Got my first real commission from a stranger on Reddit this morning

Some guy in Ohio saw my cyberpunk cityscape I posted in the weekly thread last Friday and messaged me asking to buy a print. He paid $40 through PayPal. I've been drawing digital art for about 2 years now and this is the first time someone I don't know actually wanted to pay for it. Has anyone else had that weird feeling when a stranger values your work enough to hand over cash?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_barbara1mo ago

it's a trip, right? that moment when some person who owes you nothing decides your pixels are worth their actual money. i think it hits harder than when a friend buys something, because there's no guilt involved, they just want it. it changes how you look at your own work too, like suddenly that piece has a weird little validation stamp on it in your brain. enjoy it, seriously. and don't spend all that $40 in one place, haha.

victor_carr541mo ago

and it's wild how that ripples out into everyday stuff too. like, i started noticing with tips at my local coffee shop or even compliments on a random tweet. once you feel that real, no strings attached appreciation, you start hunting for it elsewhere. it's like your brain recalibrates what value even looks like, and suddenly the whole "paying for someone else's work" thing feels more real than the numbers on a paycheck.