Artist Carson Ting explains the “dark art” of pricing for creatives

For this week’s MVP, we’re chatting with fine artist Carson Ting.

If you watched the 2026 FIFA World Cup, then you’ve likely seen work by this week’s MVP. Carson Ting is a Vancouver-based artist who has created whimsical pieces for Adidas, Nike, Off-White and others. And this year, he also represented Canada as an official artist for the World Cup.

Ting kicked off his career in advertising, eventually leading his own award-winning art and design studio, Chairman Ting. “In marketing and advertising, you always work on five different accounts at any given time. I love that,” he says. “It’s made moving into being an independent artist feel like a natural evolution.”

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Today, the accomplished artist relishes the variety in his profession. Much like in his advertising days, he’s constantly working in different mediums. “I’m working on sculptures. I’m painting. I’m working on murals, animation and commercial packaging. It’s truly a fun career.” When he isn’t in his studio, Ting teaches students at Capilano University’s IDEA School of Design, in Vancouver.

Here, Ting shares what he’s learned about selling his work and negotiating with clients—and the mantra that helps him see setbacks a little differently.

What does a typical workday look like for you?

It hasn’t been “typical” for a couple months because I was an illustrator that was hired for the FIFA World Cup. I was in Dallas, Texas, for a month, working on stadium art—all the art you saw in the stadium came from me. That was definitely a career highlight. From there, I was working remotely on a puzzle for a Toronto-based company, Mango Puzzles. Then I was in Hong Kong visiting family, and so I worked remotely from there. It’s a very entrepreneurial lifestyle. I’m constantly connecting with people.

When you’re balancing multiple clients and income streams, how do you set your rates and prices?

I always call it “the dark art,” because no one really talks about pricing. It’s not like walking into a restaurant and seeing a full menu. I’ve learned over time that there’s no formula. But I do have a system.

The system is to always charge a studio fee—that’s non-negotiable, and it is paid upfront. Our $4,000 studio fee covers essential overhead, including insurance, assistants, producers and software subscriptions. It acts as a minimum engagement fee, and does not cover creative services. It’s a lot of upfront money to operate a business like this. Then I have my ideation process, the actual illustration or digital work, and a usage fee. If it’s physical work, there are materials to buy, and I’ll add more assistants.

Do you break all of this down for clients?

I’ll calculate things like ideation hourly, but I never show my units. Most of the time, clients will say, “You don’t need eight hours to think about this.” I try to itemize it as much as possible, so that there’s room to play and move things around when clients come back.

What’s the key to making it work for both parties?

Stay very flexible. Mercedes-Benz reached out and had hit their year end, so they had money to spend. I’ve had this happen a few times. Then there are other clients who have a budget, and what I’ll do is say, “Hey, instead of doing this big piece, we can do this smaller version to stay within your budget.”

Is being a salesperson part of your job?

I’m an amazing salesman. The trick is that I’m not selling. I’m truly passionate about the work I’m presenting. I get a lot of praise from clients who say they love the fact that I’m transparent, excited and malleable, too. I don’t have an ego, and I’m not very precious about my work. Those qualities—being genuine, passionate and not precious—are the key to sales.

Do you ever think about the need to future-proof yourself as a creative?

Yes, I’m glad you asked. The work that I do is very transactional. I don’t think it’s a very sustainable business because I don’t have retainer clients. I work on a project-to-project basis. So. I’ve been thinking about this, my exit plans. One is to move into fine arts. The second is to get into IP, or intellectual property.

What does that mean, in the context of your work?

It means I have the freedom to create art and characters, while building long-term equity and paving the way for my future as a creator. Owning my own intellectual property will also create revenue streams beyond traditional service work, so I’m no longer just trading time for money.

I’ve been working with a writer named Chris Bartleman. He’s on my team to produce a new cartoon series that we’re pitching later this year in Toronto and Los Angeles. I have big hopes for it because this could potentially be a big licensing thing. Only time will tell.

Have you always had such a strategic mindset?

No, I really do believe in trusting the universe. I tell my students, “You’ve got to keep doing what you love doing, and trust that the universe will set you on your path.” I’m a very positive person. So, even when things go sideways, I think, “OK, the universe is sending me on this path, but I know we’re always moving in the right direction.”