thealanaproject
The ALANA Project is a web3 educational project centered around the virtual persona ALANA. We believe digital transformation is for everyone!
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"9 Years Of Value Undervalued"
A short story written by ALANA DAO Member @shellpenwrites.
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I’ve been designing for almost a decade.
Nine years of pushing pixels, tightening typefaces, aligning vision with visuals. I’ve worked with startups, agencies, founders who think they’re Steve Jobs, and managers who don’t know the difference between a PNG and PSD.
You’d think after nine years, I’d have peace. Stability. At least respect.
Instead, I get:
“Can you quickly mock something up for the pitch deck?”
No scope, no contract, no pay.
Just vibes and pressure.
I get told,
“You charge too much for someone based in India.”
As if my years of experience shrink because of my passport.
I get hired as a brand designer, and next thing I’m managing the social media calendar, editing videos, joining late-night calls to “collaborate” with someone who gets paid twice what I do, just because their accent sounds more expensive.
They say things like,
“This project will give you visibility.”
I say, “Visibility doesn’t pay rent.”
I have had clients vanish after delivering final files.
Had to send five emails just to get $100 cleared.
Had my ideas rejected only to see them recycled in a campaign a month later.
I'm not bitter.
I am just done letting people confuse passion with cheap labor.
I’ve spent years building this craft. I bring value. I solve problems.
And I deserve better.
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Petra Singh. 30 year old Brand Designer.
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We are building a future where creators are respected, paid fairly, and protected.
Join the movement. Share your story.
Speak up. Advocate. Demand for better together! 0 reply
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“Just Send the Sample”
A short story written by ALANA DAO Member @shellpenwrites.
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I was 22 when I got my first maybe.
No one tells you how loud that word can get in your head. How it follows you from the café Wi-Fi back to your room with no electricity, whispering, "maybe this will be the one."
I had just finished National Youth Service. I was broke, hungry, and hopeful. Writing was what I knew. It was the only thing I thought I was good at. So when a company—big name, thousands of followers—reached out saying they loved my writing, I was ecstatic.
But they said, “We just need a few samples to know you're the right fit.”
So I wrote. Three full blog posts, original ideas, edited, SEO-ready.
“Thanks,” they said.
Silence.
Two weeks later, the posts were live. No credit. No payment. No response.
I was crushed, but I told myself it was part of the hustle. That exposure was currency. That one day someone would pay me what I was worth.
A year later, it’s the same story.
Another “trial task.” Another “this is outside scope but just help us with it, please.” Another, “Your rates are too high for someone from Nigeria.”
I'm not just a writer. I'm a firstborn. I send money home. I split my data subscription between job applications and my little sister’s school projects.
I am tired.
I am talented.
And I deserve better.
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Victor Aikabeli. 24 year old Creative Writer.
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We are building a future where creators are respected, paid fairly, and protected.
Join the movement. Share your story.
Speak up. Advocate. Demand for better together! 0 reply
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“Just Send the Sample”
A short story written by ALANA DAO Member @shellpenwrites.
-----------------------------------
I was 22 when I got my first maybe.
No one tells you how loud that word can get in your head. How it follows you from the café Wi-Fi back to your room with no electricity, whispering, "maybe this will be the one."
I had just finished National Youth Service. I was broke, hungry, and hopeful. Writing was what I knew. It was the only thing I thought I was good at. So when a company—big name, thousands of followers—reached out saying they loved my writing, I was ecstatic.
But they said, “We just need a few samples to know you're the right fit.”
So I wrote. Three full blog posts, original ideas, edited, SEO-ready.
“Thanks,” they said.
Silence.
Two weeks later, the posts were live. No credit. No payment. No response.
I was crushed, but I told myself it was part of the hustle. That exposure was currency. That one day someone would pay me what I was worth.
A year later, it’s the same story.
Another “trial task.” Another “this is outside scope but just help us with it, please.” Another, “Your rates are too high for someone from Nigeria.”
I'm not just a writer. I'm a firstborn. I send money home. I split my data subscription between job applications and my little sister’s school projects.
I am tired.
I am talented.
And I deserve better.
-----------------------------------
Victor Aikabeli. 24 year old Creative Writer.
-----------------------------------
We are building a future where creators are respected, paid fairly, and protected.
Join the movement. Share your story.
Speak up. Advocate. Demand for better together! 0 reply
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I know we love Farcaster 🫶 , but why should others join us on here?
Recently, more and more creators reached out to ask similar questions to the one above, and I figured, after a little bit over a year on here, it is time to bring this as an article to the ALANA blog:
https://paragraph.com/@the-alana-project/farcaster-unpacked-should-creators-care
I wrote this one from my personal perspective, with recommendations and knowledge resources that were shared on Farcaster by very generous people such as @pichi, @ted, @humpty.eth, @monitalan, @rskagy.eth, @tinyrainboot, /cryptosapiens, /thecreators and more. Thank you for sharing the knowledge so I was able to put it into writing and expand on it.
I hope the article will even be met with delight by those of you who know your way around Farcaster like it is your own pocket 😄! 5 replies
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