re: "A client hired me to do some artwork for their educational website."
Cool!
re: "The client asked for quite a decent amount of work, which I delivered on time. They then paused the contract before paying for said work."
That's fine.
It doesn't matter if a client pauses a contract, because I get paid AUTOMATICALLY for the work that I do.
re" "It has been months now and I realize I may never getting paid"
It has been months now?
That means that you used Upwork incorrectly.
This is your mistake, not the client's.
If I do any work on Upwork, then the longest possible period of time it will take for the payment for that work to be in my bank account is 3 weeks.
re: "I feel that there should be some consequence on the client side for this."
But this was your mistake, not the client's.
The important thing is for you to learn what you did wrong, and not make the same mistake in the future.
re: "I want to cancel the job but am afraid that they will leave me negavtive feedback, solely out of spite."
Then don't close the contract.
But as a practical matter, it sounds like the client has no reason to have spite toward you.
My advice: Close the contract IMMEDIATELY. Do NOT communicate with the client any more.
re: "I have sent several polite messages reminding the client that they have still not paid for the work that was delivered. Just looking for a bit of advice."
Stop trying to communicate with that client. Stop trying to get money from that client. Focus on yourself.
Take this seriously. Internalize the fact that you didn't get paid because of the mistakes that you made. That means YOU HAVE THE POWER. Other people don't have power over you. You have the power to control your own fate.
If you don't understand completelyl what you did wrong, then continue asking questions here in this thread until you understand.
