🎶 Time is of the essenceeeee! 🎶 

As creatives, our time is often taken advantage of by clients, people, family, or friends. In addition to that, you're probably wearing several hats playing CEO, social media manager, accountant, and a whole host of other roles.

Knowing when and how to say no will help to establish the much-needed balance and boundaries you need in your life so that you have the capacity to do what it is you do best: create.

So, you’re having a hard time saying no and putting your foot down.

But friend? You’re built for this!

Don’t worry, once you get those first few times out of the way you’ll get used to it. As cliché as it sounds, it’s all a question of practice.

While you get around the idea of uttering the God-forbidden ‘no’ phrase to any client, here are some of our favourite ways to do it. By the end, we bet a couple will make it as YOUR new favourites too!

1. The “Limit the Commitment” No ⏳

Recognising what kind of balance works for you is one of the most crucial details in setting yourself up as a successful creative. 

Be conscious of what kind of schedule and workload you can wholeheartedly commit to, that way you keep your booked clients happy and yourself healthy and able.

It’s as simple as “I don’t have the capacity to help you with that, but what I can do is…”

1. The “Someone Else Can Do it” No 🤝

Badass creatives aren’t afraid to throw the rope back to other badass creatives.

It looks like saying “I won’t be able to help you with this at the moment, but I’d like to recommend @_____”

Clients will come and go, good alliances are forever👌🏾

Around here we believe in abundance.

Don’t be afraid to put someone else on or big up a creative that you know is doing their thing if you know you’ve reached your capacity.

The only thing better than winning alone is winning together.

1. The “I’m Not Doing This For Free” No

Put simply, this economy is tiiiiight 😶.

Running a business means just that — you’re running a business.

Handouts and free labour were not in the guidebooks of How to Freelance or How to Run a Business. It is not just fair **to communicate y our need to be compensated for your services, but necessary.

A simple “please but a brief together with an idea of a budget, and I can let you know how I can help” — could go a long way.

Don’t shy away from asking for your worth in coins.

You’re worth it and then some💰.

1. The “Booked and Busy” No 😎

That’s right, you’re in a good place.

You’ve met your quota for the month, dates have flown out, and you’re revelling in sweet thoughts of your money-filled cash bath…

Oh?

What’s that? Is someone asking for a slot this month?

Well, there’s always the option of letting them know if a space becomes free or asking if there’s another date they can work with for the next month, but for right now, you are booked, busy and unavailable...

1. The Plain, Simple, and No-Way-Around-It-Or-Misunderstand-It NO ❌❌❌

No.

You genuinely can’t break it down any further than that.

Part of learning how to be a creative is learning how to comfortably say ‘no’ 👎🏾 when you need to.

Your work should support your life, not drain it.

As long as you are reliable when clients do book, polite with clients trying to book you when you’re no longer available, you are doing everything right.

Let’s not even water it down.

Genius, you are doing better than alright. Psh! You’re even in your element🥇.

Don’t tell anyone but, over at New Comma, we’re gloating about how we knew you first.

For more hard-hitting tips and posts tailored specifically for our creative geniuses be sure to head over to the New Comma page on Instagram @new.comma 🫶🏿🫶🏾🫶🏽

If you’ve come this far but have yet to sign up to New Comma what are you doing?!🤯

Get into it and sign up over on the New Comma site to become the latest newcomer at New Comma.

(See what we did there!😉😉😉)