Take a look at one of Bored Panda’s publications on choosing beggars (here and here) and you’ll realize there’s an endless supply of entitled jerks demanding things for free. While most of these stories are amusing, they speak to a larger issue. One that many freelancers face every day.

Many people don’t value creative work. Even if they admire it deeply. And unfortunately, the carpenter behind Katarina’s Furniture Facelifts got to experience it firsthand. The woodworker recently had a conversation with a particularly obnoxious customer who just wouldn’t take “no” for an answer.

A furniture restorer from Pennsylvania, United States, posted this photo to showcase her skills

Image credits: katarinasfurniture

“I’ve been painting furniture for 6 years. It’s been pretty awesome, to be honest. It’s something I really love doing,” the founder of Katarina’s Furniture Facelifts told Bored Panda.

“My clients are normally very pleasant, but I do sometimes get the choosing beggar here and there.”

Impressed by the vanity, a woman contacted her to discuss a possible project

Some time ago, Bored Panda also spoke to The Freelancer Club about their #NoFreeWork campaign, an initiative fighting exploitative unpaid work.

“Artists are sometimes looked down upon as hobbyists and yet it takes years of hard work, natural ability, and creativity to produce thought-providing, meaningful [rasults]. Artists enrich our lives, provoke thought and conversation,” a representative of The Freelancer Club told us. “We must start to value artists for their contribution to society and the economy. Try going a week without art, music, and film and see how grey the world would be.” Something tells me this woman would really benefit from such an experiment.

But the client turned out to be a great piece of work herself

Image credits: steadyshecomes

The woodworker said she’s experienced this once before when someone thought her $450 price was too high, so they offered me $200 instead. “They told me that they couldn’t afford more than that, so I should just accommodate them.”

The representative of The Freelancer Club team said: “Artists throughout history have always been supported by the aristocracy. Patrons such as the Medici family would commission the masters to create works of art in the Renaissance era. Perhaps it stems from childhood. The idea of kids doodling with finger paints is seen as an infantile pursuit and this leaves an association in the adult mind.”

“We have found amongst our members that freelancers who turn their passion into their profession often struggle with the business side of things,” they continued. “Knowing how much to charge, asking for money, writing a business plan, or setting business goals is not why they chose to get into freelancing. They also tend to work in sectors that leverage their cache to undervalue and exploit young talents such as the fashion, music, and film industry. It’s a vicious cycle based on fear. Say ‘no’ to an unpaid ‘opportunity’ and someone else might take it. When the talent is willing to work for free, [businesses and individuals] take advantage.”

Luckily for this carpenter, she handled the situation perfectly.

Here’s what people said about the entire ordeal

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