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My gallery sold two pieces in October and I still haven't seen a dime. This is not the first time. Is this just how it is, or am I being too impatient? How do you handle these situations? Maybe a firm email template?

My first proper gallery show, the work sold on opening night itself. I was so happy, called my mother, the whole thing. And then... nothing. Three months before the payment came. Every time I followed up it was "next week, next week, sorry for the delay." I was too new to know if this was normal or if I was being taken for a ride. That was two years ago and I've learned a lot since. But still, is this just how it goes with some galleries? How long have you waited for payment after a show? And at what point do you start making noise about it? I'll go first: I waited 3 months that first time. Now I have a 45-day expectation written into the agreement itself, learned that the hard way.

We all hear the success stories but nobody talks about the waiting after the sale. One gallery in Patna kept my payment for four months after they sold three of my pieces. Every time I called they said "next week ji, next week." I needed that money, my wife was unwell also, but I also did not want to burn the relationship because they were the only gallery in the city showing Mithila work properly. Finally I went there and sat. Just sat. The owner got so uncomfortable he wrote a cheque on the spot. So my question is, how long did you wait before you said enough? Did you walk away from a gallery over payment delay? Or do you just keep waiting because the exposure is worth it? I want to know because I still wonder whether I did the right thing sitting there like that.

A friend from the parents at my daughter's school. She knows I paint. She asked me to do a portrait of her daughter, a nice photo reference she had, the girl in a garden, good light actually. I said yes, I'd be happy to, and told her my price for a bust-length oil on linen, 40 x 50 cm, which is 1 200 €. She paused and said: "But you'll enjoy doing it." Not in a nasty way. She genuinely thought that because I would like the work, it shouldn't cost as much. As if pleasure and payment are opposites. As if a baker shouldn't charge for bread because he likes to bake. I explained that enjoying my work doesn't mean my time and materials are free, and that the years I spent learning to paint a child's face well enough that she'd want to hang it are part of what she's paying for. She said she'd think about it. She hasn't replied. I don't blame her exactly. Nobody taught her what this costs. But I'm tired of explaining that my enjoyment of the work doesn't subtract from the price, it's the whole reason the work is any good in the first place.

i still think about the gallery owner who spent twenty minutes telling me about their "exposure package" and what it would normally cost an emerging artist, as if i was supposed to be grateful they were waiving the fee i'd never have paid in the first place. what's the most creative payment offer you've gotten from a gallery? i'll start, someone once offered me a split where they'd take 60% AND i had to cover my own materials. when i blinked they said "think of the foot traffic."

A woman from Tokyo found my work through the Mithila Art Institute page, wrote to me on WhatsApp. She wanted a wedding scene, the full thing, the groom's procession, elephants, the bride under her covering, all the detail. I told her 15,000 rupees for that size, which is already low but she was a foreign buyer and I thought maybe she won't pay more. She said yes very quickly. Then she said she will send in US dollars through her friend's account. 250 dollars. I thought okay, 250 dollars, that sounds like a good amount, more than 15,000 I assumed. You know what I did? I did not check. My son usually handles the online payment things but he was out. The money came. I felt happy. Later my son came home and said, Papa, do you know 250 dollars is almost 21,000 rupees? I sat quiet for a long time. She paid me what the work was worth. I undervalued it myself, not even knowing the rate of my own currency. The embarrassment is still with me. Not at her. At myself. I told her 15,000 for a painting that takes three weeks of daily work and she paid me 21,000 anyway because she decided that's what it costs. A stranger in Tokyo had more respect for my labour than I did. Since then I always check the rate before I quote to anyone outside India. But that feeling sits. How many more times have I done this to myself without knowing? 🙏

got a DM last week from a skincare brand that wanted to "collaborate", which in their world meant i paint something with their product in it, post it, and they "amplify" (their word) on their channels. no payment. they said "the exposure would be great for both of us." i asked what they were offering. they sent back a moodboard and a brief that literally said "make it go viral" as the objective. i said i don't control viral and asked what the budget was. they said they'd "love to discuss value alignment first." i told them my rate is $800 for a commercial post. they said they'd circle back. they circled back yesterday to offer me $50 and a "feature" on their story. i said no thanks. they asked if i could do it for the "portfolio opportunity." i hate it here lol. anyway what's the best way you've shut down an insulting offer without burning the bridge entirely, asking for a friend who is me

so. a gallery has had eleven of my pieces since october. sold two that i actually know about. ive emailed four times asking about payment and every answer gets vaguer than the last, "doing our accounts soon" was the most recent one, three weeks ago. im not naming them yet because some stupid part of me still hopes this is incompetence and not the other thing. has anyone ever actually gotten money out of a situation like this or do i just turn up in person