The culture around creative collaboration has really changed.
When I started out in makeup, a bunch of us would get together and do shoots for no reason other than to have things to show people. We’d get a photographer, someone who needed clothes, a model trying to be a model, a hair stylist if we could find one and whoever else.
You’d shoot in someone’s house and then go out and say “I did this shoot for this brand” but we know it’s just five broke creatives. Built up an amazing portfolio that way.
Lately, I’m watching conversations on here with young creatives and they all wanna be paid (often unreasonably high) for work they haven’t actually practiced even when it’s their fellow creative at the same stage of life asking.
It doesn’t help that with how APC has destroyed the economy, everyone is basically a gig worker.
Young creatives need to go back to artistic collaborations with their peers; without expecting immediate renumeration. A few established people might take a chance on you with no portfolio but most won't.
This gist is crazy!!
A business owner found out that her photographer had been diverting her customers to himself !!
- According to the lady, she runs a photography business in Lagos and Ilorin. She trained and employed a guy in Ilorin to handle her clients there, and she even bought him a camera.
- After finding out he was working behind her back, she gave him a second chance. However, she later noticed she was no longer getting returning clients in Ilorin, nor new ones.
- She decided to test him by using another number to book a shoot. That was when she discovered he had started his own brand, and whenever her customers tried to reach her, he would send them his own price list; at almost half her price.
- She then sent her friend for a shoot to confirm, making sure he was using the camera she had bought for him.
- She eventually got him arrested. While she was struggling to get about three clients in Ilorin last month, the photographer had already taken over 30 bookings from her.
- She also found out that another businesswoman in Ilorin, who had previously booked her services, ended up going to him to work with him.
- When she confronted the woman, she said the guy could have rejected the offer and that she did nothing wrong.
- The police asked how he would refund her, and he said he would pay her back, but that he had already spent the money he made.
What are your thoughts?
So far this year, I've coordinated 25m in ads to deliver 364m in revenue.
In 2025, I used 43m in ads to deliver 936m.
In the same 2025, I used 9.5m to deliver well over 90m.
There's still 3 or so brands that I can't remember their numbers now.
Hire me. I know this game.