Member-only story
How I work for FREE to get RICH!
“Free work? Who does that?”
“Me? Never!”
That was my first thought, too. And I get it. Nobody wants to feel undervalued. Plus, creatives now know “exposure” as payment, which is one of the sought-after client tricks to underpay you.
I don’t know what you do, but at the beginning, there’s a high likelihood someone needs a logo, a photoshoot, or a project done, and when you give your price, they reply, “I’ll tag you! The exposure will bring you more work!”
Sound familiar?
To be honest, we creative professionals hate this idea for a good reason because we know exposure won’t pay our rent, fix our car, fuel our generator, fill our fridge with edibles, or buy us a new computer if the current one gets stolen or spoilt. But the twist is that it’s not every unpaid gig that is a waste of time. Some are worth it.
The story of a well-known Nigerian celebrity photographer, Felix Crown, is one we can learn a lesson from. He shared how he once worked on Toke Makinwa’s first birthday shoot as a collaboration in lieu of cash payment, which went viral, and he started getting another celebrity shoot for which he got paid. When Felix Crown was asked if collaborative content helped grow his creative brand, he acknowledged how challenging working for…
