Self Help.
December 28, 2011 § Leave a Comment
When I was a teenager, I was in love with reading Self Help books. I could go through a book written with the intention to get you take some action in hours. I would go crazy over the idea of being able to grow and learn through my own personal self-realization. It felt empowering, decisive, and actionable. Plus, I believed I was actually good at it.
Personal growth through self-paced Self Help has always been my best mode of learning. Books, manuals, websites, and blogs give me a feeling of control and happiness like no other. So it’s no surprise that even at fourteen, I was asking for books authored by writers like Cloud & Townsend, Dr. Laura, and–thanks to my grandma–Dr. Phil.
Yet all that change can be scary.
To indulge in Self Help is to say, “Self, let’s get some things in order and make a few updates to the way you’re seeing, doing, believing, and so on.” With no one else there to hold your hand, you dive right in, journal and all, to discover the issues in your past that could be holding you back from staying in the present.
It isn’t comfortable. But the renewing is delicious and freeing. So I’m all for it, even if it’s difficult. And although I haven’t read any Self Help paper backs recently, it’s interesting to note how impacting it has been on my life.
I’m constantly open to learning and growth. I listen to others with the hope to gain more understanding, read blogs and other online materials to have a broader perspective, and attempt to live life with an openness to other points of view.
Perhaps it’s a mentality that you can begin to adopt. Here’s a few of my favorites over the past decade or so:
How People Grow by Cloud & Townsend
Works of Love by Søren Kierkegaard
Life By Design by Tom Ferry
Codependent No More by Melody Beattie
Photo: Me and my happy family.
Increasing Creativity Part II.
March 21, 2011 § Leave a Comment
If you’ve read Part I, you know that having an online presence is absolutely imperative as a freelancer. Whether you’re searching for full-time jobs in at a brick-and-mortar company or most of your work is done in the virtual realm, you must have a blog, website, flickr account, or the like to show off your work. Most positions won’t even accept your application, resume, and cover letter without a URL (your online address that starts with http://). The following will help you get started in the right direction.
A blog can be very beneficial to you if you just want a place to store your work for free. Especially if you’re a writer, you can gain more credibility by having a blog and by posting your written work on it. You can post music and graphics to your blog as well, so if your creativity has anything to do with music, graphics, or photography, you’re in luck. You can even create video (vlogs, instead of blogs) and slide show feeds that can be easily viewed.
Blogger.com and wordpress.com are the most popular and accepted blogging sites. Tumblr is a newer blog site on the scene that is breaking in the artistic realm for it’s snazzy design and easy-to-use-ability. There are also blog spots that are geared towards more industry specific areas. Blogs can also improve your search-ability on sites like Google and Yahoo!, which can increase your client traffic. So even if you have a website, it’s a great idea to put your “thoughts” on a blog…putting your most recent discoveries and projects is also a great way to gain expertise points in your field. Connecting that blog to your website then streamlines your online presence.
Whether you’re just a DBA (doing business as) or you’re a full-fledged LLC, having a website is a great way to get more clients. First, you have to purchase your chosen web domain name online. The most inexpensive sites to date are godaddy.com (which is PC & Mac compatible) and 1and1.com (which is only PC compatible). They cost about $6.99 per year for a domain name more or less, depending on the extension you choose (.com, .biz, .org, .info, etc.). They also have website builder’s online, which you can place music, video, photo’s, slide shows, and much more on. There’s usually a yearly or monthly fee for web hosting (placing your actual website online) no matter what website builder you choose to use and whether or not you build it yourself or have someone else build it for you. Here’s the solution I’ve come up with:
I currently use WordPress for both my website and my blog, since I don’t have much use for a full-fledged website yet. Although I purchased my domain through godaddy.com, I changed my blog address path (jennylvoe.wordpress.com) to my domain (jennylvoe.com) for $9.95/year. I think it sounds more professional than using the WordPress address. Plus, when I’m ready for a site, I can hire a web designer to create what I want using CSS (a script that can be read by WordPress) and I’ll be able to edit it when I need to without needing a web designer on a consistent basis to make on-going little changes (ie post new blogs, upload new songs, add newer content). It might cost more upfront for the site design (say $3000 or so), but it’ll be easier to edit myself through WordPress.
The pro’s of building it yourself though are that you have more control over the site, what goes on it, when it’s placed on it, overall organization, and ease of use. The con’s include slow moving website builder’s, issues getting the site up and ready, non-personal templates, and probably a bit of frustration. (I took three web design classes and learned HTML, DreamWeaver, and JavaScript, most of which I still remember and have used to build sites in the past.) Having someone else build it for you means a higher price tag and a lot more vulnerability, but you can bet on getting something more professional and unique than what you’d do on your byself. If you have a big budget, then, by all means, have a professional web designer or web design company build it for you. If you’re working on a small start-up budget or you don’t have much to place on the website, you can always start by building your own and choose to switch over later to something more professional down the road, as in my example of what I’ve chosen to do via WordPress.
Whatever you choose to do, it’s important to have a website available. Even if it doesn’t have a Flash introduction, that’s okay. What you need is the online presence. Keep it simple and up-to-date (no nineties templates, please!) and it will get the job done. You’ll have more clients and a greater flow of traffic if you can give them an address starting with http:// and not just a card with your e-mail and phone number. You can also create a flickr, shutterfly, or tumblr account for website examples or templates, graphics, logos, adverts, photos, videos and much more. Sites like these can enable your customers to view your work easily and even create a host of other items on one website (that you will get paid for).
