Before 2012 ended I sat down and assessed my job. For those of you that do not regularly visit this site, my job is essentially working on illustrated commissions for various clients. Sometimes it’s extra icon work for an android or iPhone app and sometimes it’s as simple as a caricature.

What I’ve realized is… I’m going broke.

I put a great deal of time and effort into what I do and I’m making significantly less than someone would working part-time at a minimum wage job in Wyoming (no disrespect intended Wyoming). If I was only putting 20 hours a week in that would be great but that isn’t the case.

Other than that 2012 was great (excluding the the hospital bits and various other non work related disasters).
I worked on tons of commissions and even managed to get a little paid acting work (sort of). I really love doing what I do and I enjoy the freedom that this job allows me.

What does the assessment mean?
I have to work extra hard, give up speculative work, charge more, or get another job.

You might be thinking, “Hey, shut up and get a real job already. Nobody cares”. The problem is that every college student, high school student, recent college graduate and I are all apply for the same jobs.

So, it’s easier said than done. This maddening job search engendered my foray into commissioned art to begin with. I’ve never truly given up searching for employment. It’s the sort of thing that is always occurring in the background. It’s just happening with more fervor now.

Are commissions closing?
No, commissions are not closed but the pricing is slightly more realistic. I cannot do speculative work (free drawings or samples); however, I do offer affordable sketches. You can view samples of my work in my gallery .

Wait, so what does this all mean anyways? Why is there so much text in this post? Where are the images?
I don’t know? I’m not trying to be confusing. I’m just trying to sort everything out and let people know what is going on. Thank you for putting up with all the text.

I made quick image for twitter a few lunches or dinners ago. It isn’t exactly a piece of art… but it is a little something I can post here while I work on more important projects .

Found the face in my drawings folder and added a body somewhat hastily. It’s a variation of Tori.