Should I offer commissions even if I don't want to paint people's dogs for the next twenty years?

Yes, you should have a commissions option available even if you’re not sure you want to do custom work long-term. Opening yourself up to commissions serves as your “fly on the wall” to understand what people are really interested in and what they actually want. It’s not about committing to only do custom work forever — it’s about getting direct market feedback. Commissions help you discover which direction your audience wants you to go in. Many artists find that opening up to commissions reveals unexpected opportunities and popular niches they hadn’t considered. This is how you let your audience guide you toward what’s actually sellable rather than guessing on your own. You’re not asking people’s opinions about what’s good; you’re letting them tell you with their wallets where you should focus your creative energy.

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Asked by an artist unsure about offering commissions · Answered by Patrick Shanahan · art-marketing-podcast · 2024-05-10