If you’re a new artist, you may have heard about other artists who talk about this. The same old story of impatient clients. These are clients who seem to act like they could have done the art themselves. That’s because they tell artists about how quickly the work can be done. That’s a very common problem that people in the art community encounter every once in a while.
If only you could tell them it took four years for Leonardo Da Vinci to finish the Mona Lisa. They may even raise their eyebrows if you told them that. But that’s the reality of it. You can’t please everybody, even your commissioners. Not all commissioners are like this. But for some who don’t understand the craft, that could be a problem. But there are solutions for every problem. For this one, you have to open up about your work.
Here are the best ways to deal with impatient clients so you don’t have to clash with them:
Set their expectations first
When you tell them everything about the ways you do your work, it may give them an idea of how long it’ll take for you to finish it. The setting of expectations is important. It’s a fundamental part of being able to make your clients wait patiently. This is going to be something you’ll hold on to when they start becoming impatient. It’s better if you have a contract that explains all the expectations they should anticipate. That should include the duration of the time in which they should expect your work to be done. That way, they’d know when to still wait and when to call you already. This is needed especially for big commissions that take longer to finish.
Explain your medium
Commissioners who come to you may already have a hint about your work. But that doesn’t mean they know how hard it is to work with the medium you’re using. This is where the misunderstanding arises. You can’t just tell them to try making it themselves to see how hard it is to use oil-based paint. You can’t tell them that even a big animated promotional video production takes their time to perfect their craft. But what you can tell them is an explanation about your medium. Say you’re a digital artist. They expect you to finish it quickly because it’s digital. That could be the best time to explain to your client that it doesn’t work that way.
Remind them of the deadline
If you agreed upon a deadline, some clients would think that you can finish it earlier than that. Well, there’s a chance that you can. But there’s also a chance that you cannot. For a craft that needs to be perfected, an artist always maximizes their allotted time for it. So if a client starts calling even days before the supposed deadline, be calm. Explain to them that you’ve agreed upon a deadline when the work should be finished. Make them realize that you’re finishing their commissioned work on the deadline. Not earlier, not lfater. Make them understand it.
Communicate about the delay
A lot of things may happen during the creation of a commissioned work. An unexpected incident or even a creative block. This may cause a delay in some of your commissioned works. That’s the time you need to contact clients who are going to be affected by the hurdles. They need to know the exact reason why the work would be delayed. Let them know about how you’re going to make up for it too. It’s important so clients won’t lose trust in the creative process. It’s all about making sure that their commissioned works are done great and not rushed. That’s why it’s essential to communicate with the clients if there’s going to be a delay.
Remind them about the setting of expectations
Take them back to where it all started. That’s right. They need to be reminded of the things you talked about when they first approached you to commission an artwork. That’s the only way to let them know that when they commission art, they’re told about everything. This is useful for their future reference too in case they’re going to commission works from you or even from other artists.
It’s hard to please clients who don’t have a clue about how you run things. This is why educating them is the key to avoiding conflict. As an artist, you might want to go out of your way to inform them about all these. This could also help people to better understand an artist’s craft.
