“[B]eing paid for your work is a statement about your worth to yourself and to the project. Directors, producers, and publishers don't work for free; neither should you.”
Friday, November 06, 2015
Is Working For Free Ever Worth It?
“[B]eing paid for your work is a statement about your worth to yourself and to the project. Directors, producers, and publishers don't work for free; neither should you.”
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
34 comments:
Interesting article, in the sense that this person is speaking with the ultimate understanding that money is equal to their self worth, and that their work is worth the money they are given. I find that, while money is obviously the necessity for living, and it is a touchy subject depending on your background, the idea that the only reason that someone should take unpaid work is when the rest of those principles are in place seems foolishly limiting to me. I would hope that, if somebody approached me about a project I am so invested in, or that I think would be a positive contributor to its community and demographic receiving that project, that I would not allow money to the first reason for either accepting or rejecting that project. While it must come into play, because our lives must be sustainable so that we may continue to do our work, it is significantly important to remember, especially as artists, that if we wanted to have a career that was about making money, we'd work at a desk, in an office, and talk about money all day. We don't do our careers for the sake of money, so why should we make decisions within those careers with money as the main priority.
This article addresses something I've been think about a lot lately: working for money, or working for experience? Coming out of freshman year as a design and production student, it's going to be difficult to find an internship that will accept me and give me the experiences I would like to have over the summer, let alone pay me. However, what makes it even more complicated for me personally is whether or not I should forget getting an internship altogether and focus instead on making and saving up money over the summer. Starting out as a student when you have minimal experience it is expected that you will work for free to gain knowledge and networking opportunities, but while this article is speaking from a more professional viewpoint farther down the road. The question of this balance between being able to support yourself and being able to pursue the work you really want weighs even harder on those of us just starting out.
As other posters have said, this article brings up an important moral and intellectual debate for fledgling students in the school of drama. Would that summer internship at Steppenwolf provide experience that would be worth working unpaid for an entire summer? Experience is not something that comes from nothing, but do you take a job that is more comfortable just because you will get paid or will you really push yourself even though there is no salary? The answer is something you can derive from how you define being paid. If money is the only way you will ever feel paid, then obviously you will take the easy road. However, if you broaden your horizons of what the word salary means, then you will be paid through the experience you get, which can in some circumstances be more valuable than money. The article discusses a lot more of the idea of trade-offs, and what forfeiting income truly gains you. In our circumstances, we are forgoing income for our college income, which in turn will hopefully pay dividends on the back end when we get better jobs in the real world. So it's worth it to "work" for no income at this point in time.
Working for free wavers on each person. I know there are some people who have started out working at a company as an intern or just a volunteer getting no pay and now they are a regular employee with that same company but then you get the other side that people work their butt off getting no pay and it doesn’t further their career at all. So which do you fall in? About a year ago I was set to not take any more jobs that didn’t pay because I needed to make a living but then now I feel that the only way for me to really take big steps is to take the jobs that may not pay at all because I will meet people and make new contacts. What I think really matters is how you feel about that “free” job you are doing. Do you feel good about it and enjoy what you are doing? Or do you hate every step working and think it’s pointless? Those two questions right there can decide if that job is worth sticking with if you are getting paid. It’s all personal preference.
This article addresses what is a very difficult topic for students like me and for professionals in arts fields. For example, this summer I am really hoping to get some form of employment opportunities at a themed entertainment company. The problem is of course finding a way to support myself financially while still gaining that valuable experience. Working at one of these small independent companies could actually be an incredibly useful step in my career but I have to decide what my limit is. I think refusing to work for free is more than a point of pride because there really is a value to the work we do even if it is different from traditional “work”. Regardless of how I decide to go this summer I think this article discusses the importance of realistically evaluating the circumstances of your employment in choosing if you should work for free.
