I can't believe it.
I can't even find the appropriate word.
maybe it's...disappointment.
or, uh maybe, frustration.
Anger? no, I'm too tired to be angry.
What's a good word for......being pissed off and just DONE with it.
Hmmm.
Anyway, to get to the point.
Remember that commissioned painting that I just did for a CO-WORKER?
The one that she asked me to do and said "I'll even pay you!"
to which I had replied, "Well of course you'd pay me! I'm not going to do it for FREE"
and she said, "I'll pay you , like $50.00!"
and I said OK and that I had to finish the one I was working on but I'd do it.
So I finished that other painting (which I got paid less then I'd make working at my current job for 2 hours)
and then I asked this girl if she still wanted a painting and she said "Yes! I'll give you $50!"
and I laughed and said OK, because I could use the money.
Then my co-workers threw this girl a baby shower.
They came to me and told me that she had a jungle theme for the nursery and they were buying her bedding etc.
So they asked me to do some paintings (plural) as a shower gift.
They said they would pay me or I could give them as a gift myself.
Well, how dumb would it be for me to not give them myself?
So I did it. I spent my an entire weekend painting them when I would have rather just gotten her a giftcard.
I mean, we are not that close.
But I painted one of a monkey hanging with bananas and another with a lion with a baby cub on his head and a bigger one with a zebra and a giraffe...
They matched the bedding and I felt like I was infringing on copyrighted stuff so I never even took a photo of them.
but these are the photo's I worked from -
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everyone said they looked just like the characters
and when I gave them to her she was thrilled!
Then I told her that I had a few more paintings to do (for Christmas gifts) but I'd get her dog painting done before she delivered the baby.
She laughed and said OK!
(She's due this February.)
So I finally I got it done and gave it to her a week ago last Friday.
Remember this?
and she seemed happy.
I told her to just put the money on my vet bill, that it was getting UP there and I needed to get some money on it.
She didn't pay me that day but that was OK, I mean she didn't know I was going to bring it that day.
Then all week last week...nothing.
So I thought, OK we get paid on Monday, maybe she's waiting for payday.
Although if I was in that situation, I would have told the person that I would pay them but needed to wait until I got paid.
Well, Monday came and she didn't even look at me.
I felt awkward and one of my friends in the reception area told me to just go ask her.
But there were always other people around and I found it hard to find the right words.
So my friend said to send her a private message Facebook.
That evening I thought about it but I while I'm very passive aggressive when it comes to people I actually know
I felt that was just too passive and besides, who knows how often she's on Facebook?
I could be waiting (fretting over it) forever.
So the next day, first thing in morning, I walked up to her and said
"Hey, you know that painting that I painted for you?" and then I rubbed my fingers together in the universal sign of money.
She laughed and kinda blushed.
I then said, "I'm getting 3 of my dogs groomed today and I could really use the cash, so if you could just pay me instead of putting it on my account.."
She then said that she only had a debit card but maybe she could get some cash off of that?
My co-worker/friend piped in and said "Yes, they can do that for you up front!".
So she went up front and I waited a few minutes and walked up there and she just handed me some folded bills which I promptly stuck in my pocket and said "Thanks!" as she walked away.
Then my co-worker/friend said "I can NOT believe that she only paid you $30!"
I said "What?" and I pulled the cash out and looked at it.
Yep, $30.00.
I'm done.
I worked on that thing a little bit every night for a week and then on the weekend I put in the Season 3 DVD of The Walking Dead and painted that while the show played all weekend long.
The ENTIRE weekend.
Jeez.
Yep, I'm done with doing paintings for people I know.
....or they will have to pay me first.
and then I'm STILL not sure if I will do it.
I'm just going to work on my book.
and what if she finds this and reads it?
That's highly unlikely...and if she does,
OH WELL!
Like I said, I'm very passive aggressive.