For me, working for free has always been part of the game. Sometimes I pitch and win the gig. Sometimes I get paid in full. Sometimes I don’t. But I show up, do my best, and hope to earn the next opportunity.
People see my posts and say, “Damn, you’re killing it.” But the truth is I lose a lot of clients. Around 4/10 walk away after the first round, saying, “It’s not what we’re looking for.”
It’s tough. Especially when every brief feels like a competition.
But I’ve always believed: real work attracts more work. So I kept entering competitions. I kept doing unpaid stuff—not because I love working for free, but because I love doing the work. Because I wanted to get better at it and wanted to do more of that kind of thing in the future.
Eventually, something shifts. You stop trying to prove you're capable. Your portfolio starts doing the talking.
P.S.This was created for a Pabst Blue Ribbon competition—celebrating their 180-year story of sticking it out through ups and downs. Collaboration with Liam Nicholson via Talenthouse… which, ironically, shut down a year later