All right. I have worked for free in the past, for a couple of reasons. Once was for school credit. Every other time was for my own zeal, and my desire to get my name in other people's heads. However, after a summer of doing work practically for free, I have to say that it doesn't feel good. There is a certain rush when doing work for the sake of art alone, which as a workaholic is often more than enough to sustain me, but much more often, unpaid work feels unappreciated as well as unreimbursed. When there is no talk of money, I was asked to work ridiculous, unreasonable hours, based on the assumption that I wouldn't have been there if I didn't want to be. When money involved, there is accountability. The production manager can't ask the costume designer to paint the floor, focus lights and install scenery without genuinely reflecting on whether or not the monetary cost would be worth it. I think working for free is great if you are working in a respectful, collaborative environment. It is not so great when you have team members taking advantage and going on a power trip.
Working for free is a tough thing to decide to do or not do. I often do free work for friends and for the ballroom dance club, I do often feel kind of bad for spending time that I could spend doing work. That being said, I spent this past summer working at a day camp for little kids, which I got paid for, instead of an unpaid internship. The camp was alright, but it definitely was not as fulfilling as doing theater would have been. A lot of what I try and do is based on how fulfilled it makes me, I think that is something that the article did not really bring up. I choose to do free work for friends and the ballroom dance club because I love to do that, I love to help out and that makes me fell fulfilled in a way. This will probably change in the future once I am in the work force and money is more scarce and I think that does change the whole dynamic, that being said, I still might do free work for friends and family. That was something Molly told us never to do, but I see that as just being favors and friendship, as long as they're a close enough friend to return the favor someday.
I think many (but not all) people that work in the arts are doing it because they legitimately like what they do, not just because “That’s the job ive got”. There is a big hurrah about working for free vs not, and I think that it is a line that everyone has to make for themselves, you have to be sure about what your motivations and incentives are, and then make a decision for yourself. It is no secret that I will do work that I love doing for little or no compensation, but that doesn’t mean I will do work for anyone who thinks they have a good idea, or who thinks “it would be great exposure”. Every person has to make a decision for themselves what their threshold of compensation is. It sounds cheesy, but sometimes, the satisfaction of doing the work really is good enough reason, often its because my friends are excited about the project and I like working with them, sometimes however, it really is just about $/hr. I want to be known as a person that is excited about working on projects of any scale, and that ill put in any amount of effort, but not for free.
Yes, I agree that working for free is a bit of a slap in the face, and that was as artists deserve just as much as any one else to get paid. I’m constantly baffled at how many “can you hem my pants?” questions I get and how surprised people are when i say “yea sure, but you’ll have to pay me” or “can you make my halloween costume” and i say “yes, that will be 150-300 dollars depending on what you want” The look I get of sheer horror and confusion always really irritates me. They all expect to get paid for they time when working, but for some reason no one ever puts 2 and 2 together, that what they are asking me to do is work, and requires skill, that they obviously don't have. Want a service, you need to pay for it. The plumber won fix your pipes for free, and i wont fix your pants for free. With that being said, there are unpaid internships in all industries, you just need to make sure that taking one is the right thing for you to do.
As a college freshman, I feel like my opinions on this issue of unpaid work aren’t super valid, since I haven’t yet had to work to support myself. I know that most of the people in our freshman class are starting to think about what theater- related job/ internship they will be doing this summer. I like the questions this article asks about whether it is “worth it” to do unpaid work, and I think that these questions are important ones for artists to ask themselves, especially since it can be difficult to turn down a task that we’ve been conditioned to believe will provide us with worthwhile “experience” and help us develop our passion when, in reality, unpaid work might be draining artists from being able to support themselves like any other working person. This past summer, I was asked by a director I had worked with previously if I could design the set for a new musical she was directing, written/ produced by people working in professional NYC theater. Of course I said yes, especially because I had been looking for a theater- related job to do the summer before I went to college. I was paid a flat amount of $500 to do the design, but I wasn’t told upfront that I was also expected to lead the set build/ painting, and also be in charge of load-in and strike. The producers promised that they would provide volunteers for set build, but they never showed up, and it was discouraging to work in the shop from 8am to 11pm every day for 2 weeks by myself, knowing that I wasn’t getting paid nearly enough for the amount of hours I was putting in vs. what I had originally agreed to. I was very happy with how the set turned out, and by the time I realized that I wasn’t getting fair pay I was far too invested in the show to backtrack. Looking back, I realize that it was my fault for not being well-informed from the start, and for being too scared to ask for more from the people I viewed as professionals. I feel like, as barely-adults, situations like this will be our downfalls; I hope that in the future, I will be able to gain adequate experience while also staying aware of my worth as an employee.
