Turning Work Away

Sometimes It’s the Smart Thing To Do

Turning work away. Crazy talk or words of wisdom?

Turning work away? Am I crazy for even suggesting it? As a brand new artist or an artist who is struggling to make ends meet, turning work away may sound like the absolute worst thing you can do. And of course, sometimes you do what you have to in order to survive. As a new artist, you do what you can in order to establish a name for yourself and to gain valuable experience. As a starving artist, well…you do what you must in order to put food on the table and keep the lights on.

There comes a point in time however, where it becomes beneficial to be more choosy about the work you accept. For example, if you are trying to establish yourself as an artist who does portraits in oil paint, but you continue to accept work doing animation just because you can, you’re essentially drawing attention away from portrait painting jobs.

Are you accepting work that will help grow your reputation as the artist you want to be?

Another scenario in which it might behoove you to turn work away is when you begin accepting more than you can handle. You don’t ever want to rush through work and not do your best. Your customers come to you with your talents in mind. They’re willing to hand over their hard earned cash for your best work. The last thing you want to do is give them work you rushed through just so you could accept another job. Instead of earning yourself a happy repeat customer, you could lose them (and their potential referrals) altogether.

Are you accepting more jobs than you can handle while still doing your best work?

If you’re in the habit of taking on too much work, take a step back and consider the following three points:

1. Rushed work = less than your best work. There is never a time when offering less than your best is acceptable.
2. Repeat customers are just as important (if not more so) than brand new ones. Repeat customers tend to refer you to their friends and drop your name willingly. People love showing off their art purchases. On the flip side, an unhappy customer will be the first to bad mouth you and your shoddy work.
3. New customers more than likely did their research for an artist that fit their needs. They found you and picked you over other artists for a reason. You’ve already beat out the competition. If they really want you, they’ll gladly wait for your next available time slot. The fact that you’re booked only confirms that your work is high in demand and worth the wait!

So what’s the solution? I won’t lie and say turning work away is easy. Unless it’s work that’s completely out of your area of expertise, of course. But if you’re trying to establish yourself as a certain type of artist, you never really will until you focus all of your attention on just that and that alone. Weigh your options carefully, figure out what you really want, and go from there. If it has to do with whether or not you should rush a job in order to accept more work, the answer is simple. Don’t.

Further Reading:

Quality Control Check: Your Name is on the Line!