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[yuuago]

☆ First, some Canadian politics stuff (sorry): The KXL Pipeline is on the table again, which is of course awful. There is a petition to the government to give the issue a serious review (and reject it). Those who sign are encouraged to also contact their MPs*, so I'll be drafting up an email after I do some reading to make sure I understand everything that's going on and have something competent to say. Anything I say will probably fall on deaf ears, considering I live in oil country, but fuck it. This shit would be happening in my backyard, figuratively speaking, and the pipeline would go through Athabasca Chipewyan lands*. I've got to say something even if just to make it clear that Indigenous people aren't the only ones in this municipality who're objecting to it. (I'll probably try calling, too, but I don't know how seriously anyone would take a shaky voicemail left at 6 AM from a municipal transit stop, pffff.)

...Anyway.

☆ The mysterious package I mentioned yesterday turned out to be a pair of SSSS mittens from Olga! *_* They're sooo gorgeous - purple and red, with the SSSS selburose logo on the back. SUCH a nice surprise. I'll have to get a picture of them... later. Can't be bothered to get my camera. xD But ahhh this was so wonderful and unexpected.

☆ I can't be bothered to do a full reading post today, but anyway - I've been reading Höllmann's The Land of the Five Flavours: A Cultural History of Chinese Cuisine, and while it's kind of so-so on the reading front (perhaps I don't know enough about China to appreciate it properly?) it has the unexpected side-effect of making me want to cook. Especially since it includes a lot of neat-looking recipes. But... I never cook. Baking, yes, but only certain no-fail recipes. Cooking, no. In this house, if you screw up once, you're basically never allowed near the stove again, heh. Blargh, how inconvenient. Oh well, if I write these things down, perhaps I can try them eventually....

☆ Does anyone else get nervous when commissioning someone for art? Because man, do I ever get nervous. It doesn't matter whether I know the artist or not, it still makes me feel jittery. I guess it's because there's this deep-down feeling that they'll be like, "Your idea is weird, and you're weird, and even though you're paying me $$ I'm going to judge the hell out of you every second that I'm working on this," ahaha. BUT on the upside, I know that's just my stupid brain being stupid, and it isn't actually what the other person is actually thinking.

Comments

[darjeeling]

The couple times I've commissioned something, I've been really nervous about it too :( For me it's less that someone could be judging and more that I'm not going to be happy with the end result.

[yuuago]

Ahhh man, yeah, that's a worry too.

And in some cases, there's the possibility that they just... won't complete the work at all. Which is also frustrating. Though I've only had that happen a couple of times.

[darjeeling]

I'd be wary about paying the full amount up front if it was a significant sum. I understand why an artist would want something of a deposit, especially if it's going to be time-intensive for them though, so it's kind of a catch-22.

[(Anonymous)]

@feeling jittery about commissions: I know you're aware that it's your brain being anxious, but let me try to offer some extra perspective, maybe it helps.

Most artists probably have had weirder commission requests than you can ever come up with. One time I was offering commissions on dA. Within minutes of posting the entry, I got a request to draw two furry versions of some real people, engaging in fisting. This, despite not having any porn or furries in my gallery :D And you know what, it's no big deal. I keep it as a fond memory of how diverse people are.

Personally I really like hearing about people's OCs and stories. I wouldn't keep doing this if I didn't like it! I know they're sharing something really personal and I appreciate that, $$ aside.

Also @darjeeling, a lot of artists offer revisions either at the sketch stage or the final stage, or both. Use them! It's perfectly okay to say "can you please change this or that", it's why we offer these revisions. As an artist, I also have anxiety that the client will not like what I do, so please work with your artist to ensure that doesn't happen. Don't be afraid to give your honest opinion as early as possible, since it's always easier to fix things early. It's also great to give specific references if you have an exact pose, setting or prop in mind.

As an artist, I'm just very grateful people are willing to pay me to do what I love and share such personal things with me. I wish there was a way to soothe these concerns. It kinda blows my mind that there are people who want commissions AND can afford them, but don't get them for other reasons, haha.

LK

[yuuago]

PFFF, wow @ that dA commission. Well, I guess when you put it like that, nothing I could ever ask for would come close. :'D

For me, Iiiiii think that it's just an extension of my usual anxiety, so probably nobody can soothe my concerns except... me. xD Goddamnit. I AM MY OWN WORST ENEMY.

[dhampyresa]

I've never offered comissions, but I've still gotten weird art requests.

And I can confirm that if an artist is showing you sketches/prep work/etc, it's totally cool to suggest edits.