Exposure Isn’t Currency: A Freelancer’s Case Against Free Work
Saying yes to unpaid gigs doesn’t just hurt your wallet. It hurts all freelancers. The more people accept free work, the more clients expect it. It drags down the value of creative labour for everyone else, and it fuels that tired old myth that writing or art isn’t “real” work — that it’s a passion, not a profession. The hard truth? You teach clients how to treat you.