CLOCKWORKBIRD: design, animation, illustration » freelancing

New portfolio site!

hey hey — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:26:20 +0000

Woohoo! That only took 2 years… (really 2 weeks once I sat down to do it.)

If you find any bugs, please just email me.

Don’t be a Whore – a freelancer’s guide to not being taken advantage of

hey hey — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 19:25:23 +0000

So, it finally happened.

I’ve been working as a full time freelancer for a little over a year now and I finally ran into a client that wants to take advantage of me and my services. The monies in question are less than $1000, but it’s still hitting me hard as work has been slow (thanks to the lovely recession I’m SO TIRED OF HEARING ABOUT) and tax season… that glimmering little spring time gift from the government.

Anyhoo, anger aside… I’ve talked to several folks about it and even found this really great post about the things you can do to avoid being taken advantage of. It’s appropriately title: DON’T BE A WHORE.

I for one, am never going to do a job without a contract again. I’ve only done that 3 times and those are the three payments that I still have pending in my invoice folder. Don’t you love life lessons?

DimDim is DopeDope – Web conferencing in style

hey hey — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 07:42:40 +0000

Well chickadees, I found another awesome web app.

DimDim is my new “go to” for web conferencing. Not only does it have a slick, easy to use interface, loads of features and versatility … but also, get this: IT’S FREE!* (free for up to 20 invitees, that is) Why pay GotoMeeting $40 buckaroos a month? Hurray open source!

I LOVE ILLUSTRATION

hey hey — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 20:33:30 +0000

So being a full time freelancer, I’m looking at ways of diversifying my income – especially supplementing my large project based paychecks with smaller more frequent paychecks – the trickling stream method, if you will.

So, one of my strategies to create passive income is through the sale of stock illustrations and flash files. There are number of sites that specialize in this sort of submission / payment method. They get paid. You get paid. Clients get high quality work for affordable prices. Everybody wins. Two excellent examples that I plan to participate on are:
www.flashden.net
www.istockphotos.com

Here is my first submission. It only took me a few hours and was so much fun to work on.

I LOVE ILLUSTRATION.

I love it so much, I’m going to actively seek out more illustration jobs. It’s such a lovable combination of arty, imaginative and potentially lucrative.
Watch out illustration world, here I come.

Freelance Switch

hey hey — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 02:05:02 +0000

So… I’m a fairly recent fulltime freelancer.
It has been an interesting ride so far. Bumpy and paved. Very full of freedom, very full of fear and very full of questions.

- Do I have to incorporate? Is it better to be a sole proprietor?
- What exactly is tax deductible?

- How do I find new clients?

- How do I plan for next year?

- How do I avoid the seemingly inevitable feast and famine that comes with freelancing?

- Who in the world can i turn to to answer these questions of mine?!?!?!?

- Hello??? Anybody out there?

Just when I thought I couldn’t feel more alone- I found a FANTASTIC RESOURCE!
Freelanceswitch.com is just the site I was looking for.

Their ABOUT statement sums it up – “FreelanceSwitch is a site for freelancers. Whether you’ve been freelancing for years, have just started or are considering making the switch, this is the place to get all the information and support you need.”

HURRAY! Help at last!!!