You owe me.

Poland somehow decided to skip the period of stabilisation and from state controlled economy with ration cards and florishing contraband fell straight into embraces of neoliberalism. What does it mean for a starting freelancer — nothing, because you don’t mean much to the system.

If you wish to work legally and deal with other than individual clients (portraits, weddings etc) you will have to register your business. They like invoices. So on top of whatever you are making there is plenty of tax — VAT, income tax (if your undertaking is breaking even or you are actually generating profit), health & social insurance and all that nonsense you have to pay. Will you get any retirement from running your own business? Not really. My parents or my in-laws or any other entrepreneurs or business owners will get shit from the state pensions when they want to retire. Right now, after running his business for almost 30 years and working for over 45 years my father was quoted to get every month what is an equivalent of about 200$. It is not even funny.

Anyway, it is not what I wanted to talk about. I take pictures. I do it for a living. I have been trained in it, but most importantly I have been doing it since I was maybe 14 or even younger. Have I considered being a lawyer? Sure I did, but I chose photography instead. People, usually small business owners (just like myself) often ask me whether I would barter. More successful photographers or freelancers or people who know how to deal with money will probably laugh or will be outraged… Yes I do. In fact it starts to define my life. I took some flicks at a popular barbershop in town — I have my free haircuts. I regularily take pictures at a cool coffee shop and they give me a damn good coffee, I take some pictures at a car garage and they fix my car as a thank you. It really feels good not to dirty your hands and soul with the physical act of having money.

This whole thing reminds me of a conversation I had with a dear friend. About money being a signifier to favors the society owes you. Look at it this way. If you do a specific job for a day. Only a small group of people can do it, but a lot of people needs it. It means that they owe you a big time if you actually take your time to do it. Now they should do something in return. But you don’t need a landscape designer because you live in a tiny flat next to an overground railway where nothing green can ever live. There are two other choices. You become friends and they get you a dinner or a drink (both of which are very much appreciated) or they give you bunch of coupons saying that the society represented by them owes you. This is basically what money is. So next time someone offers you to exchange your skill for theirs, and you kind of need that thing they do anyway take it. It is very likely that you will become friends, they will recommend you to their customer who will either extend your network or will actually have ’the coupons’.

Oh! And there is no tax for trading skills.