The Commission

How to complete The Commission

This is the line between a hobby and getting paid for it: someone valued your work enough to name a price and you delivered to their spec, not yours. The constraint of pleasing a paying client is what makes it count.

1. Agree the scope, fee, and deadline in writing before you start, even a short email or message thread
2. Ask for reference, examples, or a brief so you build what they actually pictured
3. Share a rough draft or work-in-progress early to catch direction problems before they cost you a redo
4. Deliver in the format and resolution they need, and invoice or collect the agreed fee
5. Take payment through a traceable method so there's a record the deal closed

Tips

• Get a deposit (commonly 30-50%) up front for anything large; it filters out flaky clients
• Write down what counts as 'done' and how many revisions are included to avoid endless tweaks
• A friend paying you a real, agreed fee still counts; an unpaid favor does not

What counts as done

You handed over finished work that met the brief and received the fee the client offered.