and Instagram, you should not require contact solely through Instagram DMs. If you can't guarantee being reachable through a site where you've posted your commission info, then email should be an option. Email is near-universal. [Insert particular social media platform here] is not.

As a side note, I'm aware there are cases where an artist does intend for their commissions to only be available to a certain audience. For example, some artists have their commissions available only to Patreon supporters or Discord server members. That's fine. I'm referring to artists that have their commissions open to everyone and advertise on multiple sites but don't take into account that not everyone uses their preferred site. That's just lost business.

Public Pricing

I've signed my name to more vehicles than I care to count over the years, which means I've done quite a bit of car shopping. I am a researcher, and I've had times where I have many browser tabs open, pouring over the various listings and comparing all kinds of factors - such as mileage, gas mileage, safety rating, features, and, of course, price - in an effort to narrow down my choices and arrive at the best deal possible. Sometimes in these searches, vehicle listings will say "contact dealer for pricing" for various reasons. That instantly knocks the vehicle down a slot in my rating system. I have enough anxiety dealing with certain things even when I have all the facts and know exactly what I want. It's even worse when I have to cold-call for a very important piece of information and risk getting roped into a conversation I don't want to have.

Yes, I have a point to this anecdote. I have many times compared commission shopping to car buying, even joking that I put more research into my commission purchases than I have into our last few vehicle purchases. "DM/email me for prices" is an artist's equivalent of "contact dealer for pricing," and thus is an instant back-button for me at this point. It's just not worth the hassle when there are so many other options out there that give me all the information I need front-and-center.

Clear Communication

Publicly laying out the scope of your commission offerings as well as the precise purchase process is a good way to avoid confusion and miscommunication. For example:

What are your "dos" and "don'ts" for commission types/subjects?

How many WIPs and revisions are given?

How should a potential customer contact you?

What information should they include? (Have the customer follow a basic form if that makes things easier for you.)

What is the turnaround time for communication and for the commission itself?

Through what method do you take payment (Paypal, Venmo, WesternUnion, etc.)?

What is the payment process (ex: full payment after sketch; full payment up-front; half up-front and half after confirmation of a heavily-watermarked final product with watermark to be removed after second payment)?

How may a customer use their finished commission?

Another component of clear communication is timely communication. Even if you can't actually respond to the content itself, you can say something like, "I received your message, I will review it tomorrow!" - especially if the turnaround time is longer than what is normal for you. But, again, if you set the expectation beforehand, a client will know they have to give you [x] hours/days of time before they send another message.

Tags + Text

To heighten your visibility, use a combination of common tags plus actual text, even in a mostly-visual post (ex: "commissions open", "art commission", "commission info"). This particularly applies to Tumblr and deviantART, where the search function takes into account both the tags and the text within a post. (I am not familiar enough with other social media to know whether or not the same mechanic applies.)

Also, consider using common descriptions of facets of your work, such as style (ex: realism, first-person), theme (ex: nature, LOTR), medium (ex: portrait, poem), color/mood (ex: blue, peaceful), or anything else you think a customer might search for. Just remember that only the first five tags count toward Tumblr's search (IIRC) and you don't want to unknowingly trigger any spam filters by having too many seemingly-random words in your post.

In Conclusion

If you want to succeed in selling commissions, a key component is making the process as smooth and simple as possible for your potential customers. One can't rely on casually-browsing viewers taking the extra step(s) to fill in any missing information, especially in this fast-paced world. You are the one responsible for how you present your skill and business ethic, so take the time to do it well.

Now go sell some stuff!

[This is my perspective based on my experience. You are free to disagree.]

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jestertoybox · 1 year ago

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I was raised agnostic and tend to remain ambiguous on theological matters.

-but my house has a porch on the second story that affords me a terrific view of my neighborhood and the Colorado Front Range and I was partaking of some peace before the 4th Of July Finger-Loss Festivities begin, and I have had a

~*Spiritual Experience*~

I just watched my neighbor try to unload an actual wooden pallet that had to have been forklifted into the back of his insecurity pickup worth of fireworks.

Except that he does not have a forklift in his garage.

He does have so much sports memorabilia and cardboard boxes of unsold MLM Merchandise and patriotically themed camping gear and posters of women in bikinis and flags of suspect political organizations in his garage that there is only BARELY enough space for the fireworks and certainly none for his truck.

So he had to unload the individual boxes of recreational explosives from the back of his truck and stack them in the minimal space he had cleared by hand. This is a tedious and time-consuming process as this neighbor has purchased a wide variety of recreational and locally illegal explosives instead of many of just a few types, so the individual boxes are rather small.

He begins, and this is crucial to what happens next, by cutting apart the industrial-grade saran wrap his explosives dealer had so carefully wrapped his merchandise in, and discarded it unsecured on his lawn.

Where Outdoor Conditions sometimes happen.

