For my Fellow Creatives

For my fellow creatives (whether you’re a designer, artist, illustrator, photographer, writer, etc etc)—If you work in the creative industry, it’s no secret that people will try to screw you over for creative work..

It’s not always their fault, a lot of the time people are completely clueless about the creative process and are equally as clueless on how they should go about commissioning work; they don’t realize how rude they come across when asking you to do work for free, because they don’t understand that it actually takes TIME and SKILL to do what you do. Aw shucks, they don’t know any better. But instead of resenting these people (who really just want a piece of that funky magical touch only you could provide), as a creative you need to know your worth, be vocal and assertive, and protect yourself. Read up on how to put together solid contracts/agreements, set up timelines ahead of time so both parties are aware of what’s expected, and know when to say NO. And when you set up boundaries, when you say no every once in a while, not only does it protect you from getting stepped on, they actually respect you more for it.

And if they’re still trying to lowball you, kick their ass to the curb. You’re worth more than that.