I want to start this by saying—I see you.
I hear you. I feel you.
Whether you’re a photographer, designer, content creator, social media manager or a creator of any sort you’re probably feeling the same tension I am. This industry we’re in—this beautiful, often brutal space where creativity and commerce meet—has shifted.
Maybe you’ve felt it, too?
Ten years ago, the barriers to entry were steep.
You needed technical know-how. You needed to understand how to develop film, how to use complicated editing programs like Photoshop and Lightroom. You had to know how to read light, how to manipulate it, how to grade your work. You needed gear—the expensive kind. And with that came experience. Time. Mistakes.
But fast-forward to now?
You can shoot on an iPhone.
You can slap a preset on it and call it a day.
You can use free editing apps. Or better yet—let AI do the heavy lifting.
The result?
The barrier to entry has been obliterated.
And while that should be a good thing—open, inclusive, accessible—it’s also created a market flooded with creators who can make things look pretty… but not necessarily work.
Because here’s the thing: pretty is everywhere.
But professional is rare.
I posted that line recently and got some feedback that it felt elitist. Like I was drawing lines in the sand. But what I was actually trying to say was this:
In every industry, there’s a baseline standard. A doctor needs a degree. A plumber needs training. An electrician needs certification. These barriers to entry don’t exist to exclude—they exist to ensure safety, quality, reliability.
But in the creative space? Our standard is… vibes?
Worse: our standard is often set by people who don’t know what they’re looking for.
Clients hire a creative and end up disappointed.
Their social media manager isn’t generating leads.
Their wedding photographer missed the key moments.
Their brand shoot doesn’t reflect their voice.
And they walk away thinking, “Creatives are a waste of money.”
Not because the idea of creativity failed—but because the standard of delivery wasn’t there.
This is what I’m seeing. And if you’re a creative who’s been doing this a while, I know you’ve seen it too.
And it’s also why I’m saying this to every creative I know:
Do not drop your pricing.
Don’t price yourself to be “accessible” at the cost of your sustainability.
Because here’s the reality: for every underpaid creative who throws in the towel, that’s years—decades—of experience, skill, and care gone. Burnt out. Replaced by someone charging a third, delivering a tenth, and continuing the cycle.
We’ve lived this.
We’ve built a studio from the ground up. We’ve walked the road of keeping a creative business alive—through seasons of feast and famine. Through all-nighters and “this card is corrupt” panic. We know what it costs—not just in money, but in heart.
Let me tell you a story.
We were hired to shoot a luxury destination wedding in the African bush. The couple flew 25 of their nearest and dearest to this remote location. And all they wanted—literally the only thing they asked for—was beautiful family portraits.
We shot the wedding across four cards. That evening, we started our backup process. But one of the cards—the one with all the family portraits? Corrupt.
We didn’t panic. We didn’t run recovery software and risk destroying the files. Instead, we couriered that card—internationally—to the manufacturer in Europe. They recovered the data. It cost us thousands. The client never knew.
Because being a professional means carrying the weight so your client doesn’t have to.
That’s what you’re pricing for.
Not just your time. Not just your gear. But the moments you’ll stay calm when things go wrong. The costs you’ll cover to make it right. The experience that tells you what not to do. The stories you’ll tell with more heart because you know what’s at stake.
When you’re a creative in business, you’re not just making things look good. You’re making things work. You’re solving problems. You’re taking on the role of strategist, marketer, and emotional translator all in one.
Social media managers? You’re not just planning posts. You’re a micro marketing agency.
Photographers? You’re not just pressing a shutter. You’re a memory-keeper, a brand-builder, a light-bender.
Designers? You’re not just picking colors. You’re translating ideas into identity.
So when someone says, “It’s just a logo…”
Or, “I could do that myself…”
Or, “It’s too expensive…”
Ask yourself: Have I priced for the ‘what ifs’?
What if a card fails?
What if the client wants ten revisions?
What if the file corrupts mid-edit?
What if something takes longer than planned, or the scope changes, or life happens?
Did your pricing include that?
If not, it should.
Because otherwise? You’re the one carrying the risk. The emotional labor. The financial loss. All so the client can have something “pretty.”
But your work is not just pretty.
Your work sells products.
It builds brands.
It tells stories.
It comforts people ten years later when a photo becomes all they have left of someone they loved.
That is not nothing. That is sacred work.
And it deserves to be treated as such.
