Picasso had one particular thing in common with some of us. He liked coffee. Hey, are you drinking some coffee now? That is very Picasso of you.

Due to that, he used to hang out in cafes around Barcelona. Sometimes in the search of some peace of mind and inspiration, sometimes to meet with some artist friends. On this particular day, of a particular month, of a specific year in a particular bohemian corner of beautiful and sunny Barcelona, Picasso decided to get to know this new humble cafe that had just recently opened its doors, he picked a table in the very corner and there he stood in peace thinking about life while sipping a delicious, aromatic and earthy cup of coffee. Some peace he wanted, some peace he didn't find. At a given moment a fan of his spotted him on the corner and couldn't lose that opportunity to meet such a famous artist that she loved so much. She approached him and this is how a bird told me it played out:

— Picasso?

— Hello there.

— Pablo Picasso?

— Yes ma'am. that's me.

— I can't believe this. I am your biggest admirer. --- Said the woman as she perceived some impatience in his expression.

— Well, thank you so much! --- Said Picasso wanting to get back to his coffee and mind voyage.

— I don't want to be a bother, but can you just sign this napkin for me? Or maybe make a quick sketch?

Picasso politely agreed, promptly created a drawing, and handed back the napkin but not before asking for a million Francs. (Approximately 1 million dollars back then)

This is such a powerful story because resonates with all creative professionals. But it is a story that goes for both sides. At a given moment in one's career, every creative professional go through the dilemma of underpricing a project or not truly feeling fairly paid for. The market is relentless and sometimes, if we try to charge the exact amount that we claim to be worth of, we can end up losing an opportunity of creating something new. For many, the years go by and few creatives realize that they need to lose projects by saying no to small budgets in order to define a new price standard for their work. But not all creatives feel confident enough in order to aim towards bigger horizons of pricing simply because they have bills to pay and can't really afford missing new projects or the opportunity of creating something new.

First published in my newsletter https://newsletter.agencybrasil.com/p/tobm9-picassos-napkin?utm_source=publication-search Adapted to The Orange Book of Marketing and now Available in my Library! https://library.thiagopatriota.com/