giving and receiving

I had a brief but interesting exchange with a friend of mine today. She recently completed and self-published a book which had been her dream for years. She put her heart and soul into it, as well as countless hours, and probably a few tears. I ordered her book and she wrote back to me asking why I had paid for it, that she would have sent me on. It lead to some messages back and forth about how people tend to think that because someone makes art, or reads tarot, or does [insert creative endeavor here], that it’s not worth paying for. As a photographer and an intuitive tarot reader, I’ve come up against this mindset more times than I can mention (twice today, in fact). As a former attorney, I’m used to the idea of billing for my time, talent and skill. Luckily, I’ve carried that mindset over into my creative life. But so many creative souls don’t see their work as being worth someone paying for it. Like an attorney or an accountant, we’ve studied and trained. We’ve put in countless hours of practice. Getting paid for what we do is an exchange of energy, and keeping that energy in balance is important to the flow of our lives. Time and time again I tell clients that they need to get back into balance in terms of what they give, and what they receive. When you live a creative life, it’s important to remember the flow, and to value your own work. If you don’t, no one else will.