Pitfalls of Freelancing as a Scenic Artist

I am a scenic artist. I have earned this title by traveling to the world’s amusement parks and smearing my blood, sweat and tears into every fake rock, board and cartoon flower I am hired to paint. Ok, blood and sweat, no crying but sometimes after a 12 hour day in the Orlando sun, when my knees revolt and my hands resemble paint covered claws, I imagine how it might feel if a cool tear slid down my cheek.

I just finished a gig at Animal Kingdom Lodge, Disney World.










Right this second I am dealing with a chump that doesn’t want to pay me for services rendered. The rub of any freelance job is that you have to do your bit up front. The gig has been finished for a week. When I completed the job I was paid 75% of my invoice. “I’m going to hold some money to make sure everything is ok,” was the explanation that I received from Ivan, CEO, Exterior Walls Inc. Huh-oh…this usually means trouble. So far we have settled 75% of what I am owed on three seperate occasions. Ivan always holds on to a little...just in case.

Time and again the most challenging part of freelance is getting paid for the gig. Bartering over money, a.k.a my worth, is my least favorite part of this process. Because it is my least favorite part and because I hold my self to a very high standard as far as work ethics go I resent to my core having to beg for my pay. I try to remain "professional" but as time lags my evil starts to eek out. Today I called to collect my last, little, dribble of compensation and I got Ivan's voicemail. I'd rather set sail on the River Styx than play this game. Ivan, I'm sitting here in Limbo contemplating your demise. Who knew that the First Circle of Hell was in Orlando. It is futile to resist. I will not go away. I work all day, every day, out in the sun and the wind and the sand for FUN.