I have come to the point in my life where I can not afford to work for free. In reality it probably will be 5-10 years before I can say yes I will do this small side job for free. Often times in the theatre industry whatever you are doing for free is super duper time consuming, last minute and stressful. I would say that the film industry is whole other story. I think it is viable to work a few short shoots to gain your sea legs and get enough experience to work on a studio film. As far as I’m concerned I could be spending my free time making clothes for myself that I get to wear whenever I want. I would have to love you a lot to sacrifice that time for no pay and the exposure would have to be amazing. I think that people like myself also find themselves in the cycle of always doing free work, which sucks.
I think it is interesting that people expect artists would work for free, even though they wouldn’t expect that of any other profession. I think it is because a lot of people do some form of art as a hobby and don’t think about the fact that, for example, painting something you feel like painting in your free time is very different than trying to complete quality work with specific stipulations in a certain time frame. As a college freshman, I’m still at the point when I’m looking for experience more so than a salary. To be honest, it is kind of hard to imagine the idea of people wanting me to work for them, as currently the only times I’ve ever been recruited for anything was fundraisers of some kind. My guess is that initially I’d be too complimented to think to say no, but I guess one day if it becomes common for me, I’d eventually get sick of it and come up with my own standard protocol of what really constitutes “just a small favor.”
I like this mindset because it allows someone to breakdown just exactly if the free work – or the side job – is worth doing for the lack of pay. Ultimately for me, if you can scrape by and still get along nicely, and make a few friends along the way, any job is worth doing for any amount of money. Sure, I would love to grow up and be well off and pay my debts and sit comfortably for the rest of my life, but in reality, experience is so much more important to me than money. For example, I took an internship this past summer, worked crazy hours, and had very little weight in the company, but at the same time, it was the best summer of my life, I got to experience a super cool new place, awesome people, make great connections, and get promised a position there whenever I may need it. And that’s all I could really ask for.
I have no idea how to answer this in a concise manner. Of course there is a line, there’s always a line, but where it is I have no idea. I personally have worked for free when I first got started in technical theatre, and it ended up leading to a paid opportunity that I returned to every summer after. Both gigs were incredible opportunities for me, just for experience and creativity puposes. I truly learned a ton there.
However I was a little infant worker and I was and am still learning what I am doing. I simply cannot comment on this article as someone who has honed their craft and is no longer on the market as a student, but as a professional. I see where this author is coming from with the mentality that you’re setting a standard for your self, and that if people are content enough with the quality of your work they will put it on stage then they should reimburse you in some way. However, I’m just not sure that always has t be monetary? Tangible of course, being paid in experience as a professional is sucky, but what if you are then offered a position if your work is good enough? Is that even a common thing? There’s just so much gray area around this and I am so scared to go into this field once I have to use it to support myself.
I think it definitely worth it to work for free. Of course we would always like to get paid for the work that we are doing, but sometime the experience that you are going to getting from the job is far more beneficial than that the money. This is totally a networking thing. This also presents with the amazing opportunity to be in the same room as many important people. You will most likely be given fairly easy low level jobs when you do this unpaid job. This is a fantastic opportunity to prove that if you were promoted to a paid position that you can handle the work and provide the innovation that is required. I have done many jobs for free and very few of them have I regretted because they have opened many doors for me in my career. I highly encourage people to do these jobs!
