"Guys, this was all super sus the whole way through. He repeatedly told me about artists who had "disappeared", and then tried to guilt me into working on this without payment because he'd "never had a problem with artists before".
I've worked with a handful of you on here, so I think you all know the amount of pride I take in my work and professionalism. I'm willing to go an extra mile if needed, but there were so many red flags.
I've attached parts of the convo below for you to view as well (I won't be sending the whole thing because at one point he starts to tell me quite a bit about his family as he's telling me he's refusing payment)."
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I NEVER told you I refused to pay, I had absolutely NO problem with paying for something we commissioned.
i never tried to "guilt you" I said we were hiring because we lost a lot of artists in 2020. covid, school, marriage. one went to hawaii to join a protest movement and stopped working...
all i asked for was a clearer sketch. I misunderstood what you said by thinking is was payment once we APPROVED the final sketch, NOT the finished work.