How To Price YOUR Work — The Future with Chris Do
Table of Contents
0:00 – Introduction: What Clients REALLY Value
2:30 – The Core Equation: Buyers Determine Value, Sellers Determine Price
5:27 – The Client Journey: Word of Mouth and Discovery
8:46 – The 30-Minute Fit Check: How to Filter Bad Clients
11:28 – The Pricing Trap: Why Selling the Deliverable Kills Your Income
14:12 – Overcoming Imposter Syndrome and the Fear of Talking About Money
18:30 – The Art Gallery Strategy: Why High-End Galleries Hide Their Prices
20:06 – The Value Conversation: Uncovering What Clients Actually Want
24:03 – Moving Beyond "Make It Look Good"
28:42 – The "I Don't Know" Framework for Subjective Creative Work
31:59 – Final Takeaway: Stop Selling, Start Serving
If you have ever undercharged for your work, felt awkward quoting a price, or wondered why some artists and photographers seem to land every opportunity while others struggle — this episode is going to be one of the most valuable things you watch all year. Chris Do of The Futur delivered this full workshop at Adobe MAX, and with 166,000 views and counting, it has clearly struck a chord with creatives everywhere.
The Golden Rule: Buyers Determine Value, Sellers Determine Price
This single idea can completely transform how you approach every sale. As an artist or photographer, your job is not to decide how valuable your work is to someone else — that is the buyer's job. Your job is to set a confident price and then ask the right questions to help the buyer discover the value for themselves. When you understand this distinction, the entire dynamic of selling your work shifts from uncomfortable to empowering.
The Pricing Confidence Equation
Chris shares a formula that every artist needs to hear: when your opportunities exceed your capacity, your confidence — and your prices — naturally rise. If you are a painter who can only produce a handful of originals each month but has a growing list of interested collectors, you have genuine scarcity on your side. The lesson here is that building your audience and your marketing is not just about making sales today; it is about creating the conditions where you can charge what your work is truly worth.
Stop Selling the Deliverable — Sell the Outcome
One of the most eye-opening moments in this workshop is when Chris explains why pricing based on physical output — the canvas size, the number of edited photos, the hours worked — is a trap. Collectors and clients are not buying your materials or your time. They are buying the emotional resonance, the status, the memory, or the business result that your work creates. When you reframe your pricing around outcomes rather than deliverables, you give yourself the freedom to charge at a completely different level.
The Art Gallery Strategy
Here is a beautiful insight that will resonate with every fine artist: high-end galleries often do not list prices on the wall. Why? Because a visible price tag ends the conversation before it begins. Instead, the gallerist talks to the buyer, understands their collection, and gauges their intent. You can apply this same approach by leading with a conversation rather than a price sheet — qualifying your buyers and letting the value reveal itself naturally before numbers ever enter the discussion.
A Practical Takeaway for Your Art Business
The next time someone asks what you charge, resist the urge to immediately quote a number. Instead, ask them a question: "What are you hoping this piece will do for you?" or "What would make this commission a complete success?" Their answer will tell you exactly how to price your work — and it will almost always be higher than what you were about to say. Your art has immense value. This workshop will help you believe it and communicate it with confidence.