Hit 500 commissions in 3 years and it still feels weird to call myself an artist

I was going through my portfolio folders the other day and realized I've done exactly 503 digital commissions since I started in 2022. Mostly character art for D&D players and some furry stuff, nothing fancy. The crazy part is I still get surprised when someone pays me $40 for a sketch, like I'm waiting for them to realize I have no idea what I'm doing. Has anyone else hit a specific number that made them stop and actually feel like a real artist for once?

3 comments

3 Comments

zara5721mo ago

I mean, "503 commissions" doesn't really make you an artist any more than typing 503 emails makes you a novelist. A lot of those are just D&D characters and furry stuff, right? That's more like drawing for other people's ideas than actually creating your own art. I'd feel weirder about calling myself an artist if all I did was follow someone else's description of their wizard cat.

the_anthony1mo ago

Read once that commission artists are just visual translators, not creators. @zara572 has a point though.

laura_wright17d ago

Oh please, 500 commissions is still 500 more than most people have drawn, @the_anthony.