For SARAH to get to her audition she has to put gas in her car, eat and drink something, pay for parking (if you live in LA) and take two hour off her nanny job. This audition will cost Sarah about $100. Is it worth it?

Now take STEVEN. Steven was asked by a good friend to create a piece of art for his friend's start-up company. It was asked casually over drinks and Steven felt more flattered than anything. When the friend follows up with Steven about the project, he discovers this will cost him over $300 for supplies and time. 

WHAT DO YOU DO NEXT?

For both of these people they could have thought, "I am doing this for free". They might reconcile it as ok to lose some money because the audition is "once in a life time" or the place of this piece could be "life changing". I want to dig deeper. I think the real question is at what COST are you willing to be "FREE". Everyone needs a boundary when it comes to favors and building portfolios. How many auditions can you really afford to take? How many pieces can you afford to give away? 

The answer here might be 3 or 10. But I promise there is an answer!

The first step to getting people to value your work is YOU valuing your time.

I challenge you to spend 3 hours on your art work. After 3 hours ask yourself what is this worth? How much would I pay for this? Can I streamline my time? Can I get this piece actually done in 1 hour or does it actually need 1 full day?

And above all ASK others. Take people you admire to lunch or coffee and be frank and ask them how much they charge. How and when do they discuss expenses? 

All this time you might have been sitting on a GOLDMINE.