Someone tell me I did the right thing?
One of the NPs who used to work in our office contacted me about a week ago (well, closer to 12 days, really) asking me if I could do a portrait commission for her for her sister's anniversary. She wanted a portrait of her sister and her husband now, with a smaller portrait of them on their wedding day in the corner, on 11x14 paper.
I quoted her originally at $150, asked for the pictures, but said I'd need to know how soon she wanted them. That was the 16th.
Last night, still having not heard from her, I sent her an email asking if she was still interested. She said she was, thanked me for the reminder because it had slipped her mind, and sent the first photo--and told me she'd need it by St. Patrick's Day.
That would've been a rush job anyway; for a commission like that, I'd usually need at least a month. But added into the fact that thuri and I are going to be moving, in all likelihood, within the next two weeks, that made it almost an impossibility. I waffled a bit, then finally wrote her back:
St. Patrick's day is pushing it; for a portrait like this, I'd usually require a month. There's also a good chance I'll be moving in the next two weeks, which means I'll be busier than usual anyway. I'll also need to set all of my other projects aside for the time being, which isn't an impossibility, but will set me back a little bit. I can do it, but in light of the somewhat rushed nature of the job, I would need to charge a little more, probably closer to $200.
Let me know if you're still interested, and if so, please send the second photo as soon as possible so I can get going on it.
She wrote back this morning:
I think I'll forego it for now. I don't want to rush it, and frankly my sister is not worth the $$$$. I love her to death, but not that much!!!
Thanks for even thinking about doing it though. If I decide to do it later, I'll let you know.
I'm feeling a little guilty. But the truth is, I'm feeling relieved, because as much as I could've used the money, that would've been a major additional stress in a time when I'm already pretty damned stressed. Yet I can't shake this guilt, either. I wrote her back, said I'd be happy to consider it at the original price sometime when I had more warning, or that I could do a portrait of them with just two of them on the page for $100, because that'd be a much simpler job, but I haven't heard back yet.
Someone tell me I did the right thing? That it wasn't...I don't know...pompous of me, conceited, to consider my art worth the last-minute knock-up? That...that asking for more on a rush job is a perfectly reasonable thing to do?
I quoted her originally at $150, asked for the pictures, but said I'd need to know how soon she wanted them. That was the 16th.
Last night, still having not heard from her, I sent her an email asking if she was still interested. She said she was, thanked me for the reminder because it had slipped her mind, and sent the first photo--and told me she'd need it by St. Patrick's Day.
That would've been a rush job anyway; for a commission like that, I'd usually need at least a month. But added into the fact that thuri and I are going to be moving, in all likelihood, within the next two weeks, that made it almost an impossibility. I waffled a bit, then finally wrote her back:
St. Patrick's day is pushing it; for a portrait like this, I'd usually require a month. There's also a good chance I'll be moving in the next two weeks, which means I'll be busier than usual anyway. I'll also need to set all of my other projects aside for the time being, which isn't an impossibility, but will set me back a little bit. I can do it, but in light of the somewhat rushed nature of the job, I would need to charge a little more, probably closer to $200.
Let me know if you're still interested, and if so, please send the second photo as soon as possible so I can get going on it.
She wrote back this morning:
I think I'll forego it for now. I don't want to rush it, and frankly my sister is not worth the $$$$. I love her to death, but not that much!!!
Thanks for even thinking about doing it though. If I decide to do it later, I'll let you know.
I'm feeling a little guilty. But the truth is, I'm feeling relieved, because as much as I could've used the money, that would've been a major additional stress in a time when I'm already pretty damned stressed. Yet I can't shake this guilt, either. I wrote her back, said I'd be happy to consider it at the original price sometime when I had more warning, or that I could do a portrait of them with just two of them on the page for $100, because that'd be a much simpler job, but I haven't heard back yet.
Someone tell me I did the right thing? That it wasn't...I don't know...pompous of me, conceited, to consider my art worth the last-minute knock-up? That...that asking for more on a rush job is a perfectly reasonable thing to do?