🎨 Creativity vs. Capitalism: Why Selling My Art Still Feels Weird

Let me start with a spicy truth: I love what I create—but I still cringe a little every time I have to slap a price tag on it.

I know, I know. You deserve to be paid for your work! I believe that. I preach that. I tell other creatives that all the time. But when it comes to me? Suddenly I’m over here sweating like I’m negotiating world peace just to invoice someone for a logo I spent 10 hours perfecting.

Selling your creativity is weird. It’s like handing someone a piece of your soul and being like, “Here’s something deeply personal I made with my brain and trauma. That’ll be $300, please.” And then bracing yourself for the silent “That much?” or worse—ghosting.

As a neurodivergent creator, it’s even trickier. My brain loves to hyperfocus and pour everything into a project…but it also loves to panic over whether it’s good enough, worth it, or even real work at all. Cue the imposter syndrome remix: Capitalism Edition™.

The truth is, we weren’t taught how to value creative labor—especially if we’re used to being the “weird kid,” the “daydreamer,” the one doodling in the margins instead of taking notes. Now suddenly we’re adults being told to charge what we’re worth in a system that often doesn’t value art until it’s sold out or six feet under.

And yet… here I am. Selling the thing I love. Building a business with it. Learning to say “yes, this costs money” without immediately following up with “...but only if you want, and I can do it cheaper, and maybe I’ll throw in an extra just because I like you.”

I’m unlearning the shame. Rewiring the guilt. Trying to remember that charging for my work isn’t greedy—it’s survival. It’s sustainability. It’s how I keep making more of the stuff people love.

Because at the end of the day, I don’t want to be a starving artist. I want to be a thriving one—with a booked-out schedule, badass merch, and a bank account that says, “Creativity has value. And so do I.”

And if that still feels weird sometimes? That’s okay. I’m learning to get comfortable being uncomfortable—especially when I know I’m worth it.

💬 Spill the Juice:

Fellow creatives: does selling your art make you feel some type of way? Drop a comment or reply—let’s unpack the weirdness together.