Proving My Worth

I'm having a rough time today. Gotta tell you. As much as I love graphic design, I hate the negotiating, pricing and games that surround actually doing it for a living. Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty good at the game, but I definitely don't enjoy it. I know there are people out there that just love negotiating, trying to beat people down in order to get a better price, etc. That's just not me. 

I guess part of it is because I can't help but take my work personally. It's my art. That's cheesy, but accurate. And it's hard to not have hurt feelings when someone doesn't like your work or when someone doesn't see the value in it. 

The tricky thing for me is that I realize my area of expertise is expensive! I once traded an original commissioned painting for a website. And I felt dirty! To think that a website would be valued equally or even higher than an actual painting just seems backwards to me. But that's the way it is. At the same time, I realize that I've got a talent and have developed it to a point where it's worth a fair amount of money. And find someone else that does the quality of work that I have been told I do and you're going to pay more than what I charge.

I guess that's how I sleep at night. I charge less than someone with comparable abilities, so I'm not being greedy. Right?!

Anyhow, that's the game I have to play. It's a good thing I'm tough.