You should be paid for your work, however this is not always as simple and straightforward as "charging your worth", and there are definitely some exceptions to the rule. If you battle to know where to draw the line I hope some of my thoughts here help you to figure it out. It's always going to be a learning process and you have to do what works best for you.
Work for free?!
Firstly, it's important to weigh up the costs (both literal and figurative) and to know when you're doing something for growth and that benefits you, and when you're being taken advantage of.
We've literally ALL had someone ask us to work for free and get "exposure" in return and while the sentiment is nice, in a media saturated world it just isn't cutting it anymore. With that being said, these are some reasons I believe it can be helpful to give of your time and energy freely.
Getting real life experience when you're starting out in any industry is absolutely vital. I had a mentor when I first started out and would do a lot of unpaid work so that I could learn from him. I can't recommend this enough! If you want to get stuck into the industry, find someone who's work you admire, ask them if they're looking for some assisting/shadowing and get involved. There's nothing quite like being thrown in the deep end and getting actual real life hands-on experience is invaluable!
If you are looking for a mentor or another industry professional you can glean from then you should also consider adopting some of these attributes and practices:
- Be professional! It sounds like a joke because of course, right? But sometimes we don't really know better when just starting out. Save questions for when the client isn't within earshot, be friendly, dress well.
- Be enthusiastic and energetic! Offer to fetch, organize or carry. Be engaged and alert for ways you can make it easier for the pro.
- Look for opportunities! When someone wants to know more about you, use that as an in to chat about what you do and how you are learning from the professional you're assisting. Don't be sly about it - make sure you honor who you're working for, but put yourself out there!
- Never try to steal a client. This is pretty much a deal breaker for anyone willing to accept interns/free work. Prove your worth to the professional and you never know, it could lead to a full time paid position with them or they could even send you leads when they aren't able to take on more work.
- Collaborate with other creatives! This is a great reason to break the rule and work for free. This helps you build relationships with other people in the industry which can absolutely turn into more work because ideally those people will know and trust you, and be keen to work with you again.
- Trade skills with other creatives! Instead of handing over hard earned money you can swap work for work. Learning a whole skill set just to produce a logo yourself is quite an undertaking. Let other professionals help you with your brand and in turn, offer your creative skills to help them. It's always a good idea to build a solid and identifiable brand early on.
- Do more of what you love! As a creative, producing work that you are passionate about is a must to keep going long term. Trying to break into the fashion industry? Grab a friend, dress them up and snap away. Do this a few times and you could have a portfolio that you are ready to show to local businesses in your area. This is also a place to learn lessons off the clock without the pressures of a demanding, paying client. Practice makes perfect.
With all that said I am a firm believer in people paying you for your work. Because this means that they prioritize ad value what you are offering and they'll take you seriously! So I'm not saying give it all away for free just because you are learning or stepping into something new. But there is a fine balance between working for free and charging everyone, you've got to figure out what works best for you.
“If you dont value your time, neither will others. Stop giving away your time and talents. Value what you know and start charging for it.”
