Show notes
This episode is part of a nine-part series on commissions. How to prepare for them, respond to them, deliver them, and, crucially, how to stop them burning you out. If you haven't followed the podcast yet, hit follow so you don't miss an episode.
Today, episode three of nine. The first practical stage of the commission process. Your commission ecosystem.
In episode one, we did the mindset work. In episode two, we named the five mistakes that almost every underpriced commission has in common.
Today we start building the structure.
Here is the principle.
Stage one of any serious commission practice is the invisible work. The four decisions you make, in advance, before any enquiry arrives.
These decisions form what I call your commission ecosystem. Build it once. Revisit it annually. Let it do the work of saying no, so you do not have to do it in the moment.
Why does this matter? Because the moment an enquiry arrives, your nervous system will want to say yes. The ecosystem, written down in advance, is the only thing standing between that yes and the resentment you will feel six months later.
Four decisions. Let me walk you through each.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Set a clear annual profit target for commissions - pricing will stop feeling vague or reactive any you will know how many of each type of commission you need to complete to keep your practice viable.
A written rules list and clarity on materials, scale, and time protect you from burnout work and pull in the commissions that genuinely grow your practice.
BEST MOMENTS
“The year is the unit, not the commission. Once you know what the year needs to earn, every individual commission conversation becomes easier, because you know what you're measuring against.”
“This is the work. Nobody else can do it for you. But once it's done, every inquiry that arrives from that moment onward lands into a structure that already knows how to respond to it.”
“Clarity makes an artist easier to collaborate with, not harder. It gives the people commissioning them something stable to work with.”
For a text version of today's teaching, plus new practical guidance every week, you can subscribe to Beat the Block at https://cerihand.com/subscribe/
EPISODE RESOURCES
Episode 1 of this 9-part series - https://podcasts.apple.com/es/podcast/designing-the-way-you-want-to-work-the-mindset/id1709105337?i=1000769915059
HOST BIO
With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She has sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals.
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