#designdisasters

I am done making less money than I deserve. I am done taking so much less than market value for my services. I don't need your project for my portfolio. I am sick of spending my free evenings at my computer when I should be dining out with my friends or snuggling up to my boyfriend, or working a shift at a job that pays me more than $40/hour for a fraction of the stress of your project. I am sick of waking up to "emergency" e-mails asking for things to be done before the end of the day, when I already have a full work day scheduled, and you're not going to pay a rush fee. I am through scraping pennies off the backs of people who make more than enough money to pay me what I am worth. I am sick of chasing you down for payment, pulling down your websites and threatening legal action over a pathetic $400. I am done handling IT problems, and e-mail problems, and server problems, and WordPress issues; your host has a 24-hour customer support line for a reason.

I do not have an extravagant lifestyle that I am asking you to fund. I buy new clothes once a year at best. I don't get my nails done or have fancy salon dates. I am not a jet setter. I don't drive a fancy car; I don't even own a car. My apartment is quaint. I help take care of my brother, who lives with me. I would appreciate having a haircut more than once a year. I may not have a husband and children yet, but that doesn’t mean I don’t need and deserve a decent wage, and some sleep, and a couch vacation now and again. I lead a pretty simple life. I do have a boyfriend of four years who lives in another state - you'd be silly to think I don’t go see him every month or so for a few days. I'd like to see him more, of course, but that’s all I can afford. I get sick sometimes and have to take a day off to go to the doctor. I'd like to have a social life, too. I like to take an hour each day to hike. Every so often I like to go to happy hour with my brother in the afternoon. I like to take nights off to go to karaoke and belt my heart out. I appreciate mini-vacations where I sit on the couch with a movie and sip red wine, and sleep in the next morning. I believe I have the right to an auto-responder, whether or not you decide to regard it. I shouldn't have to work 16 hours a day to support myself. I’m not obligated to text you back immediately, or answer your e-mails right away, or even to take the gig you're offering me.

So please don’t tell me I’m not hungry enough; don’t insist that if I really wanted to succeed, I’d help with your project for minimum wage. Don’t tell me you’ll give me more work later if I do this one for free. Don't tell me you'll give me a percentage or pay me more when your project "takes off". Don’t play the guilt card when I’ve already given you more than enough of my time for less money than you’d pay a maid. I wasn’t born yesterday. We all have bills to pay. You know what it’s like. I know how much money you charge per hour for your own services, and I know you get paid before you render any product or service. I’m not a young, starving artist anymore. I don’t need the work you're offering. I am 30 years old, and I value my time more than your penny project. And let’s be honest: you can’t do what I do, not in a million years, or you wouldn’t have contacted me in the first place. Don’t fight me on the price I quote you; don’t haggle when you know it’s still far less than anyone else has quoted you. It’s rude and disrespectful.

Every Monday, we have a themed about which we converse. Before the conversation was just on Twitter, but alas we are movin' the chats to Tumblr, so that everyone and anyone can join in with your comments. (We'll still be talking about it on Twitter too, but here you can write a lil' more.)

Today's Ghost Nest Themed Monday? DESIGN DISASTERS. Da da daaaaaaaa....

Have a disaster? Lets talk! Comment, post, or tweet that out!

What we are talking about now:

Have you heard about the 2012 Olympics logo? £400,000 later the London Olympic games are .......set? Sound off!