I think working for free is okay when you are young and starting out your career. Any experience when you are young is good experience because you will always meet new people who could potentially help you in the future with connections or jobs. If you prove you are a hard worker and dedicated even when you are not getting paid, then people will be more likely to hire you in the future for money because then you will work even harder because you are getting paid to do it. The type of job definitely is a factor in whether you should do it for free. If you will learn from the job and will get good connections then you should do it. If you are not going to get anything out of it and you have an opportunity to do another job and possibly get paid and learn more than you should not take a job for free.
To me, this entirely comes down to what you are able to do as a person, and if you can afford it or not. I have, in my life, taken only one job in which I worked for free, and after that I tried not to. Even if the job paid very little, I tried to make sure I was being paid. I agree that the equation is different for everyone, but in my mind, giving away your work for free is something you should only do as a gift - like if you're helping someone out who needs it. I realize there will always be an exception, but that's what it should really be. An exception instead of an expectation. It's a really unfair expectation that you should be doing unpaid internships or jobs to get networking skills. You will still network while being paid, and you will look far more valuable to those you are meeting. It's not that the unpaid job will be a bad job, or an experience you regret, but as an industry standard our employees should be paid.
The opinions of this author are very interesting. I think that for myself and most of my peers this is one topic that needs to be discussed, because just coming out of high school, I worked for free a lot. Now, with the summer quickly approaching and having two semesters of college under my belt, what kind of price should I be working for? I agree with the author that it is hard to take free work but it may also be necessary. That one opportunity as an intern could lead to many other paid positions and could be a great networking opportunity. But, could very easily violate the rules the author came up with. As adults we all have bills to pay and need to make money, and going into an artistic field can be scary because it is notorious for paying very little unless you make some big break.
We had a lecture last year about this very topic from the lovely Molly McCarter. We discussed these very points that there are times when working for free is actually worth it. Then we also discussed the practicalities of working for free in concept versus reality. I would love if it was possible to never work for free, but in this economy it is not always possible to do such a thing. Sometimes working for free or very little money can help get your name out to already successful individuals. I think most artists have worked for free at some point just to get the recognition in hopes for an actual paying job. One of the big reasons I came to this school was so that I would never have to work for free again because I have a label attached to my name now. The backing of Carnegie Mellon University will allow me and my peers to have that needed recognition so we will never have to work for free again after we graduate.
I think this is a really interesting article for students to read, since oftentimes students are the ones doing unpaid work. As someone who is straight out of high school and has very little actual experience, I have never done paid theatrical work, and probably will not for at least the next year or two. In my position, it makes sense that all of my work is unpaid, since I'm just working for experience. However, in the author's position, he questions how worthwhile workin for free is once one already has extensive experience. I think this is a problem that differs for every person. Everyone is in this business for their own reasons. No one is in it for the money alone, because no one comes into theatre expecting to make a lot of money. But different people value money differently depending on both their financial situation and how willing they are to dedicate a huge amount of their time for art.
This article brings up some interesting points. This is obviously relevant to many of us posting comments (as others have said in their posts) because starting out working in the entertainment industry usually takes the form of a very tall ladder, with little pay at the lower rungs. We are faced with the need to acquire experience, but at the same time need experience to get experience – many will be familiar with that sort of dead-end situation. I think working for little pay is OK to a point. When you are young and starting out, and don’t yet have a lot of experience, you are indeed worth less money than someone who has been to the rodeo several times. That said, I definitely don’t think people should have to lose money from working (and this applies to all young workers, within the entertainment industry and beyond). If you need to drive to get to work, you are spending money on gas and car maintenance (or another form of transport). If you are a completely unpaid employee (a “volunteer,” technically), you are giving more than just your time, but also your money. I don’t think that is fair. Someone should not have to lose money to go to work. If an employer is paying an unpaid intern a stipend, at least the intern is exchanging their time and effort for experience, and no directly losing money in the process.
