Did commissions ever influence the body of work you created for regular sale?

The question was posed to an experienced artist who had done many commissions. His answer was no, not really, because many commissions were very specific or ‘weird’ requests. However, the marketing expert emphasized that opening yourself to commissions is still one of the most important things an artist can do, as it provides market feedback and can be an idea machine for future directions, even if the specific commissions don’t directly influence your main body of work.

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Asked by an experienced UK-based artist · Answered by Patrick · Art Business Webinar · 2026-06-19