When we took our kids to Paris a couple years ago, they marveled over the idea that people eat dessert for breakfast, like croissants and chocolate. What's not to love? Rich, airy pockets of flaky goodness.

©2009 Sparky Firepants Images

As much as I love flakiness in my pastry, I abhor flakiness in the art business.

You know the stereotype of the flaky artist, right? It sounds kind of romantic in a I-live-in-a-one-room-Village-tenement-with-six-other-artists kind of way. A Bohemian Rapshody, if you will. In High School it sounded like heaven. Make whatever art you want, wear a beret, smoke brown cigarettes, starve.

In High School you can afford to be a flaky artist because Mom and Dad pick up the tab. When you realize that Somebody has to pay for the cigarettes, and that Somebody is you, you might want to rethink the flaky persona.

I do not mean to say that you have to give up your creativity and start dressing like a JCPenney model. Keep your thrift store chic and your nose ring, and by God keep your wildly creative mind flowing with whimsicality and nuttiness. Don't get your kickers in a twist because you thought I said you should change who you are.

The reality is that the world of people buying art is a world of commerce. It's a world of budgets and decisions. The Art Director you're after to buy your stuff has a job to do. Part of that job is selling you to their boss. The boss has to sell you to the People with the Money, and those people have to sell you to the People Who Buy the Stuff for the Stores, and those people answer to their own boss, and that boss has to answer to your grandma who bought 10,000 shares of their store and wants to know why the stock is down.

So you might start to see why the Art Director does not want to work with a flaky artist. The Art Director wants to work with someone who communicates well, understands what they need, and knows what a gutter is and why you shouldn't have the main character in it.

So wildly creative, yes. Flaky, no.

Here are a few things you can do to make yourself at least appear non-flaky:

Make yourself easy to reach

Respond to phone and e-mail inquiries within 24 hours (at least). You've been trying to get the gig for, like... ever. Why would you screw it up by letting that Art Director's e-mail sit in your inbox for a week? Are you kidding me? 

You don't have to pick up the phone on the first ring or sleep with your Blackberry under your pillow, but for Suess's sake, return a frikkin' message, okay?

Learn about the project

Ask questions. If you don't know, ask. If you're stuck on why something is being asked of you, clear it up. You will look like a more of a pro than the bozo who just plows through and has to revise it later. Ask. That's what the Art Director is there for.

Even better, think of a solution before asking. For example, if an illustration calls for an airplane, don't just ask, "What kind of airplane do you want?" Rather, do your homework, try to understand the rest of the piece, and then suggest something. "I was thinking that a WWI biplane would work really well here, since we have that old Model T. Do you have a preference for airplane type?"

This is advice from one of my old bosses: Don't bring me problems, bring me solutions.

By the way, this is another good reason for not working on spec. How can you possibly interpret the client's need and offer the best solution if you haven't even spoken to them? Working on spec is not a professional practice for artists. Writers, maybe.

Stick to the Plan

This goes hand-in-hand with asking questions. If you're given an assignment that calls for cows in the upper left corner, don't turn in a layout that has chickens because you like them better. That is uber-flaky.

If your rough sketch of the race car is approved, don't turn in final art of a robot because you changed your mind.

Believe me, creative suggestions are always appreciated. Don't be a robot, offer some input, be a part of the process. That makes it fun for you and makes you fun to work with. However (huge however coming up here), never alter the layout without discussing it first.

You just gave the Art Director more work to do. She either has to tell you no, then wait for you to change it, or she likes it but has to explain to her boss why it's different and if the editor wants the original idea they'll have to wait for it a little longer.

Does that sound like a fun day at the office to you? Make yourself easy to work with. The harder an Art Director has to work to get your project accomplished, the less likely you'll be asked back.

These are just a few suggestions, but you hopefully get my drift.

To be a successful working artist, you can't be a flaky pastry. It sounds fun and it's a cool movie cliche, but it doesn't keep you working.

Be like black coffee instead. Black coffee is no-nonsense. It doesn't cloud things up with milk and sugar. It's bold, strong, positive. It comes in many flavors, but it always delivers.

Wonder if just building postmortems into the project plan would be good, but typically it’s always just “on to the next thing ASAP”

When working with clients, how do you leave things at the end? Is there a formal "wrap" process, do you follow up with a simple e-mail the next day, or is it left to chance?

I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on this; artists, writers, copy editors, web designers, consultants!

Main

They sometimes assume is that I'm successful because my work is good. Without even seeing it they think that because how else could I afford pants and deodorant with change to spare if my work sucks?

While it's true that you need to be at least a pretty good artist to make a living at it, that's only part of the story. 

The most important element in being a successful independent artist is communication.

First and most obvious, it's the artist's job to communicate something (emotion, direction, concept) to the viewer through images. If that's been done effectively, then everything else is subject to the eye of the beholder.

The other side of the communication coin is being able to sell your work by successfully relating to other people. This is the element that so many independent artists (and some other business owners) need to develop further.

You may be the best illustrator on the planet, but you won't sell your work if you can't communicate well.

So simple, right? It really is and anyone can improve their speaking and writing skills with a little effort. 

