Are you comfortable charging what you are worth?
How to leverage my experience as an artist & writer
This week, I am going back to answering your questions about life. Starting with one from Sarah Thibault from Art Date (one of my favorite substacks).
Sarah: How do you leverage your experience as an artist, writer, and podcaster to help others in more of an advising role and get paid for it? I like to be generous and help people out for free or at a very low cost, especially artists who I know struggle with their own financial challenges. But at the same time, I think my time and energy are worth more and also I have very real bills to pay. You seem to have a good grasp of how to monetize your creative efforts. What would your approach be?Â
Me (Carissa): Oh gosh. I don’t know if I have this one down. I have an answer and I don’t think you are going to like it.
First off, I have to say something about capitalism. I am not a big fan. I want to believe that there are better ways of taking care of each other and our community. And our earth. With that said, there are very real things that life requires of us at the moment, such as bills, loan payments, healthcare, and food to start. Thinking that we can live comfortably without working is a hard one unless you have family resources. I think that both Sarah and I have to work to eat. Sarah, if I am wrong let me know. This guide rests on existing in the system we are in and my understanding of it.
I grew up on the idea that if there was a will there was a way, and I want to believe that. And yet, as I age, I find more and more that it is not so much that I can find a way, but more so to understand and accept that life is short and not everything is possible. Bummer. I know. I am in grief therapy for it. If believing that there is a way works for you and your understanding of life, I want that for you. I wish it was true for me.
So you want to make a living helping others do what you have done? And you don’t feel comfortable charging your broke-peers. I am going to go into detail about supply and demand, sliding scale, saying no, mutually beneficial relationships, and setting your hourly wage with confidence. You got this. Here is how to do it:
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