The saying goes that if you are good at something, really good at something, then you should never do it for free. Now, there are a few exceptions to that rule - you might do some art for a friend, or lay down some instrumentals on a track because you simply feel like it - but it's a good catch-all rule. In a perfect society, where we're all on universal basic income that heralds a new age of creative genius, we might be able to use our talents for free and for the benefit of everyone - but we aren't just there yet - unfortunately.

That doesn't mean that some people won't try to get you to do that. If you're currently freelancing, or are talented in an area of creativity - you'll likely be approached to do a project at some point. When you sort it all out and get down to brass tacks and discuss the payment situation - you might find that there's no budget for you. You might be a web designer, a writer or an artist - but this happens to a lot of us. Can you dine out on exposure? Unfortunately not! It'd be great if we could, but right now - we need our talents and our creativity to make money.

There are plenty of ways to make money if you're creative. If you've got a mindset for design and are a creative thinker, you might need to see where you can transfer those skills too. Creative thinkers are great problem solvers, and you might simply need to look at joining one of a few marketing MBA programs, and you could be lined up for a great career! However, we aren't all cut out for that line of work and many of us will want to use our talents and creativity how we currently use them. That's ok - you can still make money.

Sites like Upwork allow you to put yourself and your talents out there for work. You'll be selected by clients and will be asked to perform a job. It could be in any line of work that you choose - you might make a sting or intro for a radio show, or create a logo for a podcast, or design a website for a charity. If you've got the talents, you might very well be able to find a buyer for your abilities. If you can shop yourself out to clients yourself, you could stand to make a very pretty penny from your abilities.

You might be able to find a role that you can fit your abilities into as well - but this involves perusing a number of job boards and filling out application forms and perfecting your resume. However, don’t ever let it be said you cannot make money from your talents. No matter if you choose to shop your skills out on a freelance basis, transfer your mindset to a winning role, or if you can find something suitable on a job board - you can stand to make money from your talents, skills and creativity.