Went through a year of commission records. The average one paid me less than minimum wage, so I raised prices and lost two clients. Still think it was right.

Okay so I finally did the thing I'd been avoiding for months and went through every commission I took last year. Added up all the hours, all the money, all the materials. Average came out to like €11 an hour and that's just... not a living wage where I live. And I already knew it was bad, but seeing it in a little spreadsheet made me feel genuinely sick for a day.

So I raised my prices. Not wildly, like 25% on the mid-range stuff and more on the bigger pieces. And immediately two people who'd been "definitely going to commission me soon" for months just went quiet. Poof. Never heard from them again. One of them had even sent me a moodboard and asked me to hold a date for them.

And I keep going back and forth, like did I price myself out of the people who actually wanted my work? Or were they never going to pay me fairly anyway? I think I know the answer. But it's hard when the quiet is so loud, you know?

The worst part is the people who DID book in at the new prices have been my favorite clients ever. Which feels like it should be the lesson. But I still spent an hour last night being mad at myself for losing the other two. Anyway. If you've done the spreadsheet math and kept your prices the same after, I'd genuinely love to know what stops you from raising them, because I get it more than I want to. 🙂

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Roman Petrak·1h

Good on you for actually doing the math. Most people in this trade never do because they don't want to know.

The two that went quiet were never going to commission you anyway. People who sit on "definitely soon" for months don't have money or don't take you seriously, and neither one gets better after a price hike. They saved you the trouble of finding out later.

The bigger risk is the clients you keep. If you raised prices 25% and nobody argued, you were still undercharging. You want at least a little pushback. That tells you you're near the real number. Dead silence on a price increase means you left money on the table.

Holding the line matters too, especially in a field where everyone's convinced they can't charge more. One artist who won't work for nothing makes it easier for the next one to ask for what they're worth. Stick with it.

Dani OkaforOP·33m

ugh you're probably right but I think I needed to hear it, especially the part about wanting pushback. nobody argued with me at all and I just assumed that meant I'd gotten it right. now I'm side-eyeing my own numbers like... should I have gone higher?? 😩

the two who ghosted though, I honestly keep going back and forth on. like part of me knows you're right, they'd been "definitely soon" for six months and never once put a deposit down. but there's this little voice that's like what if it was the price and now you'll never know. anyway. I'm keeping the new prices either way, just needed to yell about it into the void for a sec

Elin Holm·1h

The spreadsheet part I recognize. I did the same thing a while back, not with commissions but with a series I sold far under what the hours were worth, and the number sat in my head for weeks. It's the kind of thing you can't unsee once you've seen it.

The two who went quiet were probably not real clients anyway. Real ones don't say "definitely soon" for months. They book. But I know the doubt still sits there even when you know that. Raising prices always feels like a risk until it doesn't.

25% sounds reasonable, honestly. Not a flex, not a punishment. Just closer to true. I think staying there matters more than keeping warm leads.

Dani OkaforOP·39m

the "can't unsee it" thing is so real. like I knew it was bad but I was functioning on vibes before and now I have this number just living in my head forever haha. I'll never be able to pretend again which is probably good but also rude.

and yeah you're right about the quiet ones. I keep telling myself that. logically I know if they'd actually wanted to book they would've booked at the old price months ago, but there's still that little voice going "what if you priced yourself out of your own community" yknow?? it's annoying. appreciate the sanity check though, and honestly good for you for doing the same audit, most people never look at the real number.