moral delema !

[derkdaigler]

ok friends i need some moral support . i posted a thread call nite time lamp post . and its of a mural i did for a friend of mines parents . and they are so cool its unbelievable . and they have so much confidence in my art abilities its just crazy . so naturally as any other person that loves to do art we are our own most harsh critics and i for one am very modest . but ne how they wante me to do a mural in there new home and i was kinda just under the impression they were joking. but they werent . so a couple of months later they have a mural across from there wet bar. i finished it and they wanted to pay me . but i made sure that they understood that im new to this medium of art and it would just be fun for me and that if they didnt like it i would paint over it and so that was that from the beginin . but they wanted to pay me and i said no and we argued a while and they said they would paint over it if i didnt want any money . so i left with a check . and looked at it after i left and it was for five hundred dollars !!!!!!!!!!!!! i have never been paid for ne of my work and i was just glad somebody liked my stuff enough to have it on there wall . but i feel just overwhelmed with the thought that dont deserve it , im so confused

[spc lewis]

well if you ask me its good work. thats a tough one though. I doubt they would paint over it but still...Maybe just keep the check and not cash it. LOL

[Diaz Dezine]

The mural looks great to me! I think I would just take a portion of it and buy yourself a badass AB and take the rest and buy them a cool house warming present.
I had someone give me a sizable tip for a job I completed the other day and spent it on a box of cigars, for the person who gave me the tip.
Reason being is that whenever I needed work they always provided a job for me or referred a job to me.
I know what you mean by feeling bad for accepting it but you probably should take in mind that you may insult them by not accepting.
If you got your sneakers on....take it and RUN!!!
Nice work Derk!!
DIAZ

[rowie]

Derk,

You managed to produce a brilliant piece of artwork and should be richly rewarded for your hard work, for once you are not having to argue about a price and you have been paid what they believe is fair. Take it and enjoy it,

[Kaiilla]

Hey a good all around solution is to use the money to buy and/or do something for them.

Maybe a real nice dinner at a fancy restaurant or a party with all the fixin's, or buy the something and paint it for them as a gift. etc etc

[Raven]

Your work looks great ,your happy, the people are happy.....take the money.

[derkdaigler]

thanks guys for all of your responses i agree with what yall are saying . i guess just the initial shock was what hit me so hard . i do agree that i should use a portion of it to get my friends somthing nice because like diaz said they will keep me busy . they already want more lol .

[aixguy]

I think you should keep all the money and spend it on supplies you need to continue to move forward. You did not set a price, they gave you what the felt this work and time was worth. Did you add up all the time you spent thinking planning and going nuts trying to figure out how to do stuff? Guess, and add it up then divide 500 by that number. if it is $200 an hour then your got paid laywers wages. If it is $8 an hour you got paid minimum wage. If it was $20 an hour you got a low wage. If it was betwee $35 and $45 you got a good wage. So think about it, they had no way of getting that painting done if you didn't do it other than hire someone who does murals for a living. Most people can not live on $10 or $20 an hour so keep that in mind. Never ever turn down Tips or money if you have rendered service, friend or family it does not matter, they want you to have the money, they are giving it to you, it is their way of showing appriciation and they can aford it, or would not be offing it.
I have been at this for 3 years, it is hard to find people willing to pay what the job is worth, especialy if you are just in it as a hobby like a I am. Take the money when it comes, it may not come again for a long time.

[derkdaigler]

aixguy your absolutely right and you know that goes for everything. cause im a carpenter by trade . and when i would do side work people have no idea what goes on during the process and materials . so i completely agree with you , now i dont feel bad about recieving money for my services . thanks guys

[incognito]

Yeah I agree with aixguy, they obviously appreciated your work, start as you mean to go on, don't undersell yourself, that's something I'm guilty of as well actually, but like AxG says, they wouldn't have paid you that if the couldn't afford it. BTW in your other post, you asked about a protecting clear coat, did you apply one? I suppose it might be necessary, I haven't done a mural like that, but wouldn't the createx be affected by moisture etc. Maybe someone else who knows that form well will chime in, but good work Derk, it turned out well in the end.

[dungeonworks]

I think you did a great job and vastly underate the mrket price for work such as what you put out derkdaigler (funny name by the way! ). I ran into a similar dilemma doing a mural for a cousin who insisted on paying me $800 for a couple bedroom murals for her kids. I said HELL NO!! That's way too much and plus, you're family (This cousin is like my big sis). Anyhow, I talked her down to $400 (Funny, she is the only client I ever tried to talk down in price! LOL). She gave me the check and suprised me with a very nice paint ladder that works AWESOME for airbrushing murals. Not only that, but she kept the fridge stocked with food and beer the whole time. Heck, I would have done it for gas money and the smile on her boy's faces.

My point is, they were happy to pay you the money and likely felt awkward taking your service for free. You gotta remember, they look at the finished product and judge from more of an emotional level than what you the artist will see. Your work turned out great and I am sure they wanted to compensate you for it is all.

Great job!

Gary

[Tuesday]

That's a great piece of artwork mate, well done. Take the money and cash it, trust me you earned it. To have someone willing to pay like that is a bonus. When I started Ab I did alot of "love jobs" for mates. It gets very frustrating. And then you get the people who want to pay you with property, such as motorbike helmets, tanks, surfboards and I could go on about it. But you can't take a surfboard down to the Electric Company and say " Here's my payment"
Take the cash bloke and don't feel bad about it. You worked hard for it and you deserve it.

[derkdaigler]

thanks brother i need that kinda encouragement