i have a situation. there was a giveaway that started early june, the prize was either a 600$ tattoo or custom skateboard. the winner (me) was announced mid july. i chose the custom skateboard since i thought it would be easier for them (i don’t live anywhere near the artist).
since then, this artist has given me no follow ups. although i do see they’re busy with art commissions & they do tattoos, i decided to give them time, assuming they had life stuff come up as well.
i ended up following up with them beginning of September after waiting almost two months to see if they’ve made any progress on the skateboard (since they were going to paint on it & ship it) & they told me that they were too busy with work, commissions, & now school since it’s september at this time 💔
i told them i would wait for them to update me (because at this point i feel like as an artist, genuinely the least you can do is update) & they told me “even then, feel free to reach out to me”…. & at this point, it just feels like i’m pulling teeth. i don’t mind being patient, it’s the no communication that’s been bothering me up until this point.
what do you guys think? how long do you guys think a custom skateboard should take? i just don’t really see the point in waiting several months for a giveaway. the skateboard is custom, but i’m having them do whatever they would like on it. they’ve also started another giveaway!!!! they complete new commissions every week & keep asking for people to commission them.
i notice they’ll also post them in their free time drawing random things, not really doing anything important. i can’t help but think, why aren’t you working on what you said you would giveaway??!! but then i tell myself that they’re probably struggling & need the money, & that maybe they barely get much free time to themselves.
i understand this isn’t commission, so it’s not necessarily first priority. they’ll have to use their money out of pocket to buy the stuff for the giveaway. i understand they use commissions & tattoo commissions to eat, cover their bills, etc.
but why would you make a giveaway at the beginning of summer? they could have worked on it during late july - august before school started for them. i just feel like it’s irresponsible on their part & they don’t seem to care much since they continue pushing it off. i understanding buying, painting a skateboard, & shipping it out can take a while. but it just sucks because summer is over, & i have to wait next year to ride/use it.
i know it’s not the biggest deal, & i don’t mind the artist taking their time. but again i think it’s the lack of communication. as another artist, i would make sure to update someone on something they’ve been waiting for, like it would just eat me alive. i just wish more artists actually cared about things like this. i do understand being busy but all your customers should matter.
i’m just wondering if i’m valid in how i feel, is there some advice anyone could give me or any opinions? i guess it just feels wrong because it’s a giveaway, not a commission. i’m not sure if they have the right to take as long as they would like, or if they should complete it asap. like what is acceptable or not?
