5 Mistakes Artists Make

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Graphic Artist's Guild Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines

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[Zombienation]

My biggest mistake: Not dedicating time to my work. It's so easy to get caught up in life. Especially if you have Anxiety or Depression or a number of other things. A full time job, school, friends, or just not wanting to cut into leisure time. Even if it's just an hour a week you're doing /something/ to progress your skill. And as you get better at it you'll want to do it more and more. So start small and work up to it, but make a consistent schedule for yourself :)

[GoldMetalSun]

Yo! Graphic Designer here and here's some tips that I've learnt during my career~

1. Don't charge too little. While it may seem like it might make attractive to potential clients. It's actually the opposite, it will make clients view you as someone who provides low quality work.

2. Know when to say NO. If you feel like you're being strong armed into something such as charging a lower rate or doing more than required. Please say no if you feel overwhelmed. You're only a person, not a factory.

3. Learn to time manage. Inaccurate time scales will destroy you if you continuously miss deadlines (you might even lose a client's trust in your reliability). Keep your clients happy by giving them rough estimates on how long a project will take.

4. Read through your work or check it before sending it off to a client. I guarantee that there might be a potential spelling mistake, image misplacement etc that will get noticed after it's sent. Don't be the guy/gal. Double check, TRIPLE CHECK IF YOU NEED TO.

5. Stop trying to be perfect. Once a client loves your design/work - stop improving it. The extra details rarely count as big as you think they will and the extra time it takes will eat into other projects or other things like keeping in touch with clients.

6. If you're not saving after EVERY little change you make. You're an idiot. Make it a habit straight away. Right now. There's still times where I'll do an illustration, my program crashes and I'm back at square one.

7. If you make a CV or Resume. Please don't go for that flashy nonsense. Either be clever with your approach (there's designers who turn their resumes into passports and drop them in the street and many more wacky but clever things) Or show off your attention to detail with a clean layout and a clear appreciation for typography.

That's all I have for now but I'd be happy to discuss anything with anyone who needs it!
www(.waleosunla.)com (remove the brackets and check out my work if you want!

[fuuuuuuuism]

These are great tips for models, photographers, artists, designers, interior decorators literally ANYONE with a creative mind. Thank you for this

[pkcax]

#6 not accepting criticism! or passive aggressively reject it. there are so many artists out there (mainly writers because i write so those are the kinds of people i interact with) who have the mindset that you *have* to be at certain level before you are allowed to criticise. if you are a writer you *have* to be on Neil Gaiman's level before your criticism is accepted. when in reality, the basic requirement of criticism is _understanding the subject_. so one doesn't really have to be a painter himself to criticise a painting. as long as he understands the basic rules or components or composition of paintings he should be allowed to criticise. hell, even someone who doesn't understand _should_ be allowed to criticise. whether the artist would take it or not is up to them, but i see so many people trying to silence people who they deem "not worthy".

#7 taking things too complicated and too eager too impatient. this especially happens to me on watercolouring. i learnt from watching sped painting videos and while i know that those paintings usually take about two hours to finish i never really thought that they actually, patiently wait for the paint to dry before putting another layer. thankfully i'm a quick learner, so after several attempts where the layers and the paints keep blending in together making one big mess i learnt to wait until the painting is dry before adding another layer.

#8 feeling like you have to be at certain level before considered an artist. and artist is someone who makes art (and make it a public consumption). period. true, to call it your profession do require a certain level (truly getting income from making art) but boi, if you write and want to call yourself a writer, go ahead, whether you only write on Wattpad or is a national #1 best selling author. it's okay.

[harrynorman]

I will say, "PRACTICE" should be on this list. Whatever creative work you are doing, you should be honing the craft to the best of your ability.

[GarbageMother]

More on the point of being your own cheerleader is GET YOUR WORK OUT THERE. I have started sewing recently, and was planning on just doing Etsy and calling it a day, but a friend signed me up for a local craft fair, and just being around and people seeing your work in real life really helps!

[Rikku]

Writer here. The most common mistake I see other writers make is founded in paranoia. I've heard sooo many people say they won't share their work or seek feedback for it because they're terrified someone's going to "steal" their ideas.

And the truth is, ideas are seriously easy. Most people, even people who aren't storytellers, have ideas for narratives. Those that don't are probably not going to put in the time and effort to write a full, quality novel with something they didn't think up and fall in love with in the first place. And ideas in general are not what make a work matter, it's the execution of the story that stays in people's memories.

So to other writers, please remember that--aside from reading as much as possible--one of the only ways you'll get better at writing is getting feedback from it. You need an objective party to come in and analyze your work. Don't be afraid to share your first few drafts and don't be afraid to work with other writers; you can learn a lot from the process.

