Advice - "Exposure"

I have some advice that was given to me, which I must now pass onward, which has to do with the subject of art as a profession - and this is to all the artists like me just starting out in their field;

"Exposure" is bullshit.

If someone offers you "exposure" as payment, walk away immediately. I've been having a lot of trouble with this concept, but in the end, my gut tells me not to do these projects. This is a GOOD thing.

Yes, people go "but it'll get your name out there!" but I want you all to know that they're buttering you up to ensnare you in either working for free or working for slave wages. You will be surprised at how many people out there want to get your work, for free, and will say almost anything to get it without having to shell out for it.

Never work for these people. They are exploiting you. 

They see young artists with no confidence in their work, and they prey on that. Exposure becomes a nice carrot on the end of a stick, but just like a carrot on the end of a stick, working hard and doing your best to chase it won't get you any closer to it with projects like that.

I have had large companies try to hose me out of hundreds of dollars worth of hard work. You might not believe it with the quality of my work, but if they hear - even from word of mouth - that there's an artist out there with even some skill, they'll take free from an amateur over having to pay a professional almost every single time.

Set your prices. Don't budge. Before you ever, EVER open yourself up to paid work, figure out what your work is worth - not only to other people, but to yourself. Have confidence that, when people pay for your skill in the profession, that you are, indeed, skilled. Every artist works hard to get where they're at; people mistake it for natural talent, which is why they don't want to pay for something you make look so easy. 

Let me tell you: ballerinas make dancing and looking graceful look so easy, but they spend half their day every day training to have that skill and keep that skill up.

If the buyer walks away from the offer, good riddance. There will be other job offers.

You work honestly for your art, there's absolutely no reason a patron can't pay honestly for it.

I refer you now to Fuck You, Pay Me.