After reading three posting spats on Craig’s List this weekend, I decided to bring some more attention to this issue through my blog. Some of you who have been browsing my site, or following me for a while, will be aware that this is not a new issue for me, and something I am very passionate about.
There are a lot of people on Craig’s List (and frankly, all over the internet) who seem to expect illustrations, animation, design, web design, photography, etc. for free. I can’t count how many posts I see specifically requesting a “student”- from businesses or individuals hoping they’ll get someone who doesn’t know what their work and education is WORTH. I ran into the same thing when I was the switchboard operator at the Columbus College of Art and Design- we probably got at least two calls a day from businesses wanting students to gain “educational experience” doing work for them- for free. You know what we did? We told them they were out of luck, and hung up.
And yes, it IS worth quite a bit. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I paid $80,000 go to go art school. I am highly educated. I am proud of my skills.
This is a sore spot with me, so when I see people on Craig’s List posting that they want a wedding photographer for under $200 dollars and DON’T WANT THEM TO USE THE PRINTS IN THEIR PORTFOLIO– I get angry. Understandably, I hope! This is that person’s profession. Their life blood. How could they hope to make a living- support children- own a house- unless they shot HOW MANY weddings per weekend? Math is simple. And expecting them to pick up a shift at Walmart isn’t fair either.
To those of you out there who think you can’t get experience unless you work for free- think about what would happen if NONE of you worked for free? Then everyone in our field would rise a rung on the payscale, and we might actually start making a living.
I don’t work for free. And I have just over a year of experience. My first job? A website trade for photography of my entire wedding, and the prints, and digital copies. We decided their value was around equal.
Please don’t work for free.
Okay, rant off. That said, I’ve added a few links concerning this to the Resources section.
If you haven’t bothered to check it out, please do. It contains cool websites- from other artists, to inspiration and technical resources, to information on being self employed and making a living. If you have any contributions, give me a holler.
Go forth, educate yourselves!
- NoSpec.com: A website devoted to educating freelancers about appropriate contracts and freelance situations.
- I Wish I Had Written This: A post on NoSpec.com that I saw recently on Craig’s List, and got me all fired up. (Again.)
- Graphic Artist’s Guild (GAG): A great online resource for anyone who does graphic arts.
3 have put forth thoughts.
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