#proffesionalism

Please somehow, tell Phenomaman that he's allowed to file complaints and stuff, tell him he's an exception if he insists he can't because of his origins.

Sincerely, the tired and concerned Psychologist department (they have seen and heard things...)

thanks for bringing this up, we've already had both Waterboy and Blonde Blazer come up and ask about that, so we're currently trying to find a new boss to help out

Blazer did volunteer, but due to their past relationship, we think it's best if someone else does it

we're offering like $20 for someone to reteach Phenomaman how the workplace works, and we will talk to him about it soon

thanks for bringing this to our attention, Psychologist department

If we knew just the secret to unlock the market - we’d tell you, but for now, I can personally only give you my take on how to advertise and generally hold yourself up on the internet. Note: that I’m a chum who only has commissions open to private clientele on occasion, and I’m still building my audience up, so you might want to look around for more opinions on the matter. This is mostly just stuff that I’ve gotten thrown in my face from the academy ( where we’re currently going through a portfolio and self-branding semester right now. )But here we go: Seeing traffic as an online artist is a long, arduous process that can feel teeth-pulling on many occasions. There are so many artists out there and a good few of them sell their crafts and services. Granted, there are also many customers, but even then - you’re going to want to stand out and elbow your way to the attention of potential customers. 

And elbowing your way takes time. A lot of time. Especially if you work with original pieces, and don’t have a certain original IP, theme or style that sets you apart from the rest. Artists who startup, and generally move around fandoms are more likely to garner more traffic than the average artist who exclusively dabbles in original works. This is neither ethically right or wrong. People who find artists through their fandom and thusly chose to go to them when they want something drawn is perfectly fine. And it’s also perfectly acceptable as an artist to choose to only work in original subjects - This just means that you have to push yourself and your brand somewhat further and more aggressively than those who have already found a fanbase within a fandom. There’s also nothing wrong at all with being an artist working within a fanbase. Their art and sales are just as valid as someone who does not. FirstYou. must. figure out what you’re about. Your artistic identity.   What are your usual subjects and themes? What does your typical style look like? Are you SFW or NSFW? ( and if you’re really artsy and like it highbrow - What do you want your art to TELL people ). 

I’ll give you an example of my identity.My art combines the themes of hyper-masculinity and emotionally driven homo-eroticism, typically set in hostile worlds told in typical Hollywood-blockbuster narratives ( war, civil strife, epic quests, etc ). My art style combines the design language of 2D animation with certain trademarks from the comic book industry.  My art is mostly SFW but dips into NSFW territory in order to portray intimacy and vulnerability in characters considered conventionally “ strong” and “ capable “. Or in displays of gore, or politically difficult thematics.I strive to normalize the presence of LGBTQ individuals( especially gay men ) in narratives usually aimed at a predominantly masculine demographic.Sounds dense? Well basically: What if James Bond was gay?… and drawn in 2D?

Style?

You’ve probably already grown weary of the touting of having an “ original art style “ to stand out. An original style -is- important. But not as important as having an identity in your themes. Having some consistent topics you return to regularly. Cause these are the things that ‘ll allow people to find you in the first place, and stay with you beyond their first viewing. With an identity - you can start fostering a target demographic. My target demographic for an example: are people who might ironically enjoy films like Fast & Furious but also enjoy emotionally driven romance. 

Yours will depend on what sort of themes you keep returning to. Build, Build, Build

Your presence on different platforms is of course also crucial to your traffic. Learning how to utilize each of your platforms to their best potential is the best way to start reaching out to your potential demographic. Things like getting acquainted with the “groups” feature on Deviantart. Or involving yourself with the chums over at Art-fight for an example - coupled with regular posting on additional platforms could be your starting point. Affiliating with other creators, partaking in mutual promotion and contribution to  community based projects are also worth looking into if you have more time to spend on forwarding your brand. 

This is something you build up continuously, and it’ll take years before you feel like you’ve got a solid footing, especially if you’re not involved with fandoms. However, that doesn’t mean that it’ll take years to get a bit of paid work in on occasion. Just that a steady cash flow from commissional work might not be viable for the first bit.  

Advertising

So what you actually came here for: Advertising commissions is an aggressive and tiresome affair. Unless you have a large fanbase which is ready to drop money on you whenever you need it - you’re going to want to be a little brazen in your advertising. To everyone but your following, you’ll only have a few seconds on the front page before your ad fades into the void that is any “search-by-tag” feature. Especially here on tumblr. 

So make sure your ad depicts EXACTLY what the customer gets, then the pricing. It has to read easily even from a thumbnail level since many will simply be glancing over your ad. Make sure it grabs the attention but doing so in a pleasant way that falls in lieu with your brand and identity. 

^ This was a small ad I did featuring the result of one of the advertised commissions. Every time I finished a commission like this, I would make a new ad with the newest character drawn for a client ( with the client’s consent of course ). This meant that the ad would change looks, and could be resubmitted or posted again without becoming a repetitive eyesore to the potential clientele. Nobody likes an artist who just reposts and reposts and reposts, so change it up sometimes to make sure you don’t become “that guy”. 

Sometimes ads need a little more writing in them. This was from a campaign I did way back. I only opened 8 slots, and there were some stylistic details that needed explaining. Still, I tried to make it as clear and concise as possible so that the potential client would get the idea quickly, and decide if it was an offer worth going for or not within a very short amount of time. 

For platforms, I recommend looking into a varied few venues, just so you can test the waters - and see where your identity fits in the best.Personally, I use the following platforms to advertise:  - Facebook ( artist/brand page )  - Facebook ( private )  - Twitter  - Instagram  - Deviantart  - Tumblr - Furaffinity  - Anime / comic / nerd-culture Conventions - Discord servers

I know there are more places such as Fiverr and the likes that might be worth looking into. I’m still experimenting with the platforms above to see which host the most of my followers willing to drop money on my stuff. While also keeping the platforms active enough to draw eyes to them while I’m not advertising on it. 

— It’s also important to have an easy-to-read catalogue. Something where your clients can look up your prices in case they want something extra for the advertised deal, or are perhaps curious to explore your other products. Just like the ads, make them as digestible and easy to read as possible. But also be precise and on point with your descriptions, so that nothing is left out. A lack of clarity can often give customers cold feet, as they don’t wish to contact artists privately with questions about their catalogue when they could just as easily find another artist to take their order. 

—There’s a reason they call it “ the grind”. It’s just about the most frustrating thing about working commission ( aside from difficult customers ), but this is one of those things where you just gotta bite the bullet and work, work, work. 

Hi dear Anon!

I actually don’t think anything, because, to put it simply, it’s not my business what other people choose to do with their body (as long as it doesn’t affect my/anyones body)

There is absolutely no correlation between how many tattoos you have and how smart or how driven or how emphatic or how dedicated to your job you are. None. And those are the traits that should be taken into consideration when choosing a doctor and not whether they have a visible tattoo somewhere on their body.

I can’t comprehend why they are people who seem to think that, because they don’t like tattoos they can belittle and insult people who have them. For me it’s simple- don’t want one, don’t get one, but leave people who want one alone. And for the record, I don’t have a tattoo, but I wouldn’t mind my doctor having a tattooed face as long as they were a professional. 

Love,