Kill the Starving Artist!
This is my new motto. I believe that the starving artist mindset is the single biggest obstacle to freelancers have million dollar practices. Or $100K practices for that matter.
So many of the freelancing blogs that I scan on a regular basis seem to take pride, brag, in fact, about how poor they are. Well, not exactly that. They brag about how little money it took to start up and how cheaply they operate.
One person, for example, took tremendous pride in how she started freelancing without a computer. She went down to her local Internet store and rented time on a system, then bid on projects on the online freelancing boards. When she got an award, she would write the job (literally, WRITE the job), then go back to the Internet store and type in the results and send it off to the client. She did this for a year before getting her own computer and ISP.
Other freelancers talk enthusiastically about how they use OpenSource software to do their work. Still others go on about how busy they are....and later it turns our the reason they are busy is because they are WAY undercharging for their work, and are slogging away at less than inspiring projects for icky clients.
While I applaud the ingenuity of the gal who used her local Internet store to get started, and I do believe that a person can start freelancing with very low investment, I think there is something else going on underneath all these conversations.
Freelancers (generally) are in love with being starving artists. Somewhere in their psyches they believe that they must struggle in order to really be considered freelancers. This attitude permeates every inch of their businesses--and has not so great impacts. Besides essentially ensuring that the best they will ever do financially is "just okay," the starving artist tends to attract far-from-ideal clients--the type client who pays peanuts while making incredibly high and often abusive demands (having abusive clients REALLY triggers the starving artist!).
Well...I can go on...but the bottom line is that the starving artist needs to be killed. Freelancers--whatever creative service they provide--have a BIG difference to make in the world, and the starving artist has no place in the game. And they DESERVE to have the lives they really want--including the financial health that allows them to step out into their passions.
I am ramping up a teleseminar (first one scheduled for December 17th), and this topic is one of the things I'd like to touch on. Do you have some insights, stories, anecdotes about the starving artist? Have you succeeded in killing your own starving artist? How?
I'm on the edge of my seat, eager to read your responses!
Trish
So many of the freelancing blogs that I scan on a regular basis seem to take pride, brag, in fact, about how poor they are. Well, not exactly that. They brag about how little money it took to start up and how cheaply they operate.
One person, for example, took tremendous pride in how she started freelancing without a computer. She went down to her local Internet store and rented time on a system, then bid on projects on the online freelancing boards. When she got an award, she would write the job (literally, WRITE the job), then go back to the Internet store and type in the results and send it off to the client. She did this for a year before getting her own computer and ISP.
Other freelancers talk enthusiastically about how they use OpenSource software to do their work. Still others go on about how busy they are....and later it turns our the reason they are busy is because they are WAY undercharging for their work, and are slogging away at less than inspiring projects for icky clients.
While I applaud the ingenuity of the gal who used her local Internet store to get started, and I do believe that a person can start freelancing with very low investment, I think there is something else going on underneath all these conversations.
Freelancers (generally) are in love with being starving artists. Somewhere in their psyches they believe that they must struggle in order to really be considered freelancers. This attitude permeates every inch of their businesses--and has not so great impacts. Besides essentially ensuring that the best they will ever do financially is "just okay," the starving artist tends to attract far-from-ideal clients--the type client who pays peanuts while making incredibly high and often abusive demands (having abusive clients REALLY triggers the starving artist!).
Well...I can go on...but the bottom line is that the starving artist needs to be killed. Freelancers--whatever creative service they provide--have a BIG difference to make in the world, and the starving artist has no place in the game. And they DESERVE to have the lives they really want--including the financial health that allows them to step out into their passions.
I am ramping up a teleseminar (first one scheduled for December 17th), and this topic is one of the things I'd like to touch on. Do you have some insights, stories, anecdotes about the starving artist? Have you succeeded in killing your own starving artist? How?
I'm on the edge of my seat, eager to read your responses!
