đ¨ Creativity vs. Capitalism: Why Selling My Art Still Feels Weird
Let me start with a spicy truth: I love what I createâbut 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 Iâm over here sweating like Iâm negotiating world peace just to invoice someone for a logo I spent 10 hours perfecting.
Selling your creativity is weird. Itâs like handing someone a piece of your soul and being like, âHereâs something deeply personal I made with my brain and trauma. Thatâll be $300, please.â And then bracing yourself for the silent âThat much?â or worseâghosting.
As a neurodivergent creator, itâs even trickier. My brain loves to hyperfocus and pour everything into a projectâŚbut it also loves to panic over whether itâs good enough, worth it, or even real work at all. Cue the imposter syndrome remix: Capitalism Editionâ˘.
The truth is, we werenât taught how to value creative laborâespecially if weâre used to being the âweird kid,â the âdaydreamer,â the one doodling in the margins instead of taking notes. Now suddenly weâre adults being told to charge what weâre worth in a system that often doesnât value art until itâs sold out or six feet under.
And yet⌠here I am. Selling the thing I love. Building a business with it. Learning to say âyes, this costs moneyâ without immediately following up with â...but only if you want, and I can do it cheaper, and maybe Iâll throw in an extra just because I like you.â
Iâm unlearning the shame. Rewiring the guilt. Trying to remember that charging for my work isnât greedyâitâs survival. Itâs sustainability. Itâs how I keep making more of the stuff people love.
Because at the end of the day, I donât want to be a starving artist. I want to be a thriving oneâwith a booked-out schedule, badass merch, and a bank account that says, âCreativity has value. And so do I.â
And if that still feels weird sometimes? Thatâs okay. Iâm learning to get comfortable being uncomfortableâespecially when I know Iâm worth it.
đŹ Spill the Juice:
Fellow creatives: does selling your art make you feel some type of way? Drop a comment or replyâletâs unpack the weirdness together.