If only I could pay my rent with products or exposure, I’d live for free
The reality of building a creative business in the age of social media
If you knew how many times I’ve been offered payment “in materials” or “exposure”, you’d be amazed.
I’m yet to decide whether the problem is the proposal or the fact that you have equally many who say yes, which keeps it going.
If we want to change the way creative work is valued, it has to start at the ground level. The problem is that everyone’s reality (and level of acceptance) is so drastically different.
Not only that, but something you were OK doing years ago, may be out of the question today…
Before children it maybe didn’t matter if you worked overtime. With children, it matters.
While still living at your parents, it maybe doesn’t matter if you’re paid in products. But ones you’ve got your own bills to pay, it matters.
Big industry knows this and exploits younger and younger “workers”. They get micro-influencers to feel important by offering them a day in the spotlight on their pages and in return the influencer makes a series of posts featuring their merge (and big businesses make the big bucks ones again…)
There’s always a catch…
In the early days of my art career in 2016/2017, I got proposed to come and stitch for a popular concept store in Paris. I was invited to a business meeting at a cafe next by the store where I got to meet head of design, development and communication. Three women who were clearly too busy with themselves (or at least the two former and the last was mostly busy trying to please the others), to care anything about me.
The meeting didn’t particularly get off to a very good start when they discovered that I hadn’t prepared anything for what I could do for them.
How could I know? I told the communication lady who was the one that had reached out to me in the first place. If a look could kill… well, I’d probably be dead by now.
As far as I was concerned I was in a meeting to know what they could propose me, not the other way around.
I did get proposed to work for them, to join in on a big event and stitch personal messages on people’s purchases (they sold tote bags and clothing along interior design objects).
There was just a catch; I’d be paid in exposure.
In other words, I was made to believe that this was a golden opportunity in my career to get to sit for three full days at their shop and embroider on their customer’s purchases… for free.
All I saw was how it would make their clients more loyal clients to them, for providing the opportunity to get items personalized. Nothing that involved any of my own original art practice…
I declined.
They looked at me in close to what I’d judge as shock (though you never really know with Parisian women), stood up and left me with the drinks unpaid.
Thankfully my husband (then boyfriend) had lingered around the block and came rushing to the rescue.
No, I’m not referring to the unpaid bills. Rather to give me a boost of encouragement and tell me how proud he was.
« T’es trop talentueuse pour eux tout façon » (You’re too talented for them anyway), he said.
In union we walked up to the barman and told them that we’d unfortunately only pay for my drink to which he nodded in understanding.
I couldn’t help but wonder if the ladies did this on a regular. I later found out that the café was actually owned by the same concept shop, so I assume it cut them some slack… but how could an up and coming 21-year old Swedish artist in Paris know that when they just left me behind?
Anyway… I like to think of this moment as a bright day.
If anything, it proved to become just the first of many “free work opportunities” that I had the courage to decline. Each time my belief got stronger that to change the value of artistic work we must start valuing it ourselves or no one else will.
Thank you so much for reading!
Elin, x
Discussions around money is always triggering… so let’s continue in the comments!
I’d love to hear your experience:
Have you been offered payment in stuff or exposure?
How did it make you feel? What did you do?
And if not… What are your thoughts around the value of creative work?
Below is a little mini-gallery of a few different free-hand embroidery on clothes commissions to add some context to the story told above. It would primarily involve embroidery on clothing, tote bags or smaller accessories.
If you enjoyed this piece and find discussions around money for creative work interesting, you should check out the survey I’m currently running around Paid Newsletters. I will make a full report when we ideally reach 100 replies (currently at 83).
Here’s the direct link to the letter explaining why and how + the survey itself
Hi there, new here?
I’m Elin, Swedish (expat) artist and mother of two who have plunged into the unknown of Substack as a new writing home. Despite having 500k+ across mainstream social media platforms for my embroidery art, I decided to start afresh here. It’s hard, thrilling, heavy and joyful all in ones. Come and join me for the ride if you haven’t done so already! You can expect thought-provoking and poignant writing about creativity, life and soulful art business with a touch of motherhood.
You can also check out the how, why, who and what in the post below:
Elin, your words have encouraged me to decline a request that I have been putting off. I work for free less often than I did when I first started out as a writer/speaker, but I find that it's harder to say no when it is someone I have known for a long time. But today, I am going to do it. Thank you!
Also, I see a shift happening that really bothers me. People ask me to participate or contribute to something they are creating with no compensation AND then I am also expected to promote it to my community for free. It's exhausting.
Wow, my jaw dropped at the audacity. Good for you for standing up for yourself! I can’t believe they proposed that and left you with the bill!