Does it ever stop?
Started on 02/17/10-
godmachine on Feb 17, 2010you guys are seasoned pro's. Tell me:
Do people ever stop asking you where to buy a design you did which has the bands name on or the shirt with the clothing companys name across the front?
Do people ever stop asking if the 'Sold- New Deftones shirt' design is for sale for their band?
Do dads ever stop suggesting good ideas for designs?
Do friends ever stop asking for 'a quick design for their band'?
hahaha love it all.
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Joey on Feb 17, 2010
friends are the worst -
Geoff May on Feb 17, 2010
Typical annoying shit. -
derekdeal on Feb 17, 2010
i never get suggestions from people, that would be funny. All the other stuff is pretty common tho
people asking to by art commissioned for other artists is cute -
godmachine on Feb 17, 2010
my dad once led me out into the garden round the back of the house to this old statue he had there and pointed at it saying 'see- look at that- I thought that would look good on a tee, with all the flowers and stuff- put it on a tee!'.
and then one christmas my uncle corners me and starts telling me I should do paintings and sell them to hotels, saying 'they always got paintings in hotels'. -
Dave Quiggle on Feb 17, 2010
I just lol'ed about the hotels. That's so spot on. I think it's a major achievement in an illustrator's life when his or her parents stop asking when they are going to apply for a job at Disney. Or was that just me? -
bandwagon on Feb 17, 2010
Dave, I think that may have just been you. I don't think they ever stop. I guess it just comes with the territory.
This seems appropriate -
That guy's got a lot of good material - Lunchbreath -
110specialblack on Feb 17, 2010
uh uh uh!
my dad's common suggestion: no more dark shit with skulls -
HORSEBITES on Feb 17, 2010
godmachine said: my dad once led me out into the garden round the back of the house to this old statue he had there and pointed at it saying 'see- look at that- I thought that would look good on a tee, with all the flowers and stuff- put it on a tee!'.
and then one christmas my uncle corners me and starts telling me I should do paintings and sell them to hotels, saying 'they always got paintings in hotels'.
It's soooo true! My family or other peoples families always have an idea that they think I should do. The best is they always think I should something that I would never enjoy but they would enjoy. I know they're just trying to be helpful and insightful but it makes me sweat.
My other friends mom swears that I will make a million dollars if I make a huge painting of Jesus Christ made up of every race in the world. Black, white, hispanic etc. So crappy.
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110specialblack on Feb 17, 2010
HORSEBITES said:
My other friends mom swears that I will make a million dollars if I make a huge painting of Jesus Christ made up of every race in the world. Black, white, hispanic etc. So crappy.
people are scary -
drewmillward on Feb 17, 2010
Rules of freelance:
1. No Spec.
2. Learn to say 'NO'
3. No Spec.
4. If they didn't understand the first time, learn to say 'GET FUCKED!'
5. No Spec. -
xjoshuabelangerx on Feb 17, 2010
my favorite is when people or friends find out i do this for a living, they come up with a tee idea and ask if i can "make one up" for them "real quick"... shirt and all.
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corefolio on Feb 17, 2010
Maestro! 'please, draw my next tattoo. it'll take you just some minutes.' eheheeeh.. -
RustyEight on Feb 17, 2010
The guy who recorded my band way back in the day asked me to design a logo for his studio. "I can only afford this much, but it'll be great exposure AND a great way to build your portfolio!"
I get that more than anything. -
Braulio on Feb 17, 2010
The place where I get tatooed in Portugal have this sign that I love saying: "If you are my friend, dont ask me to tattoo you for free" -
Hardiewear on Feb 17, 2010
I can't imagine that it will ever stop. Human nature man. -
treycook on Feb 17, 2010
Hardiewear said: I can't imagine that it will ever stop. Human nature man.
Agreed haha. Luckily, I've never had the experience of dads suggesting ideas. Had plenty of friends in bands suggest some pretty off-the-wall stuff, though. -
kevintheorgan on Feb 17, 2010
RustyEight said: The guy who recorded my band way back in the day asked me to design a logo for his studio. "I can only afford this much, but it'll be great exposure AND a great way to build your portfolio!"
I get that more than anything.
I get that a LOT as well. Or worse, I'm in a band so I always get, "If you design this for me, I'll record you guys for free or a discount... blah blah." Even better is the, "Design a poster for this show and you can play on it!" People like to think your band is more important than your job. Blah.
How about people trying to make you a "sponsor" for their promotion company or label. HA, AKA, "We'll put your name on flyers and banners, you'll get SO MUCH exposure! OH and do tons of free art for us first."
ALL the worst.
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godmachine on Feb 17, 2010
Hardiewear said: I can't imagine that it will ever stop. Human nature man.
It was a rhetorical question. -
Joey on Feb 17, 2010
No.
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uzi on Feb 17, 2010
Once, my mom walked towards me all giddy and excited. There was a smile on her face as she spoke, "I have a great idea for your next shirt design. Now, you don't have to do this, it's just an idea, but I think it's nice..... FAIRIES!" -
xjoshuabelangerx on Feb 17, 2010
uzi said: Once, my mom walked towards me all giddy and excited. There was a smile on her face as she spoke, "I have a great idea for your next shirt design. Now, you don't have to do this, it's just an idea, but I think it's nice..... FAIRIES!"
HELLBOY2's Tooth Fairies were cool...
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treycook on Feb 17, 2010
kevintheorgan said: Even better is the, "Design a poster for this show and you can play on it!" People like to think your band is more important than your job. Blah.
