I had an enlightening conversation about freelance rates recently.
My composition student had a very low estimate for how much a composition commission fee should be. It afforded us the opportunity to talk about numerous ideas: how to set rates, professionalism in creative fields, the change of rates over your career, the poverty line, the hour-to-dollar ratio.
But the most important concept I left with (and I hope he did, too) is the idea that creative professionals are excellent at undervaluing themselves. It’s not a question of other people undervaluing us. The risk is that we internalize the idea that because our work is something we love, we shouldn’t make money from it.
The world is better when we ask for what we need for our creative work. Practice self-value in your creative endeavors.