How to Take Commissions Without Losing Your Mind
Commissions can be an incredible part of a creative practice.
They can also become an endless chain of emails about whether the blue could be “slightly less blue but also maybe more blue?”
The solution is boundaries.
Very clear boundaries.
Start with a proper brief
Before quoting anything, find out exactly what the client wants.
Ask about:
Size
Budget
Subject
Colour preferences
Deadline
Where the piece will live
Reference images
Any absolute must-haves
Anything they definitely don't want
Get this information in writing.
Make sure they actually want your work
A commission should still look like something you made.
If someone loves your botanical paintings and wants you to create something featuring their family's birth flowers — perfect.
If they want you to recreate another artist's work in completely different materials and style?
Probably not your commission.
It's okay to say no to projects that don't fit your practice.
Take a deposit
Please.
Don't start a commission without one.
Your deposit confirms the booking and protects some of the time and materials you're committing to the project.
Clearly communicate whether the deposit is refundable and when the remaining balance is due.
Put everything in writing
You don't necessarily need a terrifying 36-page contract.
But you should have written terms covering:
Scope of the commission
Final price
Deposit
Payment schedule
Timeline
Number of revisions
Cancellation
Shipping or collection
Copyright and reproduction
What happens if the scope changes
Written expectations protect everyone.
Limit revisions
Unlimited revisions are how you end up losing your mind.
Set a clear number of opportunities for feedback.
For example, the client may approve the initial concept or sketch before you begin the final work.
Additional changes outside the agreed scope can attract an additional fee.
Don't send constant progress photos
This depends on your process, but sometimes sharing every tiny stage creates unnecessary anxiety.
Artwork often looks weird halfway through.
You know that.
Your client may not.
Agree beforehand on when they'll receive progress updates.
Price commissions properly
Custom work should not automatically be cheaper than your existing work.
You're creating something specifically for one person, managing communication, potentially sourcing particular materials and working within additional constraints.
Account for that labour.
Don't promise impossible deadlines
If you need eight weeks, say eight weeks.
Don't say four because you're worried they'll go somewhere else.
Build in breathing room for materials, drying time, other projects and life generally happening.
Finishing early is much nicer than apologising for being late.
Learn to say no
You can decline a commission.
You can also stop taking commissions entirely for a while.
Not every opportunity is the right opportunity.
If the budget isn't appropriate, the timeline is impossible, the request doesn't suit your practice or communication already feels difficult before you've even started — listen to that.
Create a commission process
Once you start receiving commissions regularly, create a standard workflow.
Enquiry → Brief → Quote → Deposit → Concept approval → Making → Final approval → Final payment → Collection/delivery.
Create email templates.
Create standard terms.
Create an enquiry form.
The less admin you have to reinvent every time, the more energy you can spend actually creating.
Commissions should be collaborative and exciting.
Not something that makes you hide every time your inbox notification goes off.
The Creative Toolkit is a growing collection of practical resources from The Rundle Collective, created to help emerging creatives navigate the business, opportunities and realities of building a creative practice.
