Stop Selling Your Art Cheap

Every year I encounter artists who are afraid to charge what they’re worth. It paralyzes their career and strangles their hope of having the career they could have. Some are surrounded by people with a low view of art. Others live in cultures where ambition is a dirty word. The reasons may vary, but the problem is the same. Their very dignity as an artist or creative is undermined, and their theology lacks the clarity or stability necessary to overcome their mistaken views. They want to thrive, but they’re stuck.

One of the joys of producing our Catalyst Online Program each year is that we get to help artists overcome these kinds of challenges. As we teach them a solid theology for being artists and entrepreneurs, they begin to find new confidence and clarity about how to make a living as an artist and begin to charge what they are worth.

The Inherent Value of Work

The Bible has countless verses about the value of work. It is not evidence of The Fall. We are commanded to work before the Fall, when all was well in the Garden of Eden. Work is inherently dignifying. It is through struggles and hard work what we will work to provide for ourselves, to establish justice, to build societies and to create great works of art. We were made to work, to create, and to contribute to our culture through our talents and abilities. If you take a minute to look at the concept of work in the Bible, you will quickly see that it is a good thing.

“From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things,
and the work of their hands brings them reward.”

– Proverbs 12:14 (NIV)

“All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.”

– Proverbs 14:23 (NIV)

“The laborer deserves his wages.”

– Luke 10:7

“A worker is worthy of his wages.”

– 1 Timothy 5:18

As we look closer it becomes apparent that not only is work a good thing, but it is tied to a reward, to wages, and/or to profit. This is true, no matter what kind of work it is. The process and exchange are always the same. We create something of value, and someone else exchanges something of value (often money) for what we have created. This is true for crops yielded from your farm, wisdom yielded from your studies, or art created from your skills and creative vision. All work brings reward, which means gifted artists are worthy of compensation for their work.

The Bare Necessities

We all have to put food on the table and find a way to pay for the roof over our head. God knows this. You know it. I know it. Every kind of job is built upon this idea of doing something with your abilities and talents that provides value to someone else. Your hard work is probably your greatest resource for providing for yourself and your family.

Tragically, some Christians have bought into the lie that we should only seek to achieve the bare necessities. They believe that if we desire more than the basics, it can only be due to pride because we want to have more than our neighbor. And to be fair, that can happen. But we must remember that Solomon was the wealthiest man in the world, and this was never claimed as a sign of pride, or the reason for his fall. His fall was due to his syncretism, which emerged from his marriages to his many wives who worshiped other gods.

Work as Unto the Lord

The bare necessities are a good place to start, but if that is all we long for, we will be tempted to become lazy once we have achieved that low bar. We will never use all of our heart, mind, soul and strength to create all that we are capable of. We will become complacent, and fail to honor God with all our abilities. We lost the vision Paul gave to the Colossian church:

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”
– Colossians 3:23-24 (ESV)

We work hard not only to provide for our family, or to be able to bless others. We work hard to honor God. He gave us our gifts, and it is God who wants us to fully develop our talents and skills.

The Beauty of Private Property

Far too many Christians overlook the beauty and benefits of private property. They have never been shown how it is grounded in Scripture, nor why it is necessary for a healthy society where people can flourish. Getting clarity here can help free us up to embracing both the value of our work and the value of compensation for our work.

Making money requires two components. First, your culture must believe in private property. Without this, no one could purchase your art for their private enjoyment, and you could not receive personal compensation for your artwork. Both the artist and the patron must believe in personal property.

The Ten Commandments create a framework where private property is a necessary part of a thriving culture. Just think about what the commandments imply. We are forbidden not only from stealing the private property of another, but we are also forbidden from coveting the private property of our neighbor.

Each person is free to value, care for, and to enjoy their own home, possessions, and life. They can rest, knowing it will be their property tomorrow, and no one will steal it. There is a beauty and appropriateness of having our own house, our own car or cattle, and our own family. With this foundation, we are free to enjoy our possessions, our homes, and our very lives.

No one is allowed to steal our possessions, our integrity and character (bearing false witness), our spouse (committing adultery), or our life (committing murder). You and I have dignity and the right to protect our life, our marriage, our property, and our very character.

Profit and Success

If God’s Word tells us to work with all our might, as unto the Lord, (Col 3:23-24), and God’s Word also makes it clear that all hard work brings reward, then it should not surprise us that hard-working Christians will often make a profit and find financial success through their work. In fact, this is what we should expect.

And, furthermore, the harder we work, and the more success we achieve, the more we can then love our neighbors through our resources. If we were to pursue the bare necessities, we would not have the resources to extend hospitality to others in the same way. We would not be able to care for the orphan and the widow, or to support the missionary with the “reward of our labor.” The dignity of private property, and the dignity of working hard to acquire resources can lead to a fruitful life that is a blessing to others.

The Proverbial Caveat

We live in a broken world full of broken people. While some will work hard with integrity and honor, others will cheat, steal, and murder to get ahead. It is why we need laws, locks, and judges and governments. It is also why we need a savior. We will all be tempted to chase money and wealth as an ends, rather than as a means to honor God with our whole life. This temptation will not cease until Jesus comes again. Until then, we must be careful not to make money, wealth or resources our obsession. Some of us will make more money than others for a myriad of reasons. We may live in a country or city with fewer resources. Regardless, we should not demonize wealth, nor idolize it. Wealth does not save our soul.

Recovering A Healthy View of Money

Your talents are worthy of compensation. If you are skilled, talented, and have worked hard to create meaningful works of art that speak to your cultural context, then you should find it rewarding financially and artistically. Do not apologize for needing to sell your work. Do not wince at charging what is appropriate for your market. You are a child of God, created with great dignity, and with wonderful talent. If you are a good steward of that talent, then you should be compensated appropriately. It still may require good marketing, pricing and knowledge of how to reach your customers, but don’t hesitate to charge what you are worth. (Check out our Catalyst Program if you want help in this area!)

If your work makes millions of dollars, wonderful. You have resources to create more art, and to support others along the journey. If you are like Van Gogh and your work goes unnoticed in this lifetime, remember that God is still your audience. The goal is to be faithful with your gifts. We should work hard, create great art, and seek to make a good living from the work of our hands. We should charge a fair price for our labor. But our identity is in Christ.

Money is meant to be a tool in this life, not our focal point. Whether you are a full-time artist, or a part-time artist, it is irrelevant. But, don’t apologize for charging a fair price for your work. Don’t hesitate to charge what you need to make a living. You have great value and dignity because you are God’s child, whom He has gifted.

Let us know your thoughts on charging what your art is worth in the comments below. Do you struggle with this? Or are you dialed in and thriving?

Copyright © 2025 Joel & Michelle Pelsue. All Rights Reserved. Used with Permission.

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