Want society to respect you as an artist? Respect your job?

I sure as hell do. If you answered yes to those questions. Then I sure as hell hope you can answer yes to the next part. If that's what you want. If you truly want to show people it's more than just 'sitting at home and doodling all day'. Then are you prepared to treat it like a business? Are you ready to make yourself sit down and say: Okay. I have these 3 commissions I need to get done by next week. This auction just ended, and need to be done no later than 2 months from now. I just sent out 5 WIP's, i'm waiting for approval. Assuming I get approval by tomorrow I can have two done on thursday. This person wasn't satisifed with their sketch, I owe them a refund. Not sure if i have the money to refund them RIGHT now. But I can get it once that person that just won the auction sends their payment and that'll be squared away. This commission has been sitting for 4 weeks without a check-in. I need to communicate with them to let them know what's going on and see if they're still interested. Don't feel well today. Gonna post about it so people are aware that their estimated wait time may be x-amount of days longer. Cat is sick. This may put a damper on refunds and work. I'll keep everyone in the loop with a post. Shit it's been a really rough month AND I have art block....but there are people who PAID ME TO DO MY JOB, I can't keep making excuses. I will push through it. I can't take more work on yet because I ALREADY HAVE A GOOD AMOUNT OF UNFINISHED WORK. Can you do some of these or ALL OF THESE every day/week/month? Can you set deadlines for yourself? Can you communicate with your buyers, DESPITE possibly having anxiety that you'd made them wait too long? Can you set up a planner or a trello to keep yourself on task? CAN YOU BE YOUR OWN BOSS EFFECTIVELY???!! Can you realize that if you worked anywhere else and didn't get things done or took 7 'mental health days' that you'd get fired? If you can't. Then i don't understand how you expect to be respected as a freelance artist and personal business. When money exchanges hands. Its a job. Yes people get sick. Other jobs allow sick days too. Yes people get pregnant. Other jobs allow pregnant leave too. Yes sometimes you just gotta have a mental health day. (outside of the art world that's called, calling in sick and lying about it). But at VERY FEW JOBS is it okay to take 6 months to a year to get people their product. (HUGE EXCEPTIONS LIKE OBVIOUSLY MOVIES, COMICS, ETC. These are HIGH demanding projects that usually take TEAMS OF PEOPLE. so don't even go there with me ) At VERY few jobs can you find reason after reason after reason to not come in/do work. After a while they stop becoming sympathetic and -fire- you. Because you are expected to function in society through the hard times AS WELL as the good ones. And when there are artists who can't uphold these values...it inflicts ALL of us. Because of reasons like this: http://vexstacy.deviantart.com/journal/Basically-afraid-to-commission-people-492945759 Bad work ethic makes people wary to take such a risk a second time commissioning another artist. So maybe, if that's too hard for someone. Keep drawing. BY ALL MEANS. DON'T EVER STOP. But you probably aren't anywhere NEAR READY to be taking money for it. Keep it a hobby. What made me write this journal: https://www.facebook.com/Vexstacy/p.....82668818449339 Good point i've seen commissioners say: I work hard for my money so why shouldn't the artist? ^and you're damn right Also I didn't know where to fit this in but....Art block(to me)..is NOT an excuse.