Hi! I’m a tattoo artist, and I recently received a collaboration offer from a brand.
I have a fairly substantial following and a pretty steady stream of clients. The brand that approached me seems to be somewhere in the middle—not a huge, well-known company, but not a small or unknown one either.
They’re collaborating with a nonprofit organization on a product, and they asked if I’d be interested in creating an illustration for it. What caught me off guard was that they were asking me to do it for free.
They explained that instead of paying artists, they prioritize promoting their work and giving them exposure. They also said something along the lines of, “If you have any expectation of compensation, let us know.”
My initial impression is that I probably won’t be able to get paid fairly for the amount of work involved. I might actually be better off spending that time tattooing instead.
Even if the brand promotes my name, I’m not sure how much that would really benefit me professionally. Since I’m a tattoo artist, people need to physically travel to where I’m based to get tattooed by me. So I wonder how much it would actually matter if my name became more well-known internationally. (I do get quite a few clients from abroad, but traveling here is still a significant commitment for them.)
The reason I’m still considering it, though, is that I’m excited about the possibility of seeing my design turned into an actual product, and the nonprofit they’re working with is fairly well-known.
So, do you think it would be worth doing for the experience, or should I just turn it down?
Is this kind of offer a genuinely special opportunity, or is the brand simply looking for an artist who’s willing to work for free?