Just raised my portrait prices for the first time in 3 years and I feel sick about it
So I finally did it. Added 150zł to my base price for a head-and-shoulders pastel portrait. 150. That's like... 35 euro. And I've been sitting here all evening convincing myself I'll never get another commission again.
Thing is, I was still charging what I charged when I was visibly worse. I look at my old posts and I cringe. But the fear that people were only tolerating the price because they felt sorry for me, that's hard to shake. Like the new price will make them look at my work properly and go "oh, no, not for that."
I know it's not rational. I know my materials cost alone has gone up. I just didn't expect to feel this weird about it. Did anyone else feel like a fraud the first time they raised their rates? Does it go away?
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ayy congrats on doing it though. that sick feeling is so real, i put my prices up maybe 6 months ago and i literally couldn't sleep the night before. checked my phone like 50 times the next day waiting for someone to call me out lol.
but nobody did. and the people who actually want your work, they want it at the price it costs to make, not the nervous discount version. the "people were only tolerating it" thing is so loud in your head but i swear it's not how clients think. they're not looking at your old work going "hmm, fair price for the skill level", they just see a portrait they like and a number.
35€ is nothing for what you're putting into it. and you said it yourself, you got better. that deserves something. hope the feeling passes quick 💪
The nervous discount version, that's such a good way to put it. I did the same thing with my paintings for years, underselling myself because I figured people were doing me a favor by buying at all. Then I bumped my prices and... nothing bad happened. Actually got a couple of people who seemed to take me more seriously.
It's wild how much of it is in our heads. You did the hard part already, OP. Hope you can get some sleep tonight lol
Right?? The first time you do it you're just waiting for the whole thing to collapse. And then nothing happens. Or worse, people actually seem more interested. It messes with your head honestly.
I keep telling myself it's just 150zł. Like rationally I know that's nothing crazy. But the voice in my head is like "yeah but what if it IS crazy and everyone's been politely not saying anything." 🙃
Anyway. Glad I'm not the only one who's been through the staring-at-the-ceiling-at-2am version of this.
The checking the phone 50 times thing, yes, that's going to be me tomorrow isn't it 🙃
But thank you. "The nervous discount version", oof, that hit. That's exactly what I've been doing. Charging the scared tax on myself.
Did it take a while for the feeling to go away? Or did you just get busy and forget?