In a related area, donating work for “exposure” is largely an unfair situation for artists. The artist is not gaining very much “experience” here – they already know how to make the work—and unless this donation connects them with their next client, they’re literally just giving their craft away. More importantly, working for free in a situation where it isn’t an unpaid position by design results in “bottom-feeding,” or “hacks,” when people come in and lower the standards for paying vendors/artists for their work by working for less money. This is a practice which harms the artist community and should not be treated the same as young employees working to gain experience.
I have mixed feelings about unpaid labor and taking unpaid jobs, but I definitely feel as though you should only take one if you are in a financially secure enough place to do so. I am of the opinion that someone should never take a job that puts him or her in financial jeopardy even if there is the potential for networking. People will tend to value you more if you are being paid for the work you do. That being said, I have criteria by which I will work for free, and I oftentimes do favors for friends or former colleagues depending on the time commitment and its infringement on my life. I agree with the author of the article that each person should create individual criteria by which he or she determines if they would take the job without pay. I, for one, will work for friends and family if it does not affect my current job or my personal life to an extreme extent (much like the author mentions). I also like jobs that have the potential to be fun.
Disclaimer: When I say work for free, I mean work for free. Some jobs offer very little, but very little is better than none.
Um no. Working for free is bullshit. Your economic contribution to society is literally defined as the wages you received, so if you are being paid nothing, you are saying what you are doing is absolutely worthless and of no merit to society? Does this sound like any unpaid jobs you've had? Likely not.. If something is worth doing, then its likely worth getting paid for. None of this crap about school credit, good exposure, good experience, good learning environment, whatever... If you are getting offered an unpaid position that is billed as being surrounded by high profile industry veterans, one might hope that your employer has enough money to compensate you fairly.
PERHAPS, it is fathomable that somebody who is incredibly young and inexperienced (such as a middle schooler) might take an unpaid position to shadow and observe industry pros but not necessarily attempt to provide any useful output. But if a freaking Janitor gets paid to empty trash, you should get paid to get coffee. Nobody that is currently in the School of Drama or is an alumni of our program should be forced to work for free. By accepting such a position you not only undervalue your own self worth and value, but you devalue the perceived worth, skill, & competency of all other members in the CMU School of Drama. So demand compensation and demand that you be respected as a professional.
Back in high school, I was an unpaid intern for our school's performing arts center for my senior year. For me, the things I learnt and the experience itself was my paycheck. In my case, working for free was worth it. However, the situation is completely different for someone who is a professional that has sufficient experience in the field. If you're not gaining anything from your employer (volunteering aside), then you shouldn't do it. Saying no is a very necessary part in life and if you do work for free for once, people are going to come to you for free work again and again. Eventually both you and your work will be taken for granted and deemed as not worth paying for. I know someone from high school who helps everyone with their work so much that people eventually stopped asking her for help but instead just told her to help. If you don't stand up for what your work is worth, no one else will.
I would say at the right age, at the right time in your career, and in the right mind set a unpaid internship is a great thing to do! I worked as a unpaid intern for one summer at Casa Manana, I learned a lot about carpentry and lighting from the people i was working for, although I was working shows for free i was able to put those shows on my resume. then eventually because i had done all those shows for them and i had finished the internship they asked if I could stay on as an employee. So all through high school I was able to make money at $500 a production to be their spotlight operator. This ultimately let to other jobs all around the metroplex which made my resume pretty good for coming out of high school. Right now in my career it would not be a good time to do an unpaid internship. The money situation is not the same as it was because im in school and at this point in my career I have enough education and skill to at least be paid something. The only time I think we as college students should do a un paid internship is if we are working along a renowned artist and we are shadowing them or if the internship is a precursor for a solid job or connection that we want.
