How can AI help me take on commission work or projects outside my normal expertise?

AI can act as your research assistant for projects that would otherwise feel intimidating or time-consuming. For commissions requiring subject matter you’re unfamiliar with, you can ask AI to analyze reference materials and distill the essential visual characteristics you need to capture. For example, if asked to create caricature-style work when that’s not your skillset, AI can identify the key distinguishing features and suggest how to represent them in your medium. This research that might have taken days of Googling and organizing can happen in under an hour. The result is you can confidently say yes to more opportunities, expand your product offerings, and serve clients better—all without becoming paralyzed by the research phase.

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Asked by an artist who received a commission outside her usual subject matter · Answered by Patrick Shanahan · art-marketing-podcast · 2025-08-22