However, some creatives push back. We’ve collected some of the most powerful moments when they called out folks who tried to underpay them, as shared on the popular ‘Choosing Beggars’ online community. Scroll down to see just how sneaky and unfair some scammers can get. That’s not to scare any of you away from doing creative work (it can be fulfilling), but it’s important not to be naive. A big part of this comes down to figuring out how to communicate with current and potential clients, marketing yourself, and knowing how to price your work and time. There’s actually a lot of pressure when it comes to accurate pricing. It goes beyond earning enough to pay for the roof above your head and the food on your table. If you set your prices too high, then you run the risk of getting few(er) clients. (This fear is what many scammers and people who try to take advantage of creatives play to.) On the other hand, if you’re vastly underpricing your work, this cretes another potential problem. When other creatives decide to work for way less money, it means that they get more clients. If there are enough creatives who are fine with being underpaid, this can create a knock-on effect where market prices for art fall across the board because everyone is forced to adapt to a new reality. There are also lots of social networks where you can show off your latest work and connect with other pros, fans, and potential clients. Some of those networks even allow you to monetize your content, which is great news if you have a significant following. Whatever you do, having at least some sort of online presence is useful. And being consistent in your posting (even if done rarely) is better than being sporadic. Exposure can help you a lot in your marketing and self-promotion efforts, however, it shouldn’t be used to avoid paying for services rendered. However, they might not know how the industry works and what the etiquette around compensation is like. So, it becomes important to recognize those who are ignorant from those who want to take advantage of you. When you’re faced with someone who asks you to work for exposure or for very little pay, you might want to consider politely rebuffing their offer even then. You can explain to them why this doesn’t work for you, why your skills are worth more, and try to negotiate a rate that’s fair to you. Saying ‘no, thank you’ takes a lot of courage! And it shows that you’re confident in your abilities and optimistic about finding future work. Hopefully, for proper pay. Share your thoughts in the comment section at the bottom of this article. Follow Bored Panda on Google News! Follow us on Flipboard.com/@boredpanda! Please use high-res photos without watermarks Ooops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.
