Pay Me What I'm Worth

This is a repost from my Tumblr blog, but it applies to what I have going on over here as well, so I thought that I would go ahead and share it.

Pay me what I'm worth. Hey, I know that times are tough, they're tough for me too, but the fact remains that I'm offering you a professional service, so I expect professional compensation. I studied hard, spending long hours either seeking the information and/or practicing to sharpen my skill set(s) so that I could offer you a service that would be useful to you. Understand, I'm not saying that everything I touch turns to gold, realize, however, that you came to me because you liked the work that I do. You saw that I could do something that you couldn't. That makes that service valuable and as such I expect to be appropriately compensated for the work that I do for you using those rarified skill sets.

I am not a greedy individual, I'm not asking for more than my due. You need to understand, though, that in my career field(s) I don't have the luxury of resting on my laurels. I need to constantly learn new things; keep up with new technologies, research new methodologies and practice like I'm a garage band musician and there is only a week before my first big show. I put a lot of my personal time into my profession. I do this so that when the time comes for me to create a product for you I have a better chance of exceeding your expectations and delivering something that goes beyond what you requested. That's my job: I see the things that you see, but I think about them in ways that you don't. That comes from long hours of research, study and practice, and that's worth something.

Yes, It's true that I do the things that I do because I'm following my bliss. I love being a creative, but at the end of the day I still have bills to pay just like everyone else. Why don't I just get a job like everyone else? Because I have a career as a freelance creative, that's why. Would you tell a doctor or a lawyer to “just go get a real job?” Of course not, and like a doctor or a lawyer I have a specialized skill set, and that's why I'm worth the money that I ask for.

And no, I won't take your gig just to “get exposure.” If I feel like doing work for someone for free just to get exposure, I'll approach them. To be honest, I will get more exposure by my self just doing the things that I'm already doing to advertise myself (chances are that is how you found me, after all) than I will get by working on your project.

I'm really not trying to be a jerk here. It comes down to simple mathematics: if I break it down to the hours worked to give you the best product possible, you lowballing me on a flat fee means that I will end up making minimum wage or less. I didn't go through all of those years of school, and I don't spend all of the time that I do now just learning new things and keeping my skill set fresh, so that I can make less than someone at McDonalds makes.

So, respect me, respect my time and respect my education and pay me what I'm worth.