[GmilionRBLX]

sometimes i say that my art is bad
because, when i really think that it's bad
so i know that i should cheer my self up and tell my self that it's good
but i am worried that people will find it bad, and see me saying that it's good
and probably thinking that i am stupid or something like that,

[lymontethomas]

I am not even an artist but I think this is very helpful. I love your YouTube channel.

[kupotenshi]

don't work for free is the most important advice!! even the guy working at mcdonalds isn't working for free, and if you're an artist who's getting any type of work you're already doing a harder job and have more skill than the guy working at mcdonalds.

[stalkingself]

My mistake is more of a regret, and that is... stopping. I listened to advise on going to a "real college" to get a "real degree" because "no one makes money as an artist", and put working on my art to the side. I could have sketched every day, for an half an hour to an hour. No one makes money as an artist? All that time I lost sketching I could have been building my portfolio on the side. Eventually, I did find *many* jobs for artists, jobs I would have loved and could have done, but I don't have work to show for it.

Maybe art college can be skipped (depends on the type of learner you are), but never never give in and stop working on your art.

[wokeaf]

This is such good advice ESPECIALLY for progressive YouTube creators.  So many complain about anti-progressives and how they have so many followers who help fund their nonsense.  Too many progressive video creators or bloggers treat getting paid as if it's some kind of social disease.  But you have to eat, pay rent, get clothes, be secure.   I don't care how you make videos but you using your time - with is VALUABLE - and as you up your game in terms of quality it's costing you money.  Hell, it's costing you anyway.  The computer you use, the camera you use, the software you use - that costs you money.    Don't have "starving artist syndrome."   It sounds nice and poetic but it's foolish.   Take care of yourself.  It's not selfish, it's wisdom.

[princessDabby]

Things that I've learnt about being a visual artist, if you're having trouble drawing something, find reference! Not having reference doesn't make you a 'better' artist, using reference is HOW you become better. Also a side note of not putting your work down, don't get hung up about your art style. Just draw what you want.

[cesso]

Thank you! Great advice :) My advice: don't let anyone tell you you're not an artist, even yourself! If you create, you're an artist.

[SkyLeoHeart]

My best advice is put yourself out there. You are never going to reach that moment were you feel your art is perfect and now the world is ready to see. Just do it and keep going.

[elimo]

This is so useful Chescaleigh! I've been in the creative, visual biz for a while now, doing animation, production design, graphic work - any kind of visualization. And people will take advantage of you in any situation, because what you do is for some reason not as valid or transparent as being a nurse, a lawyer etc. I also learned the hard way. I started doing internships during school, volunteer work for non-profits, work for friends, and free work because there has only been money for the production and not for salaries. I've done TV where I could only get hired through an unemployment arrangement, and more people weren't getting paid. The production only paid the top positions, and they obviously needed more money than what was being budgeted from the production company. This is an ongoing problem, and yes, in the beginning of your career you can do pro bono work to get experience and to network. But there comes a time where you've done that, you need to move on in your career, you need to be able to pay bills. It's important to put your foot down, know your worth, get paid, do contracts. I sometimes forget when I'm already at work within the furnace of that heat, even though I know it's the smartest thing to do. I get a lot of anxiety at times when I get a job; I feel lucky, I want to do well, but I'm afraid I'll fail. I guess it's something a lot of artists struggle with, and humans in general don't like to feel inadequate. It's a hurdle we all need to get over, and put trust in ourselves and believe that we'll do well.

[SeanaSparkleTV]

I'm an artist, I draw, do graphic design and edit videos. There's a couple of these tips I need to work on.

[natalielam]

One time someone literally covered my signature and reposted it. IT WAS LITERALLY IN THE MIDDLE OF MY DRAWING. HOW?

[Cydoffgrid]

Great video! I learned a lot of these things the hard way. Asking for half the payment amount is a really good tip, I wish someone would have told me that before taking freelance work

Mistakes I've made as a graphic designer/illustrator or noticed others making:

- Not communicating well:
There was a graphic design studio that I wanted to intern for. They contacted me at one point asking for some logo mockups with a very short deadline. I emailed back saying that I would do it, excited for the opportunity. I really wanted to impress them and started worrying after not hearing back for a day so I went and made the mockups and sent them so they would have them for the deadline. I had come to find out that they had hired someone else to do it. Like Chescaleigh says in the video, make sure each party is on the same page.

- Not backing up files

- Carrying bottles of ink in backpacks/purses. (Don't be fooled, it will eventually leak EVERYWHERE.)

[ShaXV]

This video and your message are certainly RIGHT ON TIME!
I needed every word. Truly appreciate you taking the time to share your perspective.