Early in my career I got some feedback that I was being too formal with clients. It sounds funny, but I had to learn how to relax and be "real" to communicate more effectively. It finally took hold after my boss told me to get the pole out of my ass when I was on the phone.

I could say that his point was driven home, but that would be a bad metaphor. However, he was right and with more (gentler) guidance I learned that it's all about who you're working with.

Know Your Audience

If you're going to be in business for yourself as an artist, you'll interact with some of these people:

• Art Directors
• Editors
• Small Business Owners
• Web Designers
• Marketing Directors
• Ad Agency Execs

...to name a few.

These are people like you and me. They eat, sleep, and poop. The only difference is that they have their own job to do and guess what? They want it to be as easy as possible. 

Make it easy for them by communicating well and giving them confidence that they've hired a professional. Here are some extremely simple things you can do to get that confidence:

Somewhere Between "Dude" and "Ma'am"

Mom taught you to mind your manners, so show off your skills. "Please" and "Thank You" go a long way toward showing what a pro you really are.

However before you start sounding like Gomer Pyle, remember that there's a balance. Be real. Be yourself. If you don't sound natural saying, "Why thank you, that is most gratifying and agreeable," just say "Hey, thanks."

Like I mentioned before, you should consider your audience. There's nothing fake about adjusting your speaking or writing style based on the person you're communicating with. Always be yourself, but also think about how your message is received. A founding partner in a law firm usually doesn't enjoy being called, "Dude." Don't ask me how I know.

For example, I have two clients. One is a web designer (Chuck) I've known for a few years. The other is the head of marketing for a very conservative data managing firm (Nancy); this is my first project with her. I have uploaded revised designs for both to my FTP. Here's how I would communicate that:

Hey Chuck,

The revised files are on the FTP. I changed the face so he doesn't look clueless and stupid now. It was freaking me out, too.

Chat with you later.

Cheers,

David

###

Nancy,

I've uploaded the revised files to my FTP server as before. You'll notice that I changed the face so he looks a little more confidence-inspiring. I agree, it looks much better now.

Please call me if you have any questions or comments.

Regards,

David

It's not complicated and there really aren't any rules set in stone here. Sometimes you have to go with your gut and feel out your client. It would be a turn-off to Chuck if I was formal with him, just as the opposite wouldn't build confidence with Nancy.

Hey, Guess What I Did

When sending your concept sketches or final art to clients, try outlining a little bit of what you did in an e-mail or a quick phone call. If you made an adjustment to a concept sketch, explain why.

I'll always make small adjustments to an approved concept when I think it will improve the final art. Nothing wrong with it (in fact, I consider it part of the package). However, I always (always, always, always) let the client know what I'm doing.

Sometimes time constraints make it necessary to change things and tell the client afterwards, but as long as it's minor it's usually fine – as long as you tell them.

If clients are always guessing at what you may have changed, they'll start to lose that happy, comfortable feeling. They'll feel like you're trying to sneak something by them. Chances are they'll get pickier over time, or simply work with someone else.

Where Oh Where Did My Little Artist Go?

If you're going to work as an independent business person, you need to be available. That doesn't mean you're at everyone's beck and call 24/7 (unless you enjoy that. More power to you).

It means that you answer your phone during your business hours. You return voice mails as soon as you are able. Same with e-mails.

I've heard from more than one Art Director that they were shocked at how slowly some artists responded to e-mails offering magazine illustration. One Art Director told me a story about an artist who responded to her e-mail after three months, wondering where the contract was. When they don't hear from you, they'll simply move down to the next artist on their list.

If you're gonna be in the show, don't miss your cue.

Save the Drama for Mama

On a scale of 1 to 10, try to guess how high an art director ranks your personal problems?

Whatever you guessed, it's lower.

Having a friendly, informal relationship with your clients can be very rewarding. It can improve your work and help snag those future projects.

However, no client wants to hear how you couldn't get the final art done because your son's band practice ran long and you couldn't find your keys. Your lengthy excuses are merely translated as, "Artist didn't deliver, I have to explain to my boss. Crap, this day sucks."

As tempting as it is, don't vent your frustrations to you client. You may be vexed by a buggy brush in Photoshop, but your client doesn't want to hear that. If the art director you're working with is a Photoshop geek, it's fine to recap interesting Photoshop anecdotes after you've delivered the work, but only (only, only, only) if you've solved the problem. By all means share the tip. It makes you look like an expert in your field and a problem-solver.

Follow Up

When a project is done, don't let the last communication be your invoice. After they've paid, thank your client and ask how your contribution worked for them. It's more about them and their world than it is about getting more kudos for you (hopefully you got some in the first place).

Make it snappy and show them you care about more than the cash.

It Never Ends. Ever.

I find that I'm constantly developing my communication skills. There's always room to improve, even for the most experienced artists and business people. I don't agonize over it anymore, but I do try to stay self-aware.

When I feel that pole inserting itself, I try to chill out and remember what a fun pole-less guy I am in real life. There's no longer anyone here to give me that subtle feedback, so it's important that I work to keep the poles out of my office in the first place.

Good communication is the foundation of any career. Whether you communicate well or poorly, people notice. Help your clients remember you as someone they'll want to call again.

Got any good communication tips or war stories? Please add a comment, I would love to hear them!

Main