You need to be very clear for yourself about why you are taking on a commission and what benefits you expect from it. Financial? Publicity? Working to a brief for a client? You should also research the commission to ensure you respond to the right type of briefs: eg, if you want a loose brief and continue to essentially do your own work, you shouldn't apply for projects where the brief expects a set outcome. The initial briefs should give you enough of an idea as to what you should apply for. Your own research is key.
We list a variety of commissioners and commissioning agencies in the Partnerships section of Managing your career.
When under a commission, you will be expected to satisfy the client as expressed in their brief. You are being paid to fulfil the brief, and not necessarily pursue your own ideas. A significant element in successfully completing a commission is to set accurate expectations as to what the end result will be. If you don't set expectations i.e. if you don't discuss with the client what they are expecting, there is no way of guaranteeing that they'll be happy with the outcome; or that you'll get paid. You will have to decide how appropriate the checklist below is for your brief.
Agree the brief details and put them in a letter of agreement or contract (see section 3.1.1). Details will include:
It is reasonable to ask to be paid a proportion of the fee at the start of the commission to cover expenses (materials, travel etc). If it is a long project, you may also agree a payment after reaching agreed goals or dates.
The greater your clarity on the boundaries of what you will and won't do in a commission, the easier you make the process for the client.
Once the commission has started the client is very much in your hands. A proactive approach to keeping the client updated on your progress empowers you to lead the project. For example, if there are points during the commission when you will be working on other projects, flag this up in advance to prevent them wondering about the cause of the lull (and worrying about it). Decide how much contact you want / need with your client so you can set their expectations about when you'll be in touch with them - maintain their confidence so they don't feel the need to chase you for updates.
If you want to make commissions a regular part of what you do then you also need to think about how to show potential clients your methodologies and how past clients can recommend you to others - a happy client will tell a handful of others about you, an unhappy client will tell dozens.
Keep photographs and project records of past commissions and present them to that project client. When you present them, ask them for comments on the work and on the process of working with you. Ask if you can quote them on these (good) remarks and write them down verbatim for use in future proposals.
As you build up experience in commissions, compile a portfolio of previous projects to show to prospective clients. This portfolio might also be useful if you are applying for residencies (as another way of showing your capability in alternate projects). You might also want to be able to refer potential clients to talk with past ones (checking before handing contact details over).
See the Documentation and Portfolios section for listsings of people who can help you create a portfolio, if you require.
When you have exhibitions, invite past commission clients to see your latest work and ask them to bring friends (who may be potential clients) along with them.
Conduct your own informal evaluation: list the things that were excellent, satisfactory, unsatisfactory and terrible during the commission, and any things you'll do differently next time. Keeping notes of how you'd like to run commissions will help you remember them and can be used as notes in discussions with potential clients.
List of promotional materials you could use: