I recently shared this message on my Facebook page:
“Underestimating your VALUE. The last 3 out of 4 art items I sold the customer paid me MORE than I asked. I think the universe is trying to tell me something! This is a hard lesson for artists (and any entrepreneur really). We tend to undercut ourselves for fear of losing the sale instead of asking for our true worth. I hear you and I am working on it! Thank you to those that believe in my value and are helping me see that too.“
I received comments and messages about how you have had similar situations, how timely this message was or that you regrettably feel you have undersold your work recently and how difficult it is to place a value on creative work.
This made me want to dig deep, what is at the heart of undervaluing ourselves?
WORTH. INSECURITY. ENOUGH-NESS.
What do these words bring up for you? Spend time journaling or meditating on these words and see what comes up. Who and what do you value?
ENOUGH-NESS has been a trigger for my own personal victim mentality. I am not enough just as I am, I need to learn more, do more, inspire more. I don’t have enough to function at a level I’d like in my community, so I limit my expectations, say no to things I desperately want to say yes to and hold on tight to what I have for fear of losing it. And finally, because of the first two beliefs of not being enough or having enough, I believe I am not worthy of more. This is the most perverse of the three because, it is here where I am keeping myself small and undervalued.
So, what do we do about it?
Let’s take a good look at how we treat ourselves. This clues us into what we think we’re worth. Learning how to meet your own needs is incredibly important.
If I commit to being more positive and uplifting when I talk to myself, than I will boost my self-love and self-worth.
When it comes to pricing my art, I’m coming to terms with the fact that it is OK to want to make a living from my artwork and to have an extraordinary life.
No matter what price I charge, someone will think its too much. This has nothing to do with me. It has to do with them, their budget, their money mindset, what they value and want to spend their money on and it’s okay not to lower prices to meet their needs. It’s okay for people to have to save up to buy from me. It’s okay to make a profit. It’s okay to make money!
Some More Links on the Topic
3 Powerful Habits for Building Your Self-Esteem + Meditation by Louise Hay
Communicating The Value of Art (Video) by Gwenn Seemel
I’m not in it for the Money by Whitney Freya
Know Your Value and Name Your Price by The Pitch Queen