6 Ways To Avoid Sucky Clients
Part II
In the first post I outlined Warning Signs of Sucky Clients. “That’s all well and good,” you may be saying. “How do I not get those?” Well, reader whose mind I just pretended to read for dramatic effect… I’ll tell you! What follows are six ways to avoid troublesome clients in the first place. The first two points deal with standards you should implement anyway (preferably before you land your first client); the ones after will either weed out sucky clients or prevent clients from becoming sucky.
5 Ways to Identify Sucky Clients
Part I
With some hard work and maybe a little investment, any freelancer can land a client once in a while. And once you get the hang of it, establish repeatable processes, and get a few referrals, you can land a lot! The problem for any freelancer (or really any business that operates off a clientele) is that, frankly, some clients suck. Some will try to screw you over, some don’t communicate, some will be extraordinarily difficult to work with… some, all of the above. So how do you weed out the all-stars from the undesirables? Here are some red flags to watch out for.Read More
We’re Not Nouns, We’re Verbs
Every once in a while I’ll stumble across an idea (in this case a quote) and just think, “bingo.”
Oscar Wilde said that if you know what you want to be, then you inevitably become it. That is your punishment. But if you never know, then you can be anything. There is a truth to that. We are not nouns, we are verbs. I am not a thing — an actor, a writer — I am a person who does things — I write, I act — and I never know what I am going to do next. I think you can be imprisoned if you think of yourself as a noun.
— Stephen Fry
Everything a Freelancer Should Have in Place Before Landing a Client
In my post, 5 Things You Should Do Before Becoming A Freelancer, I mention that organization is the single most important aspect of doing freelancing well. From the moment someone reaches out about a potential job to the moment you cash the paycheck, you should have a systematic work flow in place.
This is not counting, of course, the emotional roller coster that is the creative process itself — that’s an elusive beast. However, the chaotic bitch that is creativity only makes the need for streamlined processes even greater. Before you can get busy doing what it is you actually do, several things need to be in place.
Lessons from Alex Honnold and the Film “Free Solo”
What we can learn from the man who achieved “perfection.”
5 Things You Should Do Before Becoming A Freelancer
So you’re interested in becoming a freelancer? First, welcome to the club! While it’s far from exclusive (as it turns out, the barrier to entry is pretty low), it’s a fun society of risk-takers, free-thinkers, and non-settlers.
From what I can gather, there are two types of people who read articles on becoming a freelancer: The first are young people who are newly-graduated, under-employed, or in the infancy of their careers; the second are people looking to make a big life change. Either way, to go at it alone is daunting, so you’ll need to get your shit together.
“Creative” Is A Noun
In an old bio of mine you’ll find the following few lines:
I just like creating things… The result has been about 10 years of learning by doing, and developing a career that isn’t easy to summarize except to use the word “creative.” (At some point “creative” became a noun, which is good for me I guess.)
I was inspired to explore that last idea after I realized I had taken a point of view on this noun, and found myself trying to cleverly expand upon it. After all, this website is called Matt Williams Creative. While, in that context it’s used pretty ambiguously, what does it mean to be “a creative?”
6 Lessons From Improv That Apply To Life
From listening to commitment, these are principles that can be applied daily no matter who you are.
“Big Magic” by Elizabeth Gilbert
Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love) shares her unique insight into creativity and inspiration in her book Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear. Rich with personal stories and anecdotes, Gilbert encourages readers to live creatively, let go of fear, and respect the mystery of inspiration. The book is wonderfully geared towards those of us who live (or wish to live) creative lives, but is perfectly suited for anyone with any kind of creative passion.