I swear I attract these people!
As many of you know, I am an artist....and it's pretty common for people to ask about getting a painting or a drawing done and then never actually "order" one. And that's OK. I am fine with it. It's also common to try and find solutions that fit within smaller budgets - payment plans and that sort of thing.
Two years ago - a woman contacted me wanting a series of drawings. We discussed her budget...came up with something at a very low price that would work for her....and then she disappeared.
Almost exactly a year later - this woman wants those drawings....only now she wants to be able to sell them on products on her website. I explain to her that that is a Licensing Agreement....and if she wants to do that, we can negotiate a deal for the rights to the artwork. Instead, she presented me with a very bizarre contract that she had written herself (though she claimed her lawyer wrote it) and basically asked me to give her all sorts of stuff for basically free so that she could retire on the sales of this merchandize.
Very patiently, I explained to her that that is NOT how things work. If she wanted to license artwork - I would be happy to do that, but I am NOT agreeing to the contract she wrote. Her response? Nothing. She never responded...and I figured that was that.
So I heard nothing until about two weeks ago (and almost a year since last we had communicated) and now she is DEMANDING artwork from me to be completed in just a couple of weeks and she needs me to sign her contract. I tell her NO. So now she wants to have meetings with me to 'discuss' the contract. Ugh! What's to discuss? I politely suggest that she find another a different artist. She sent a few emails - to which I responded, but she ignored my answers. So I figure that she's just playing games.
So then she calls me wanting (once again!) to discuss this contract. And now she tells me that she wants six, no three, no four drawings....maybe more....but they need to be finshed ASAP and they need to be all sizes so they can be used on books and T-shirts and pillowcases so she can sell them...
At first, I tried being polite, but eventually I ended up practically shouting into the phone "NO! I DO NOT AGREE TO THIS!"
Then I followed up with an email telling her (once again!) to find another artist.
She responded this morning.
She feels that I am not "enthusiastic" enough about doing these drawings for her, plus I seem very "combative" - so she has decided to find another artist.
Combative - eh?
Maybe if I had been more "combative" a bit sooner, I could have saved myself a few headaches!
As many of you know, I am an artist....and it's pretty common for people to ask about getting a painting or a drawing done and then never actually "order" one. And that's OK. I am fine with it. It's also common to try and find solutions that fit within smaller budgets - payment plans and that sort of thing.
Two years ago - a woman contacted me wanting a series of drawings. We discussed her budget...came up with something at a very low price that would work for her....and then she disappeared.
Almost exactly a year later - this woman wants those drawings....only now she wants to be able to sell them on products on her website. I explain to her that that is a Licensing Agreement....and if she wants to do that, we can negotiate a deal for the rights to the artwork. Instead, she presented me with a very bizarre contract that she had written herself (though she claimed her lawyer wrote it) and basically asked me to give her all sorts of stuff for basically free so that she could retire on the sales of this merchandize.
Very patiently, I explained to her that that is NOT how things work. If she wanted to license artwork - I would be happy to do that, but I am NOT agreeing to the contract she wrote. Her response? Nothing. She never responded...and I figured that was that.
So I heard nothing until about two weeks ago (and almost a year since last we had communicated) and now she is DEMANDING artwork from me to be completed in just a couple of weeks and she needs me to sign her contract. I tell her NO. So now she wants to have meetings with me to 'discuss' the contract. Ugh! What's to discuss? I politely suggest that she find another a different artist. She sent a few emails - to which I responded, but she ignored my answers. So I figure that she's just playing games.
So then she calls me wanting (once again!) to discuss this contract. And now she tells me that she wants six, no three, no four drawings....maybe more....but they need to be finshed ASAP and they need to be all sizes so they can be used on books and T-shirts and pillowcases so she can sell them...
At first, I tried being polite, but eventually I ended up practically shouting into the phone "NO! I DO NOT AGREE TO THIS!"
Then I followed up with an email telling her (once again!) to find another artist.
She responded this morning.
She feels that I am not "enthusiastic" enough about doing these drawings for her, plus I seem very "combative" - so she has decided to find another artist.
Combative - eh?
Maybe if I had been more "combative" a bit sooner, I could have saved myself a few headaches!
