The single biggest mistake I see artists making today comes down to one choice: Quantity over Quality.

Most people worry about HOW LONG it takes them to make a piece as opposed to HOW GOOD the piece is.

I understand this. Time is something we can control. Quality does not often seem like something that we can control.

Tell me, is there a story in your mind that sounds something like this:

If I can do this faster then at least they'll see that I'm quick even if my artwork isn't "good" enough yet.

I understand this story but this is a mistake. It also sets you up for long-term failure and disappointment.

Getting Faster Is Not Getting Better
Recently, I had an interview for an artist, named John, who was interested in taking the Character Artist Boot Camp. John was working in the industry already at a company that created 3d prototypes. His job was to turn a design into a 3D printable model as quickly as possible.

When he first started the job, John loved it. Every day he was workin...

Sometimes the things that are going to hurt you aren't always obvious. Sometimes the people taking advantage of you aren't always dressed up like villians.

Sometimes the people that are taking advantage of you are simply trying to take care of themselves. They're not thinking of you.

If you lead with your heart, like I do, this is a problem. You sympathize with them. You might want THEM to be happy but you've been down this road and you know that YOU won't be.

The Late Fee
Just the other day I got an invoice from a social media marketing assistant name Claire that had in small print a late fee for $75 A DAY with some arbitrary due date.

To add to the problematic nature of this, emails are contracts in today's law. If I did not catch that I could have been liable for hundreds of dollars in extra fees for a job that cost $350.

At first, I was pissed. Wtf?! What did I do to this person to desearve this dumb ass notification. Who do they think I am?

I took it personal. I lead with my ...