We really need to get to a point where we are much more comfortable with talking about money. Openly. Unapologetically. Without the fear or a not so well hidden side eye or being told it’s rude or crass.
I’ve found that even in environments where transparency and openness are touted as a key tenant to their beliefs, discussing money hardships openly can still be frowned upon. In fact, recently this exact thing happened to me. I mentioned that a change in my work pattern was costing me hundreds of pounds extra per month. It wasn’t a moan, just me stating a fact. My comment was met with a grimace and I was told that me saying that out loud wasn’t going unnoticed and was being taken negatively by others. But why should it be? It was ok for changes imposed on me to put me into an uncomfortable position financially, but not for me to voice it openly. Me talking about money was taken negatively to such an extent that I was warned off of it for the sake of my job security.
Money and relationships
Do you know how much your partner earns? Do you know how and where they spend their money? There was an interesting case I saw on Twitter this week where a young lady had been dating her partner for over two years. She believed he was earning one amount, but when signing some financial documents, it turned out he had grossly inflated his salary to impress her. I can’t begin to tell you the warning bells going off in my head. In her comment, the young lady was asking for opinions on what she should do. Her partner was brushing it off as not being a big deal, but I think it is. Lying about money is never healthy. Lying to your partner about what you earn is starting your relationship on a very unstable foundation.
Now I know, discussing money with your partner isn’t always easy. Who wants to discuss the less than wise decisions they may have made in the past? But by pooling knowledge, and by being honest from the earliest possible opportunity things will get better.
Money and booking creatives
Championing accessibility and creating spaces for our community forms a huge part of our ethos and therefore we refuse to be associated with any partner organisation that is working against these values. ~~~ pic.twitter.com/SEHGInOpP1
— Nicole Krystal Crentsil (@NKrystal) May 13, 2019
I was so pleased to see Black Girl Fest creators and all-round creatives Paula Akpan and Nicole Krysstal Crentsil choose to withdraw from speaking engagements at D&AD. It had been brought to their attention that whilst they were being paid for their time, many other black female creatives were not offered any such payment.
Time and time again, I’ve seen this happen in the blogging and creative community. It’s as if they don’t think creatives will speak to each other about fees. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that some companies rely on it. To speak about money out loud is deemed crass. This lack of transparency around money is how the person sitting next to you on a panel of speakers or the office cubicle next to you could be earning a considerably different amount for doing the exact same role.
Having two infamous black female creatives call out a large institution publicly was the start to an equally public conversation. I hope it leads to change.
Black female creatives aren’t the only ones who face challenges around transparency when it comes to fees. It happens everywhere from the boardroom to Hollywood. More conversations need to be had to make sure people are paid fairly for their time and their skills.
What are your thoughts? Do you find it uncomfortable setting fees or asking for money? Do you talk openly about how much you earn with your friends and family?