Trish
Tags: 2009, freelancing, marketing, strategies
Views: 1
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Lou Bortone on -
Right on, Trish! As a writer, I used to buy into all that "struggling author" bullshit but, believe me there is no need to suffer for your "art." Starving or struggling may sound noble, but it's a fool's game. And it's thinking small... Eliminate it! Crush it! Don't stand for it!
That's my 2 cents... oh, I mean, that's my $250,000... my prices just went up again!
Lou -
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Permalink Reply by Amy Boyack on -
I'm really struggling with this and would like to kill the starving artist inside of me. I've been working from home on the internet and volunteering my musical talent. How can I do better?
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Permalink Reply by Rob Thomas on -
Trish,
I agree with this viewpoint above. It kills me to think that the artist buys into to the "group think". If they only knew they could create their own truth. You often see this from the suppressive parent who says after asking their child what they want to be, do and have, "ARTIST?! You wanna starve?!!!!" From there they take that thinking that artists are supposed to starve. The most creative beings on the planet are supposed to starve? As LOU said, it is horse shit and the suppressive parent should have to face the firing squad for perpetuating an untruth and planting that in their kids head.
The future of the planet belongs to artists not corporations. Without creation there is only destruction. Remember the destruction by Enron? An artists has never committed anything like that and they are supposed to starve while those idiots are living it up in club FED? Nope! Time to speak up. Time for a reversal.
Artists need to be on your call(s)!!!!! -
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Permalink Reply by Trish Lambert on -
Thanks for the comments!
Yes, the starving artist lives inside every creative person, whether a web designer, a programmer, a writer, or a...um...artist. I agree with Rob, that lots of that thinking comes from our childhood days, where the authoritative messages we receive and assimilate are all about how tough the creative row is to hoe.
And I agree with Rob and Lou--those messages are bullshit. There is absolutely no reason that a creative freelancer (or a free agent, by which I mean consultant, coach, bookkeeper, etc) can't create the revenue that will fuel the lifestyle of their choice.
Amy, the "how to do better" is what my conversation on the 17th is all about...since I'm still in the process of getting the call in details set up, I suggest you subscribe to my blog (www.successinsweatpants.com) and I'll post an entry with all the info. I guarantee that you will come away from the seminar with at least 2 ideas for how to do better!!!! -
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Permalink Reply by Rich Quindry on -
Good point Trish,
I agree with what you say, but I think it's not likely that we will change that mindset. The only thing that I have control over (and need to have control over) is my own thinking. The main problems I see are these:
1) People love the romance of calling themselves an "artist".
2) Those same people, if they indeed have talent, have no idea what that talent is worth to others.
3) They don't know to charge enough to stay in business, but it doesn't matter, because when they can't make it and give up, there are two more to take there place.
4) Many are not disciplined and reliable.
5) They are ripe for exploitation from those who see artists as a commodity.
6) The most important to us - They bid so low that they affect the market's perception of what we're worth!
I've been on my own as an advertising photographer for 34 years. There are always 50 photographers who will gladly do an assignment for a tenth of what I charge.
The solutions as I see it are these:
Specialization - Perception is everything You must be seen as someone who is especially suited to solve the problems of your clients. (of course you have to deliver the goods)
Branding - A brand is a promise of performance. It relates to your website, how you conduct yourself, answer the phone, dress and follow through with everything you say you will. I also back my work with a no-risk guarantee.
You have to know the value of what you're selling and make the client understand that they're not saving money by buying cheap.
An example: This afternoon I picked up a new client who contacted me by my website. He wanted some product shots and a couple of shots of their plant for a new website. I've been slow this month and actually bid about 25% lower than usual because I really wanted the work. However, he was still shocked by the price. I let him know that the price I quoted was substantially lower than I usually charge and that because I was a little slow and wanted the work, I was already quoting a reduced rate. (He's not a high end client and probably won't need work again in the future).
He had contacted me by email and before I called him I took the time to research his company - his company has 5-10 million dollars a year in sales. I said to him - "Well, you're welcome to call around for other quotes, I'm certainly not going to be the cheapest." "Consider this though, If my photos increase your sales by 1%, I'm guessing that you'll make my fee back many many times over (I didn't tell him that I knew their approximate sales)" - Pause - "And if you hire a cheaper photographer, you may save a little money up front, but if your sales aren't as good they'll end up costing you a lot more in lost profits."