If you missed it, you must be online. You must be searchable. You must have an online presence. If your clients can type in your name after you’ve given them your business card or they’ve received an e-mail from you and your website is the top hit, your credibility will go up insurmountably. And I can guarantee that your project list will go up insurmountably as well. And increased projects=increase creativity.
(This post is part of Monday Madness: Creative Consulting Tips and Tricks of the Trade. Sign up for the RSS feed to never miss a post!)
Online Productivity.
March 7, 2011 § Leave a Comment
If you’re like most creative minds, you probably never feel like you have enough work. A very small few have enough work to be able to bill about 35-40 hours per week. Wouldn’t that be nice? There are hundreds of ways out there though that you can more freelance work. All you have to do is calculate the searching into your daily calendar to-do’s and follow these easy tips: Get connected in your community, talk to who you know and research online. Check out the previous blog “Connecting”, if you haven’t already, and read on for more online ideas.
Nowadays, it’s easy to get stuck doing one thing: searching online. It’s fast. It’s easy. Yet it’s not as profitable as we’d like it to be. Sites like Craig’s List, Monster, Jobs.com, and even those geared towards your creative profession are great, but they can be the hardest places to find freelance work because:
1. You and over a billion other people are online. With other freelancers using freelance.com and others, people are willing to work for practically nothing to get a job. That’s a lot of competition.
2. You get time sucked by not having a specific amount of time you’ll spend online. Hours can be wasted sitting in front of your computer getting discouraged.
3. You get washed out by the crowd. If you use Etsy or eBay to market your tangible creative goods, it’s easy to get lost amidst the rest of um. The same goes for those offering a service. People will often try to find the cheapest solution rather than the best.
So what can you do to avoid these pitfalls that seem never ending? Don’t get discouraged. You’re the only you out there, regardless of how often you go online and how many others are out there. The best thing you can do to remind yourself of this is to make connections online and use it for networking. Be wary of using sites where people you don’t know are searching for a cheap means to fulfill their needs (like Craig’s List). This isn’t the same as using credible sites you pay for like theknot.com or weddingwire.com because you’re a phenomenal florist (have a question about a site? Need advice on what’s reputable or not? Ask Jenny at jennylvoe@gmail.com and I’ll post the answers).
If you have a hard time staying focused when you get online, make a game plan that you use every time before you start your search. For example, spend 15 minutes on social networking, 30 minutes on job hunting (which includes posting on sites and marketing yourself, not just replying to posts), and 15 minutes on updating your own site/store/etc. Time your hour and watch yourself get more done. You could even do this once in the morning and once at night. Have emails to reply to and contracts/estimates to create? Keep your computer time to a minimum and only give yourself a specific amount so you don’t end up wasting more of the day than you’d hoped.
Considering there are so many others out there, there are a few things you can do to stay in the forefront of your profession. Market yourself on social networks, ask your friends to tell their friends to “like” you. Advertise your site on other people’s blogs via google adWords or specifically asking to be a sponsor. If you are offering a product using Etsy or eBay and so on, post and re-post! Deleting and reposting your products on a daily basis and having a large set of specific search keywords will put you at the top of the search list and therefore get you more views, more hits, more likes, more favorites, and, of course, more sales!
As you can tell, there are bad ways to use the Internet and their are good ways that will benefit you in the long run. Following the easy steps above will help you make the most of your time, especially if that time is limited.
(This post is part of Monday Madness: Creative Consulting Tips and Tricks of the Trade. Sign up for the RSS feed to never miss a post!)
Increasing Creativity Part I.
February 22, 2011 § Leave a Comment
It’s your creativity. It’s unique. It’s 100% you. And there’s a whole list of clients out there that are looking for exactly what you have. What you do. And what you can create for them. Whatever type of creative medium you use, you have your own unique style. I’ve heard business clients say often, “I love working with so-and-so because she just gets it when I tell her what I need.” I’ve also heard, “I have a hard time getting my ideas across to him. It’s like we don’t communicate on the same level. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t understand what’s in my head.” And that’s just it: we’re interpreters. Some people are harder than others to interpret. On the other hand, some of your clients might not know what they want.
If you’re just advertising your creativity and your clients never get to see your work before you start on it, you might waste a lot of your time creating mock ups before you “discover” what they want. If you guarantee your work, this may end up costing you more than you would like it to. Whether or not your client knows it at this moment, they do have preferences. In music. Art. And madness. It’s in your best interest to show off your work through your portfolio both online and off to the best of your ability to gain a larger market or at least find that sweet niche that really digs you. Although an online database version and emailable format is essential.
Some clients will often ask you to send them via snail mail your portfolio. Others will as you to meet with them to show them your work personally. Recordings, portfolios, and pieces of your work are great to have on hand. Sending them to clients though can mean more overhead than you need to be spending on. And often clients will not send your portfolio back to you, so you’ve lost profits and your work. Having your work online can get potential clients your work quickly and efficiently. Plus, you’re in more control of how much you and your finances you put into it. You do have a few options of which routes to choose from.
Most freelance databases won’t allow you to even apply for positions unless you have a URL. If you’re applying for a full-time position or a long-term contract, you will most likely have to have your work online so they can view it immediately without having to download it to their computer. Could you imagine if your client had to download the work of every single creative mind that they wanted to view? It would take up much more space than is necessary…none! All you have to do is set-up a blog, website, facebook, twitter, myspace (good for musicians) or flickr account, which will be covered in Part II.
(This post is part of Monday Madness: Creative Consulting Tips and Tricks of the Trade. Sign up for the RSS feed to never miss a post!)