I’m glad the author of this post puts some conditional reasoning toward the logic of taking on work that does not pay. Volunteering and giving back should be something that we all strive to do every once in a while to help keep us humble and to share our success. However, I think the author quickly overlooks the real problem in the arts industry; the problem being that young professionals starting out in their careers are expected to work for little to no pay (usually the later). I’ve been doing theatre since I was in 2nd grade, which is not an uncommon trend among folks in theatre. By no means do I think that I should have been paid for the work I was doing in 2nd grade, not even the work I was doing at 16 or 17 years old. However, I spent another 5 or 6 years after graduating high school doing free work or work for very little money. Why? Because that’s all that was available. Its almost like being a college student carries the immediate label of “Cheap/Free Labor.” When you’re young and you want to gain experience and build up that resume a bit, theatres recognize that need and practically exploit them. This cultural behavior of theatres capitalizing on young professionals and college students is not limited to small theatres either. I have friends that are working internships at large recognizable regional theatres, where they are paid nothing and expect the name recognition of the theatre to be more than enough compensation. This is understandable to an extent, there is significant career equity with certain theatres being on your resume. But how do you afford to live when you’re being paid nothing and you’re the low man on the intern totem pole being expected to work 60+ hours a week? It seems like there is a very gray area that exists between those who can afford to live this lifestyle and those who can not afford to be subsidized by family or benefactors. The question of whether to work for free or not starts to get into an equal opportunity dissent very quickly.
I personally have view working for free as a great way to get experience when you are first starting out and have next to zero skills. Working for free is what I have considered the period in one’s life where they are paying their dues. It allows people to build a foundation of new found skills, learn and make mistakes safely because people are not paying them, and learn what they do or don’t like. I understand people’s time has a value but that value can only be formed when there also is experience.
Now in the case where experience is already established, I agree with the author in that it falls into a different set of rules. At the end of the day being asked to work at all is an opportunity and a time you know when you skills, mindset, and talent are wanted. And as long as it’s not crippling you from taking care of your essential needs to survive, it can never really hurt to pay it forward.
I like that the author adds conditions to working for free. People have asked me from time to time to do a small drawing or painting for them that I determined wouldn't take that much time or effort really, and in those cases, why not? There are some times when the small benefits are better than the minimal consequences. I would never stay up late to finish something I was doing for free for someone. I would not sacrifice anything is my life except a few hours. But I agree with the general consensus here, a lot of people do not have this luxury. It's easy to do free work while you have a steady job. It's not easy when you literally can't get work because everyone asking you to work for nothing says "If you don't take this, I know someone else who will." Thus, by not taking the shitty job, you lose a connection to the venue, person, etc, and you do lose any (probably minimal but still there) connections or exposure there was. Sometimes, people don't have another option.
An internship, for the purposes of learning and starting out, is a great thing. Not being paid isn't the most favorable thing I know, but getting the experience in your line of work and expanding your resume and credentials is so important and pays off in the long run. Now like the article states.... With certain labor guidelines... Etc... I wouldn't work for an employer if the tasks and job I was doing required as much as a part time or full time "paid" job. That's my time and energy and I shouldn't kill myself over something I wasn't being compensated for. This happens a lot with students who are just starting out and need the promotions and ads for themselves. I would love to have a class where this topic could be emphasized and talked about more.
This article is especially relevant at this point in my life since I’ve begun considering my summer plans. There are an awful lot of unpaid internships available, but I’m contemplating whether they are worth it. I think that sometimes, under the right conditions, unpaid labor is an ok thing. But those conditions are pretty strict. I definitely think that the questions the author asked are important factors to consider. I also think, in the theatre world, we have to include the question “Who will this unpaid work allow me to meet, and how meaningful will those connections be?” Because for me, I always have the option to go work at my school district’s theatre summer camp for six weeks and make $10 an hour. But I would be working with the same 10 people I’ve worked with for the past four years. If I have the opportunity to intern at a Regional theatre that would expose me to a bigger variety of people in the theatre world (who may hire me for paying jobs later), then is the loss of income worth it? I think it definitely depends, but sometimes the answer is yes.
