For those of you who have recently requested *commissions* from me, I do appreciate the sentiment. An offer of money is one way of saying my work has value to you. But...

I do not easily do art stuff that involves money or payment. It is almost a mental impossibility for me. I truly enjoy taking a mental image and (using various techniques learned over the years) putting it into a physical form, either as a visual picture or a written story. This is a *hobby* for me, and as such, provides me with enjoyment and entertainment. That is the true value *to me* of this sort of activity.

Money is simply not a good enough motivator. True, money is a necessity. It is required to function in society today, but it was never a great motivator for me. Money is not something I chase because I *want* it. I only pursue it because I need it to live in this society.

Now, that being said, I throw out something for the consideration to those individuals who offer money for commissions. Consider the implications of what you offer. A $20 line art commission given to an artist who completes line art drawing in one hour is pretty cool. $20 an hour pay is not bad. Certainly better than minimum wage. But for those less accomplished artists who are not speed demons when it comes to finishing art (I consider myself to be among the 'slow-pokes'), a $20 line art commission may, in fact, be a terrible financial burden. Line art will generally take me about 6 to 10 hours per piece. If I average that to 8 hours, that means a $20 commission is paying me $2.50 an hour, or only *ONE THIRD* the rate of minimum wage gotten by your average burger-flipper.

One third minimum wage? And I'm supposed to consider this a compliment? Well, some might argue that it's better than nothing, but is it? Is a financial slap-in-the-face better than no slap at all if I really don't need the money in the first place?

Like I said, money for art holds no attraction for me. I have a day job that pays the bills. I do art for fun. If someone gives me a suggestion that interests me, I may do it. Then again, I may not. Without money attached to it, I'm free to choose whether I do anything about it or not. Money offered constitutes a contract - which for me, pretty much guarantees it will never get done because its just taken all the fun and freedom out of it.

Final word? Commissions are closed - permanently. (They never were really 'open' to begin with.)
However, *suggestions* are always welcome.