If I did work I was proud of, and I didn’t get the money, at least I’d have the work. – Neil Gaiman, “Make Good Art”
When you’re first starting out, you do work that might not be your best. You, yourself, do your best – you know you are – but you know the work isn’t quite there yet. You feel little to no pride about it. You tuck it into the back of your portfolio because you need to fill an empty slot and hope that no interviewer will ever see it.
You keep working, and your work improves. You start to feel some pride in it. You aren’t as hesitant to put the work online or in a portfolio. You know it’s good work, and you know it will get you more work. You know that even when the work is done voluntarily and with no expectation of pay.
You also know that truth when you go unpaid despite promises that you will be. You hold onto it, and you hold onto the work. You keep it in your book. You put in your online portfolio. You look at it on nights when you grow weary and angry of doing the work and dealing with people who want you to work for free or want you to give them a discount. You look at it and look at it, and, as you do, you become more and more convinced in your calling to do good work that you can be proud of.