My name is Haley Davis and I am an artist who loves making things for people.
Like many of my fellow artists and designers, I love to do custom work, making a client’s day with art that’s totally tailored to their specific requests, while getting paid to do what I enjoy. I crave the opportunity to be that one person to create exactly what this person wants.
I started looking for commissioned work as soon as I graduated from Rhode Island School of Design. Even with my prestigious alma mater under my belt, getting commissions or finding relevant work consistently was still a struggle for me. There was no guarantee that I would automatically make a living with my art as a freelance Maker. I was open for custom work… but no one knew that.
Once I was done with school, I searched all over the internet for ads in search of an artist in my region of Providence, RI. Sometimes I got lucky and found a great gig, but only after hours and hours of research, sinking into my couch. I didn’t really know where to look or what I was doing.
Over the course of many months, I was able to find a few gigs doing custom paintings, murals, and even had the great experience of working for the Public Art Fund on a huge outdoor public sculpture to be displayed in Brooklyn. For that fabrication project, I was able to bring on board a few former peers of mine from RISD who had remained in the area, and they were super grateful. Not only did we get to work with a wonderful established artist, Katarina Grosse, and an incredible organization, the Public Art Fund, but we also got paid very well–just doing our thing, using our obscure, amazing skills and talent.
Just as appreciative as we were, the Public Art Fund told us that they would have never been able to finish that project without our last minute help– if I hadn’t stumbled upon their ad at just the right moment. It was truly like digging for buried treasure in the form of serendipity.
Every time I got a commission, friends asked me how I got that connection. I could never offer any advice other than to set aside lots of time each day looking through various websites to find something legit. So here we were, highly-skilled Makers with so much potential to bring anyone’s idea into fruition, and eager for the opportunity to do so, but no singular dependable resource to turn to.
Imagine if I could make these impactful connections happen more easily. Imagine if the Public Art Fund knew exactly where to find us and commission us for some artistic help. Or imagine we knew exactly where to go to find that Request.
Finally, I was like, “You know what–I’m gonna make a website myself”.
I’m so happy to bring you Makeplease, a worldwide online platform that connects freelance Makers with people who want custom art and design.
So find the perfect Maker to create exactly what you want. And Makers, take on a cool Request and work your magic. Connect and collaborate on this little global hub of creative people, made by an artist, for artists. (And I’ll be using it too! 🙂 )
