You don’t have to convince anyone.
So the other week I was having a convo in my Instagram DM’s with someone about all kinds of things that we have to suss out as a part of the creative process, and the topic of the value of creativity came up.
I think it’s an important topic, because sometimes as Creatives we feel like we need to justify our value, or justify our prices to possible clients or people who don’t fully understand why things cost as much as they do, or why it’s worth hiring a professional, espesh when you could just things yourself in Canva, right??
Here’s my opinion —
You should never have to convince people of the value of your creativity.
Specifically, when it comes to people that want to hire you as a designer/photographer/copywriter/whatever you do. The people who don’t fully understand why it costs thousands of dollars to invest in a good Web Designer are the exact kind of people that maybe aren’t ready to hire you right now. If you have to convince them that you’re worth it — then… It’s probably not worth it, for you. Lol. (And if you feel like you are that person, Hey! But you’re here, reading this email or blog post, and that’s somethin’.)
People see the value in the work and the industry itself when we (as creatives) change their perspective (like artists, or writers, or film makers, or photographers) or give them very mesaurable results (like designers who create sales pages, or developers who create websites), and so on. Basically, people will come to their own conclusions about value, and creativity, and its your job to just focus on attracting the kind of people that 'get it'.
The work should speak for itself, and it shouldn’t need us to write novels justifying our choices and why this is worth X amount. That’s not to say certain strategic or design choices aren’t discussed with clients in the creative process (because they should be), but that’s once you’re already in it.
I say this as someone who has offerings on both ends of the spectrum — I offer premium 1-1 design services, where my full Brand + Website Design packages start at a minimum of $10k, and I also have a design studio where I sell Canva templates for $75+. And there’s huge value in BOTH of those things, because they exist for very different reasons. The actual dollar amount is kinda irrelevant, because there will be people who see the appeal and value in one but not the other, and vice versa. Neither is ‘better’ or ‘worse’, it’s about what your goals are and where you see the value for what you need, right now. You get me?
There are absolutely times where we, as creatives, have an opportunity to help educate people in why things cost what they do, and what that means for their business, and I think we should be able to have those conversations where we can — but not in a way that’s justifying it, if you know what I mean. You have to be able to stand tall in yourself and know that your work is worth it, and know that there are more dream clients out there who are willing to pay you your full rate, and MORE.
And to relate this shit to the world we live in right now, today, here’s what I’ll say — You don’t have to discount your services or products, if it doesn’t feel right. I understand how tempting it might be to slash prices to stay a float, and maybe that’s what you truly have to do, but there might be other ways, too. There's ways we can help that aren't going to sacrifice our own sanity or energy. We will have to shift how we offer some products and services, but we need to be extra aware of our own energy, because without that you’re not gonna be able to FULLY show up to help people in the magical ways only you can. Otherwise, all of the above still applies — maybe more than ever.
Just keep doing the work and making shit, and help educate people where you can.
Let your work speak for itself.
Stay golden,