I am a young person studying theatre, still supported by my hardworking mother, looking for opportunities that may further my career prospects. In theory, there is no better time for me to be taking unpaid internship positions; and that is certainly true. However, I have experienced the unpaid internship and I have to say that I agree with the author's stance on self-worth. Unless the internship truly provides an incredible experience and a great opportunity to meet people who will help push your career along, you should be prepared to question your self-worth when not receiving any pay. I worked at a company this past summer that put me to work on several tasks that are normally handled by a salaried employee. I did repetitive work that did not teach me anything after day one. I liked my boss too much to speak up about my discomfort with the work, and subsequently felt used by people I respected. I am not saying that I would never take an unpaid internship again; I am saying that if I did, it would be on Broadway or at Disney or at another highly respected company. In theatre, there is this mindset that everyone must do everything they can to get the show up, regardless of hours or position or pay, and I think that bleeds into our professional decisions. We think things like, "I'm a part of the machine, I will do what I have to do to help meet this goal regardless of my own reward," and that is where I believe we get this great respect for the unpaid internship.
Go forth, gain experience, make connections. Do it in whatever way you see fit. But make sure you consider all the ramifications first. Try to ask yourself, "Is this opportunity really great enough to turn me into an unpaid intern?" before you find yourself asking it 5 weeks into the job.
I didn't have to look at the comment number to know there were going to be a lot about this one. I have worked for a lot of different theater companies, or people in theater, and very rarely have I been paid. I never ask to be paid, I never expect it, its more of just a pleasant surprise if I get a little money for the train or food. Granted this was when I was in high school, and I knew myself and my skill set well enough to understand that I probably wasn't worth paying for the work that I would do. And even if I didn't get payed in money I did gan connections and knowledge which I firmly believe got me into Carnegie Mellon. So was it worth it? Absolutely. I think it is worth it for everyone to maybe do some low level work and not get paid every once and a while. It is freeing to feel as though you are contributing without the stress of money. So if you can afford an unpaid internship, and you feel like the connections and knowledge out weight the lack of money go for it. I have had wonderful experience with internships, and I hope to continue to do so as I make my way through college.
This article describes a good set of guidelines for determining whether or not to work for free. Personally, I definitely think that working for free is the right thing to do in certain situations. Especially at this stage in my career (if you can even call it that), I would be happy to intern or assist or whatnot just for the experience. After I graduate, I think that might change, but I will always value experience highly. The author of this article makes a great point with his third factor. It is necessary to examine just how much time and/or money one is giving up in order to do this work. Sometimes, it isn’t all that much, while the experience gain is high. Last year, I designed the lighting and media for my school’s annual fashion show, a surprisingly high-budget fundraiser. I had to work with vendors, the venue, the event coordinators and the technicians in a professional manner in order to deliver a professional, high-quality product. The show turned out great and I learned a lot about working in the field of events. Even if I become a successful designer one day, I don’t think I’ll ever be too good to do something for free.
It's interesting that this article was for working for free. Now it wasn't pushing their audience to follow their example, but it did share the pros and cons of what happened when the author of the article worked for free. In class we learn that working for free is a choice that you should take with caution. First beginning as an artist it's easy to fall into a trap of volunteering for a company to get experience and make connections, but sometimes you can get too caught up in this idea that you realize you're putting too much effort into work that you will never be paid for. My best friend's mother had this issue awhile ago. She is an amazing artist, but she doesn't have a lot of connections, so she resorted to volunteering during the day and selling her art online to get paid. This was convenient because she earned more clientele from volunteering and then earned more money when she wasn't working.
Post a Comment