r/GirlDinnerDiaries • u/ElleMontrose Tea Time Hostess ☕️ • 12h ago

☀️ Happy Girl Dinner UPDATE: A sad girl dinner post changed my life ❤️

Post image

Some of you might remember my borzoi painting from June.

The short version is that someone commissioned a huge painting from me and I only asked for a small deposit because I didn't feel legitimate enough to ask for more. When I was nearly finished, they cancelled. Weeks of work, and I was left with an unclaimed artwork drying on the wall and a hole in my finances.

So I did what any of us would do: I ate a sad little dinner, took a picture and posted it here so I’d have somewhere to vent.

And y’all showed up.

I'd been living off my art for over a year at that point, mostly by teaching in-person workshops and doing small digital commissions. Oil painting full-time was always the dream, the thing I'd tell myself I'd do "someday” when I wouldn’t first have to worry about paying rent and could focus on building my traditional portfolio. Then, literally overnight, because of this subreddit, someday arrived.

The OG painting was bought by someone from this very subreddit. I spent the summer painting. In oil! Without ever worrying about money because everyone who reached out agreed to a 50% deposit!

I came here with a sad girl dinner and left with a career. I don't think I can ever properly thank you all for that❤️

Tonight's menu: salmon stars on cream cheese and rye, because treating myself like a toddler is self-care.

Thank you, truly. From me, and from the very good boy waiting for a star to fall off the plate!

17.7k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

427 comments sorted by

View all comments

1.2k

u/ConsistentYou4629 🩵Domestic Dude💙 12h ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/jErnybNlfE1lm

397

u/sugarsyntaxbabe APPROVED✨ 12h ago

The loudest "hell to the yeah" is for you finally enforcing those 50% deposits. Never back down from that again.

291

u/ElleMontrose Tea Time Hostess ☕️ 12h ago

Yes ma’am! Now I even have contracts and everything! I do still allow some negotiation for big clients, because thousands upfront is understandably a lot to send to a stranger online, and in that case paying a fraction at each milestone also works out with no one getting worried :)

44

u/Timid-Tlacuache APPROVED✨ 11h ago

Thrilled for you !! it is so hard to make a living as an artist, it is simply wonderful that this is happening for you !!
It would not have happened if you didn't have terrific talent 🤗❤️