Vent: Lost a $1,200 commission to someone using Midjourney last week

I spent three days sketching a custom fantasy landscape for a client in Austin, and then they sent me an image their nephew made in like 20 minutes on some AI site. The client said it had "more detail" even though the AI messed up the shadows and had a wonky castle tower. Has anyone else had clients ditch real art for that shallow instant fix, or am I just unlucky with my area?

3 comments

3 Comments

maxl9315h ago

1200 bucks for a sketch and the client picks a nephew's AI job? Man, that stings but I gotta ask - how much time did you spend explaining the shadows and the tower before they said no? Sometimes clients just want a quick picture for their wall, not a masterpiece. I've seen people pay 50 bucks for a AI portrait and call it a day, no regrets. You might be overthinking this one, like it's a bigger deal than it really is.

pat_murray535h ago

Yeah, people make way too big a deal out of this stuff...

-1

jake74714h ago

Yeah that part about "client just wants a quick picture for their wall" is exactly it, @maxl93. Half the time people don't even look at shadows or composition they just see colors and shapes that look cool enough to share on Instagram. I've watched friends drop 30 bucks on a AI image that had a tree growing out of a river and they loved it because it was fast. The real kicker is once that client shows the AI pic to their friends nobody will ever notice the wonky tower anyway. Its a bummer for sure but fighting the quick hit crowd is like trying to sell a steak dinner to someone who just wants a bag of chips.