Advice - Bad Clients

Stemming from the previous post:

I have the privilege of getting some pretty fantastic professional advice on a regular basis. This saves me from stumbling along, into and only barely around the pitfalls of the industry; I'm grateful to these friends I have (that often double as teachers), and I feel the need to pass advice on to anyone who might read these posts.

I recently had someone pitch a large project to me at 1/3rd of a reasonable price. Now, when I pointed out exactly how much work would be involved in the project (an undertaking that would span the better part of a year), I was given tales of other artists who were content to work for very little, if anything at all. I know that they intended those stories to cast a pitiable light on them and their financial situation, but it only made me angry. As an artist, those stories told me that since other artists were fine with the exploitation, I should be okay with it too.

Not budging, I was then offered exposure as a form of payment. However, a promise of exposure and a client's appreciation does not pay the bills. I spent far too long with dollar signs in my eyes, trying to see if the deal was salvagable, when I should have just walked away.

You can always decline offers, even if they are big offers. Hell, if you're getting big offers, be confident that more will come in time. If you don't like how the client treats you, if you don't like the offer, and even if you're not feeling the creative pitch, you can decline and that's okay.

You can also fire bad clients. I was surprised to learn that it's not a one-way street! It is perfectly okay for you to develop the self-respect to not take shit from people before you make a big name for yourself. This will save you a lot of time and frustration in the long run. Respect needs to go both ways in relationships, and business relationships are no exception.

Most importantly, pay attention to your gut feeling. This is the greatest piece of advice that is being (lovingly) hammered into me right now. I am fortunate enough to have savvy industry art friends that see the potential in me to get fucked over - by both others and my naivety to be distracted by dollar signs, because I'm just starting out and want to make this my living.

In the realm of freelance commission/contract work, you are your own boss. Bad clients come and go in any business - I used to work in retail, and the difficult customers still stand out in my mind. The only difference is, back then I had to take their bullshit.