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On Worthiness, Creative Labor, and Value Creation
Your creative work has value, even when they want it for free
As I shared in a Substack Note at the beginning of this week:
“Lately, I’ve been exploring the concept of worthiness.”
When I say exploring, I do not mean abstractly. I’m referencing an intensely personal perspective. I’m exploring what it means to know, without question, that you are worthy in every aspect of your life.
Yes, I know. " Worthiness” is a word we hear often, especially in conversations around self-worth and self-love, even when we assess how much money and how many assets someone has.
But few of us stop to ask: “Who decided what makes a person worthy? And why are we still trying to prove our worth?”
The more I sit with this, the more I see how our culture ties worth to output, status, and validation. We’re taught that worth is something to earn through achievement, productivity, and other people’s approval.
And for creatives, this can become an exhausting loop. We’re constantly encouraged to create from the heart, yet rarely supported in ways that reflect the true value of our work.