Really, the promoter should be paying your band to play the show, not the other way around. -
uzi on Feb 17, 2010
Requests from friends suck. Especially when they're asking you to design a shirt exclusively for them. Uhh.. okay... good luck finding a printer who's willing to print one shirt for you.
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ryanaugust on Feb 17, 2010
Hey guys-
I know the word "friend" can mean a lot of different things, but if a real bro asks you for a solid and you don't come through, then you are a douche. You've been hustling (or trying to hustle) for way too long, and it's time to give it up and head back to that desk gig.
If you don't think it's cool to do a kick ass design for a buddy's band- then why the fuck are you doing this? Go draw some greeting card bullshit. Hallmark is always hiring.
I get the sentiment that people often underestimate the amount of time, commitment and skill that goes into art, but sorry- reality check time! If you're this jaded already its time to move on to other things. -
derekdeal on Feb 18, 2010
ryanaugust said: Hey guys-
I know the word "friend" can mean a lot of different things, but if a real bro asks you for a solid and you don't come through, then you are a douche. You've been hustling (or trying to hustle) for way too long, and it's time to give it up and head back to that desk gig.
If you don't think it's cool to do a kick ass design for a buddy's band- then why the fuck are you doing this? Go draw some greeting card bullshit. Hallmark is always hiring.
I get the sentiment that people often underestimate the amount of time, commitment and skill that goes into art, but sorry- reality check time! If you're this jaded already its time to move on to other things.
great point man, thanks for the attitude boost. That's pretty much how i feel about it after ive groaned for a few seconds. I guess its a lot like owning a pickup truck. You're friends are always going to bug you when they need to move or some shit but what are you gonna do? If you dont want to be bothered by it you could just get rid of the truck.
The upside is when i do stuff for friends and family i either do stuff thats 100% me, which is refreshing, or its so easy and painless that it wasnt even worth sweating over. Afterwards they always seem geniunely more appreciative than the paying folk, at least in my experience. -
RustyEight on Feb 18, 2010
ryanaugust said: Hey guys-
I know the word "friend" can mean a lot of different things, but if a real bro asks you for a solid and you don't come through, then you are a douche. You've been hustling (or trying to hustle) for way too long, and it's time to give it up and head back to that desk gig.
If you don't think it's cool to do a kick ass design for a buddy's band- then why the fuck are you doing this? Go draw some greeting card bullshit. Hallmark is always hiring.
I get the sentiment that people often underestimate the amount of time, commitment and skill that goes into art, but sorry- reality check time! If you're this jaded already its time to move on to other things.
I mean once in a while is cool. I don't mind helping a friend out... never have. The problem is that:
1. More often than not they take it for granted
2. Its not just a few friends... its ALL of your friends... best boys or not.
I liken this whole debate to owning a store. Your friend wants that sick XBox game that just came out. He's real short on cash though so you give it to him. Soon word gets out and ALL of your friends want that same game for free. You'd go out of business real quick.
If you're making a living at anything, sometimes you got to put your foot down. -
robdobi on Feb 18, 2010
the best design idea i've ever been pitched was by my dad...
"make a shirt with a picture of a guys face, and have steam coming out of his ears, and have him saying I'M NOT HAVING A VERY GOOD DAY" -
drewmillward on Feb 18, 2010
robdobi said: the best design idea i've ever been pitched was by my dad...
"make a shirt with a picture of a guys face, and have steam coming out of his ears, and have him saying I'M NOT HAVING A VERY GOOD DAY"
It's like a licence to print money. -
kevintheorgan on Feb 18, 2010
ryanaugust said: If you don't think it's cool to do a kick ass design for a buddy's band- then why the fuck are you doing this? Go draw some greeting card bullshit. Hallmark is always hiring.
I get the sentiment that people often underestimate the amount of time, commitment and skill that goes into art, but sorry- reality check time! If you're this jaded already its time to move on to other things.
Admittedly, I have done work for friends that has led to a lot of other work--and this is the best kind of stuff, because you're free to be creative. To go back to a previous statement, I've also exchanged design for recording time, and that engineer has pushed me to everyone he works with, and it's led to more clients.
When conditions are right, requests from friends lead to new and better work. When conditions are wrong, they are picky and take it for granted.
I love when I develop a good rapport with a client over a long-term project. However, the worst is when a client becomes a "friend" (either in reality or in their mind, it happens both ways) and they try to exploit that for little freebies and unpaid work over the course of the project. Negotiating the line between paying customer, and "buddy" is hard. -
ryanaugust on Feb 18, 2010
Like I said, I get the sentiment. I just think it's entirely misplaced.
For me, being able to be creative and do art on any sort of consistent basis is a complete privilege and something I strive to never take for granted.
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treycook on Feb 19, 2010
kevintheorgan said:
Admittedly, I have done work for friends that has led to a lot of other work--and this is the best kind of stuff, because you're free to be creative. To go back to a previous statement, I've also exchanged design for recording time, and that engineer has pushed me to everyone he works with, and it's led to more clients.
When conditions are right, requests from friends lead to new and better work. When conditions are wrong, they are picky and take it for granted.
I love when I develop a good rapport with a client over a long-term project. However, the worst is when a client becomes a "friend" (either in reality or in their mind, it happens both ways) and they try to exploit that for little freebies and unpaid work over the course of the project. Negotiating the line between paying customer, and "buddy" is hard.
Totally agree with everything you just said. Most of the time a freelance designer really doesn't have the spare time to be able to work on freebies for his friends. But I'm sure we all feel bad having to turn them down or ask them to pay up.
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