He booked me then and there.
RIch Quindry -
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Permalink Reply by Trish Lambert on
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Rich, well said! I have had similar experiences to your story, and have also (as I'm sure you have) had people come back after passing me by for a lower price because it didn't turn out for them.
I agree with you that the mindset will persist out there in the marketplace, but individual freelancers who want to kill that artist in themselves (like Joy) can do so. That' s what I'm about--helping them do just that!!! Having been on both sides of that fence, I empathize, but I have no tolerance for allowing the artist to live on if someone tells me they are ready to move on from the romance, drama, and false nobility of the "artiste."
Thanks so much for your excellent observations and for sharing your own deep experience with this topic!
Trish -
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Permalink Reply by Trish Lambert on
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A post from Pace (system wasn't letting her in!!):
I'm very familiar with the mindset you're talking about. For me, it comes from what Steve Pavlina calls "lightworker syndrome". It's the attitude of people who want to help others that charging money for their services is somehow unethical, shady, or greedy. A lot of healers have lightworker syndrome.
But eventually I realized that if I really believe in myself, that two things follow. One, I know that I'll do good things with the money I make. And two, I can hold healthy boundaries. One the one hand, I don't want to exploit others.
But on the other hand, I don't want to let myself be taken unfair advantage of, either. I can be an entrepreneur and still behave ethically and for the benefit of all.
So yeah. Rock on. (: -
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Permalink Reply by Zeke Chan on
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Just to share my experience. I have been a professional Flash developer for over 9 years specialising in animation, games and websites. A few years ago, I used to think that what I do for a living wasn't really worth that much. I offered lower fees and discounts just to ensure I got the project. Only problem was, I ended up working a whole lot more than expected and even though I was paid in the end, I felt frustrated, dissatisfied and wanted to just give up.
Its only natural for the emotional part of the artist to try and get the upper hand. After all, artists have to put their own personality and emotions into their work... thats what makes every artist's work unique. However, it is possible to let the more logical and objective part of the brain to take over when it comes to the bottom line.
Thankfully, I have managed to overcome that emotional part and learned to think more objectively when it comes to the bottom line. Here are a few suggestions that I can offer from my experience:
1) Its OK if you are unsure about your time / cost estimate.
You can never accurately estimate the amount of time you will spend on a project. Of course, there are some things that you can be almost 100% certain about. For those uncertain parts of a project, I come up with a rough estimate of hours it would take and multiply that by 3 or 4 depending on how uncertain I am. Suprisingly, the time taken to complete projects usually comes close ( and at times exceeds ) my estimates even after I had multiplied it.
2) Find someone you trust who will ask you common sense and tough questions that make you think more deeply before you decide on a final cost.
Personally, my wife has a hand in helping me brainstorm when it comes to figuring out how much to charge a client. She asks me tough questions such as, "Are you sure you can complete the project in XX amount of time?" or "Is that project really as simple as it seems?" and most importantly "You've been in this line for XX years, is that what your experience is worth?".
3) Discover your strengths and be confident of who you are.
Being both creative and technical, I am able to come up with unique solutions. In my line of work, you will usually find someone who is either a skilled Flash designer or Flash programmer. It is truly rare to find someone who can do both well. As such, I have used my strengths to give me the upper hand over many others in my line of work. I'm certain everyone here has their own unique strengths that can be combined to give you that added edge. Once you know, boldly tell the world.
4) Charge what you know you will be happy with.
Short changing yourself will always make you unhappy as you end up compromising yourself. This was an especially hard lesson for me to learn as I had to overcome the emotional belief that its "better to get something than nothing". A simple truth is, you CAN get what you want. It takes time, effort and looking at the right place. How I think about this is, instead of spending the time slogging over an underpaid project, you may as well spend that time looking for clients that are willing to pay more for your services. -
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