BFH> I have never contracted with artist before, CAD, 
 BFH> box designs, etc. I have a
 BFH> guy that charges $50 an hour, but hasn't told me 
 BFH> how long it would take to do
 BFH> something. This can be very risky as a 10 hr job 
 BFH> can drag to more than that.
 BFH> I wonder how we should handle it without offending 
 BFH> him, he is very creative,
 BFH> and I keeping thinking art can't be rushed. 
Very tricky.  It's hard to find a good artist who has any business sense.  
Most of the artists with business ability turn out copy-cat art.  It's as if 
the artistic ability uses opposite brain workings from business ability, and 
the two cannot exist peacefully together in the one skull.
 
I would ask him how long it's going to take, explaining that you need to have 
a delivery date for your business and you need to have a cost estimate.  It 
doesn't necessarily mean he'll understand, but it does lay the groundwork for 
later.  To a large extent you can't hurry art, but even the greatest artists 
had to produce to deadline when they had a commercial contract.  If 
Rembrandt, Matisse, Michaelangelo, Vermeer, could come in on time with 
masterpieces, then it is possible to do so without compromising the quality 
of the work (even if it's not comfortable).  Another kind of great artist, 
Shakespeare, worked only as a commercial writer, and he managed to get it in 
on time and of the highest quality, every time.
--- Maximus 2.01wb
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