Dear Artists / Designers / Bleeding Heart Creative Friends
In the creative industry we’re bound to encounter people who don’t respect the value of our work. The long-standing disconnect between us and them embodies many shapes and forms, like stolen art, commoditization of work, or in my case, potential clients trying to undercut the market.
Sometimes we let these shady instances slide because as creators, we have a strong need for people to be just as excited about our creations as we are. It feels like presenting our baby to the world and saying, “hey world, look what I made!” Any form of recognition that comes with that can be a powerful positive reinforcement. But not everyone will cherish our babies the same way we do.
This year I have been pursuing freelance design and photography full-time. I’m still learning, but I’d like to share a few strategies I had developed to help me navigate the reality of being a creative professional. Feel free to comment and share your own experiences.
Charge your worth and don’t undercut others in the industry.
Charge your worth, especially for those doing work on the side. When people undercut, it devalues everyone’s unique work and it suddenly becomes a rat-race towards the bottom. This is detrimental to folks who are actually trying to make a living off their creative output.
Don’t trade free creative labour for exposure.
Not only is it unethical, it’s very unsustainable. The same way that the revenue of a product is hardly determined by the number of eyeballs it receives, your livelihood isn’t determined by views and likes and pats on the back by idols — these don’t translate to cheques in the bank or meals on the table. If the perceived exposure for a project is enticing, try to negotiate for more concrete value, and put that stuff into the contract!
Don’t treat your own work like a commodity.
I used to give rates by the hour, These days I charge based on the project and client needs, after negotiation and brain-poking. When you charge a fixed rate by the hour independent of the task, you give people the impression that your creative output can be commoditized.
But really, you’re not a living, breathing, photoshop brush tool, nor are you a machine that presses the camera shutter button at 500 frames per hour. We all have creative block moments and creative breakthrough moments, both are equally important parts of the process in delivering good work. Let people see your value by sharing your process. Let them pay for the whole process. You’ll do a better job, and everybody wins.
Educate people to respect creative professionals.
Share your thoughts, processes, results, wins etc. It’s too easy to be a bitter, misunderstood artist, but it’s not helpful if we want to build a better relationship with people whom we need to collaborate with. Creativity plays an integral role in advancing the economy, solving the world’s critical problems, and in happiness. Educate other people so they can let you do your best work.
Love,
Hannah
—
Like what you read? ❤ it and share it with friends who deserve to be valued for their work.
Hannah is a designer/maker/photographer. Follow her on twitter and/or Instagram!
