You want to make money from your art. Open commissions, sell adopts, launch a Patreon.

But here’s what keeps happening.

An artist builds a following. Opens commissions. Gets flooded with orders. Books out for months. They’re excited.

Six months later, they’re miserable. They hate every notification. You’ve seen these stories – the artist who disappears, makes excuses, sometimes takes the money and runs.

They’re not bad people. They committed before they knew if they could handle it.

You can’t know what works until you try it.

Right now you’re guessing. “I think I’d like commissions.” “Adopts seem good.”

But thinking about something is different from doing it. You can’t predict how you’ll feel after your tenth client revision. You can’t guess if designing adopts will energize or drain you.

Most people pick one thing and go all in. That works great if you pick right. But if you pick wrong, you waste years building something you hate.

Better approach: test first, commit later.

Run small experiments.

A small experiment is 1-2 months. You’re gathering information, not building a business.

Think commissions might work? Open five slots. Not twenty. Just five. See how it feels.

Curious about adopts? Run three auctions. See if you enjoy it. See if people bid.

Want to try prints? Make three. See if anyone buys.

These tests tell you what planning can’t. You get real data about what works for you and what people want.

Every path is hard. You’re testing which hard you can tolerate.

Here’s the truth: everything sucks at first.

Commissions mean dealing with clients, revisions, and deadlines. Adopts mean designing in a vacuum and constant marketing. Prints mean upfront costs and logistics. Patreon means producing content constantly.

None of this gets easy overnight. You’ll be bad at all of it for months.

So you’re not testing for work that feels good right away. You’re testing for work where you’re willing to push through the hard parts.

The question isn’t “Is this easy?” It’s “Can I tolerate this long enough to get good at it?”

Some people hate client communication so much they quit before learning how to make it work. Others tolerate it long enough to build systems, set boundaries, and find better clients.

Some people hate self-promotion so much they never stick with it. Others push through until they find what works.

You’re testing which type of friction you can handle. Because you’ll need to handle it for months or years before you develop the skills and leverage to reduce it.

Look for positive signals, not perfection.

During your test, ask: “Is there anything here that makes me want to keep going?”

Maybe the work itself is satisfying when you’re in flow. Maybe people respond positively and that feels good. Maybe you can imagine a version of this that wouldn’t drain you once you have more experience.

You need something pulling you forward. Some reason to push through the friction.

If you finish a test and feel nothing but relief it’s over, that’s data. If you finish and think “that was rough but I want to try again,” that’s different data.

Watch out for the success trap.

Here’s where people mess up.

You run a test. It goes great. Your adopts sell out. Your commissions fill up. People love your work. You’re making money.

It feels like success. It feels like you should commit.

But hold on.

Success doesn’t mean the work is sustainable for you. It just means people want it right now.

I’ve seen artists blow up with their first few commissions. Book out for a year. Then six months in they realize they can’t handle the grind. But now they’re trapped. People paid. They have a queue. They built their reputation on this. They can’t just stop.

That’s the success trap. Getting locked in before you know if you can handle it long-term.

So even if your test succeeds, even if it makes good money, finish the full test period. Keep asking: “Am I getting more interested in solving these problems, or more exhausted by them?”

Money and attention feel good. They’re not the same as sustainable.

Don’t let early success rush you into committing. You need to know both things: yes, people want this AND yes, you’re willing to do what it takes to make this work long-term.

Three questions to ask.

A test is worth continuing when you answer yes to all three:

Am I interested enough to keep going? Not “do I love this” but “do I want to get better at this?”

Is there any demand? Did anyone buy, message you, engage? One sale counts. Zero engagement means you’re not ready or there’s no market.

Can I see myself mastering this? Not “is this easy” but “am I willing to learn this type of work?”

All three yes? Double down. Even one no? Keep testing other things.

Build skills first, then everything gets better.

Don’t wait to find your passion. Find something you can tolerate that people want. Then get good at it.

When you’re struggling with basics, everything feels hard and unrewarding. When you develop real skill, everything changes. You work faster. You charge more. You pick better clients. You have leverage to set boundaries and build systems.

The things that drained you at the start become manageable when you’re skilled enough to control how you work.

Find where you’re willing to build skills. That’s enough to start.

Stop planning. Start testing.

Write down five experiments you could try. Pick one. Give yourself 4-6 weeks. Then ask those three questions honestly.

Most tests will say no to something. Good. You’re cutting bad paths fast.

Keep testing until something says yes to all three. Then stop testing and start building.

Testing isn’t wasted time. It stops you from being trapped two years from now, burned out, hating your work, with no way out.

Test small. Commit when you have real data. Build from there.