Hello,
So, I saw something on social media that made my blood boil. It was a post that was shared on Reddit between a tattoo artist (who goes by the name of u/rockpaperpowerfist) and a potential client. This was based in the UK. The potential client sent the tattoo artist a message asking if they were “really” a tattoo artist, and the tattoo artist told the person to check out his FB page. Well, this potential client not only said they were lazy, but also wanted the tattoo artist to “give” them a tattoo. When the tattoo artist said something about cost, the potential client had the TEMERITY to say “you lost me at money!” Not only that, the person said they looked at tattooing as a hobby! (If you want to read the whole exchange, here is the link https://www.boredpanda.com/tattoo-artist-rejects-customer-free-hobby/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic)
First, I read this whole article like
Second, I commend the tattoo artist for entertaining this ridiculous person for this long. If it was me, I would've responded with “K” and they would’ve been blocked, especially after they said, “you lost me at money!”
Third, when I discuss how people play with creatives’ time, THIS IS WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT!!!!! How dare you inbox someone asking for them to tattoo you for free, and then insult them by saying their career choice is a hobby!!
Sadly, these things happen to creatives all the time! Anyone with a creative background probably has countless stories about people either wanting something for free or pretending like they are going to order something when they want to waste time. Here are a few of the stories:
A person contacted a patternmaker for a custom garment. After telling everything they wanted on this garment, the patternmaker asked the person what was in their budget, and telling her what she was asking for was going to be expensive, the person said, “why are you asking about money when you are doing this for free?” When the patternmaker said they don’t work for free, the person then said, “Yes you do! You’re a freelancer, which means you do everything for free!”
A person contacted a pastry chef for a cake for her birthday. Gave the pastry chef a detailed list of everything she wanted on the cake. When the cake was done and the pastry chef contacted her, she wouldn’t answer the phone. The person’s boyfriend told the pastry chef to bring the cake. When the pastry chef brought the cake, the person only had $5 and asked the pastry chef to leave the cake with her, and she would pay her the next day. When the pastry chef told her that was unacceptable, the person had the pastry chef take her to the store to see if any money was on her “Walmart card.” Said Walmart card was a gift card that had no money on it.
There was a post on FB from a professional hairstylist. A client contacted her because she was in a financial bind. She had $100, but she still had a balance and needed her hair done. She suggested having sex with the hairstylist to pay for the balance, and the hairstylist to not tell the husband about it.
A person contacted a fashion designer/fashion illustrator for an illustration of her silhouette. She wanted to have it put on a t-shirt. She first contacted the fashion designer/fashion illustrator in 2018 for two sketches at first, but never signed the contract or paid the invoice. The fashion designer/fashion illustrator canceled the invoice. The person called her back explaining her situation. Fashion designer/fashion illustrator tried to work with her. Gave specific dates for the drawing + created another invoice for her to pay (that was in 2019). Years had passed, and after cleaning apps, the fashion illustrator realized the person never paid, so the invoice was canceled again. The person called the fashion designer/fashion illustrator again to explain her situation. This time, the fashion designer/fashion illustrator didn’t even bother to create anything because she knows the person only wants to waste her time.
A person contacted a fashion designer/fashion illustrator to create a book cover for her. The person gave details of the sketch she wanted for the book cover. Fashion Designer/Fashion Illustrator gave the person a contract and an invoice to pay. The person dared to tell the fashion designer/fashion illustrator that the contract would not be signed and the invoice would not be paid until she sees the work first. Fashion designer/fashion illustrator explained that she doesn’t work like that. After talking to other entrepreneurs, the fashion designer/illustrator decided to take a picture of sketch with a signature all over it. The person loved it at first, but then tried to negotiate the contract and invoice by saying she wanted more renditions. After not signing the contract and not paying the invoice, the fashion designer/fashion illustrator voided everything. The person had the nerve to have an attitude about it.
These are just a few stories of what creatives go through with people. We love what we do, but at the same time, we do not work for free. It is an insult to tell creatives to do the following:
Give you something for free
Give you a discount
Tell us to lower our prices because you can’t afford it
Play with our time by contacting us for a project, only for you to become ghost when it’s time to pay
For the last time, PAY CREATIVES THEIR WORTH, AND STOP WASTING CREATIVES’ TIME!!!!!!!!
Until Next Time!