His process for unloading the fireworks is to 1. Climb up through the gate into the bed of his pickup truck (a feat made unusually difficult due to the slope of his driveway, and this man's fascinating decision to wear the world's Siffest and least Flexible Denim Overalls. 2. Once in the pickup bed, he selects ONE (1) box from the pile He is apparently from a niche religious institution that doesn't believe in stacking things. 3. Carries it awkwardly around the palette that barely fits in the truck bed 4. His wife yells "Be careful!" when he nearly falls out of the pickup. 5. He Yells "SHADDUP!" back at her. 6. The Large German Shepherd barks from inside the house. 7. He yells "SHADDUP!" back at her too. 8. He sets the (1) box down on the gate 9. Slowly and awkwardly climbs out of the pickup bed 10. picks the box back up, and carries it into the garage.

Question: Aren't you going to help this poor man? Answer: Absolutely Not.

There's four military veterans, MANY dogs, and several people with dementia in this neighborhood, all of whom are terrified by this chicanery every year and many neighbors have repeatedly asked him to maybe do the fireworks somewhere else. (This is the Eighth Year Running he's held a major demolition event in his driveway, and for those of you who can do math, you may be able to guess the precipitating incident to this little ritual) Additionally, I live in Colorado, a state marginally less prone to spontaneous and catastrophic conflagrations than a rotting grain silo, but only marginally. Our recreational explosives laws are written accordingly.

I am in fact calling the Non Emergency line to report Fireworks violations, and reading off the brand labels to someone named Dorothy, who is gleefully totaling up a SPECTACULAR fine for my oblivious neighbor.

However, while I'm on the phone with Dorothy, I notice the wind begin to pick up. and by "Notice" I mean "The Industrial Saran Wrap he left on his Lawn earlier is suddenly swept up about 100 feet into the air by an updraft intense enough to make my ears pop" And by "Pick Up" I mean "I look up to see the sky has turned a fun and exciting shade of glass green, and the bottoms of the clouds are bumpy and rounded, and the overall effect is not unlike looking up through the bottom of the cup at God's Matcha Boba Tea."

For those of you who do not live in places with Inclement Weather, these conditions mean "You have about 30 seconds before a Major Meteorological Event Occurs."

I move under the eaves. "Hang on Dorothy." I say, nose filling with Petrichor. "The show is about to be cancelled." "Oh, that doesn't matter!" Dorothy cheerfully informs me. "It's illegal for him just to possess those, no matter if he actually gets to set them off or not." "Terrific, because he's gotten maybe five boxes out of a hundred inside."

Sometimes, the weather gods are Merciful and give you a verbal warning, typically in the kind of thunderclap that makes your ears ring.

The Gods were not merciful today.

It's not often that I am in the time, place, correct angle or in a properly observational frame of mind to see this, But I got to see it today. Huh. I thought. I've never seen a cloud just DIVE for the ground before. Oh. I realized as it got closer. That's RAIN.

Sometimes, a thunderstorm will form in such a way that the rain that would normally be distributed over an area of say, five to tent square miles, is instead concentrated into an area of say, my neighborhood exactly.

So today, I was granted the rare privilege of being able to actually see the literal wall of water descend from On High and DIRECTLY onto my porch, my street, and my neighbor's truck, and his pile of unwrapped fireworks.

The sheer impact force of the downpour immediately scatters the teetering pile of fireworks boxes in the back of the truck, like the wrath of God striking down the tower of Babel. Boxes tumble, then are washed out of the bed of the truck by the deluge. Smaller Boxes are carried down the road in a little line by the stream forming in the gutter, like little impotent explosive ducklings.

My neighbor was definitely yelling something, but I could not hear what over the DEAFENING noise several million gallons of water makes upon high-speed contact with the earth's surface, but there was a lot of arm-waving and faces turning red as he went looking for the saran wrap that had probably blown to Nebraska by now, while his wife started disassembling the complex three-dimensional puzzle of interlocking material goods in search of a tarp. They do not have a tarp. They have one of those wretched Thin Blue Line flags though, and my neighbor jogs out in a futile effort to cover what's left in the truck.

Which is when the hail begins.

"HELLO?" Yelled Dorothy. "HI!" I shouted. "WE'RE HAVING SOME WEATHER!" "OH GOOD!" she shouts back. "WE NEED THE MOISTURE!"

I watch for a minute longer, but the loss was immediate and catastrophic- the hail is the size of marbles and dense and cares not for your pitiful cardboard and cellophane, ripping the boxes asunder and punching holes in the few things covered in plastic. The colors on the Thin Blue Line Flag are seeping all over the remains of that it was supposed to protect in a particularly apt visual metaphor. Not even the few boxes that made it into the garage are spared, as the German Shepherd escapes from indoors, and in an attempt to assist her humans, jumps directly into the small stack of not-yet-ruined boxes, scattering them into the driveway and deluge. She even picks one up so her humans will chase her around the yard, before dropping it in the gutter to be swept away.

So. I was raised Agnostic -but even I can recognize when God slaps someone upside the head and shouts "NO!" at them.

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(If you laughed, please consider supporting my Ko-fi or preordering my book of Strange Stories on Patreon)

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