What I learned from my worst client

Nobody really talks about this. Everyone talks about how happy and proud they are of a specific client/project/work etc. But I write about the truth, which was the whole idea behind my newsletter. So why not talk openly?

Each of us has had a *worst* client (and probably more than one). Why exactly? Didn’t pay, didn’t understand our style, wanted a lot and fast, or maybe something else. But the point is the same – after such clients there’s a lingering feeling, and that’s normal. But having such an experience is also interesting. Because the worst clients teach us – and now I want to tell you what MY worst client taught me.

The Story

So this happened during that period of my career when there’s a bit of a “lull” and you’re basically free as an artist and can afford to work on any project due to available time.

My client was quite polite when approaching me with the project, and the project sounded quite interesting. After the brief and questions (and I DO know how to ask questions) I understood the request and was pleasantly surprised by the “ease” of the project – the style and complexity of the illustrations was so minimal that it could literally take me 15-30 minutes to draw. Due to the simplicity of the illustrations and their basic non-commercial use, I set a very low price, which in my opinion was reasonable at the time.

It all sounded great, and we were starting work with just one illustration from the bundle to approve and test the style. But as soon as I began working, “red flags” started to appear, which I tried to ignore. And that’s when I made another mistake…

It’s worth noting that being inspired by “easy quick money,” I created 5(!!!) initial concepts for the illustration instead of the usual 2. The illustration was so basic that I expected to hear “yes” to one of the concepts within a couple of hours. But instead, waiting for feedback took over a week, despite constant reminders – this was the red flag #1. The client obviously wanted something changed and didn’t really appreciate my bonus of several additional concepts.

This was followed by a call where we discussed this basic illustration for a very long time, and after the call I got the impression that the illustration wasn’t as simple as they originally wanted to see it – and no, I didn’t make a mistake with the brief or questions before starting the project; this was exactly the moment when the client wanted to subtly change the direction of the work. This was red flag #2.

The project dragged on so much that the amount I originally quoted no longer made sense, and I felt like I was just wasting time. Since I’m a professional and committed to this project, I couldn’t just “leave” without finishing it. After finally completing this one test illustration, the client wanted to move on to the entire bundle. And what did I do? You’re right – I agreed!3 Although internally I felt something was wrong, I stubbornly ignored this feeling and the previous red flags.

In the end, this project resulted in burnout, because it was neither profitable nor interesting to me.

Happiness | Irene Neyman, 2022

What I Learned

Happy ending and a happy illustrator? No. But there are definitely some things I now do more carefully since then:

• Before taking on a project, I look for at least one of the following from the rule of three Ps:

  • Profit – Is it financially worth it for me?

  • Popularity – Will it be good publicity / a client to add to my testimonials?

  • Portfolio – Is this project interesting to me as a new case for my portfolio?

If none of these apply, I simply won’t spend my time on it.

• I also look more carefully at the client’s request:

  • Our beloved triangle “Fast, cheap, quality”

All together is impossible; only two out of three can match. If a client wants everything at once – we’re not a good fit.

• I started stating my prices upfront more often – no discounts, no exceptions. I need to support my business and life, and if the client isn’t ready for my prices, we’re probably not a good fit. I usually give a price range, which REALLY depends on many factors, but can be a starting point for the client’s understanding.

• My work boundaries and timelines are now clearer:

  • No more “well okay, one more free round of revisions since it’s so quick to do!”

  • NO to reworking my artwork to show me “how we want it”

  • Clear dates when I expect to hear feedback; otherwise, I can no longer guarantee commitment to deadlines

Takeaway

Bad experience is still experience, right? This is the most important thing to remember if you’ve had a not-so-great project experience in your career. Bad experiences allow us to grow, maybe even more than positive ones; after something like this, you want to change something in your processes to avoid facing this again. Which is what I did. Thanks to this project and client for helping me grow! And I’m sure your *worst* client will teach you something too.

Thanks for reading,

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