#5 GET PAID SON! - FREELANCE GUiDANCE: A 10 Part Series

The biggest magic trick the Freelancer ever pulled was convincing his client to actually pay him a fair wage.

You want to make it in this business, kid, you gotta get paid. So how do you figure out how what to charge?

You can turn to the Graphic Artists Guild Pricing Guide for some reference if you're just starting out. But unless you live in New York or LA (lower Alabama I'm not talking about) those prices are going to be spit-took when the client hears them.

So HOW do you get paid?  The easiest way is to negotiate with respectable clients.

First and foremost, make sure you agree up front (and in writing) that you WILL be paid.  Not only do I use a formal contract I also insist on ALL communication between me and clients to be via email-- why? Because then I have a paper trail-- I can re-read emails for project details and I have essentially a written correspondence regarding the agreement of trade. Keep the email conversation in a chain— i.e. so you can scroll back and see what was said. Update the Subject line so that you can find a particular conversation quickly. Just keep it professional and remember this is a client/provider relationship.

Cause that's what it is-- the client is trading you something (preferably cash) for your services to provide. 

When you first hang your freelance shingle up you're going to get approached by a LOT of people offering you work either on SPEC or "for the exposure".  Here's a cold hard truth-- unless that company offering you exposure is Time Magazine it's not worth it-- and guess what?  Time Magazine actually pays you for work so the point is moot.

This brings up the basic formula of work:

• 1. Work on Spec - You'll get paid after publication based on the number of copies sold because your work appears in it. I HATE these deals. HATE 'em. If you're going to work on SPEC then work ONLY on something you OWN. In the comics world writers can whip out a 22 page story in a day or two, an artist will take a month or longer if they have a full time job. Yet SO many writers and publishers of small companies offer you spec for payment with ZERO equity in the product. BAD. Make sure if you're providing the artwork you are getting a share of the profits. If you’re hired on spec to provide an illustration, or worse, for donation purposes (for exposure) make the image something that you could sell prints of afterwards to turn your time into money.

• 2. Work for hire-- You'll get paid up-front or upon completion but you will own nothing. You are solely providing a service, like a plumber installing a new bathroom for you-- they can't come over and use it any time they want just because they installed it. Same thing here, you do the work, you get paid and that's it. This is how the vast majority of publishing works.

• 3. Royalty Work-- You get paid up front or upon completion of the work and you will get a royalty based on the number of copies sold or you negotiate for additional payments if the image is re-used, or you set a limit to how often it can be used.

How do you negotiate?

I use a simple method when someone contacts me-- here's how I handle it and it works 85% of the time:

"Hi Andy-- we LOVE your work and we have (such and such) we think you'd be PERFECT for!  We were wondering if you'd have time and what such a project would cost?"

"Great! Thanks! What's the budget?"

That's as involved as it gets, now keep in mind there are a couple other factors--

A- I look over the project that they're talking about and make sure I understand exactly what it is they are looking to hire me for. I listen carefully to what they’re describing and trying to figure out if I can “see” what they’re looking for. If I can’t see it in my head as they describe it this might not be a good fit for me. But asking for their budget is essential.

B- I calculate a rough budget and time frame in which I can deliver it so I have a number in my head.

Now if that client has a project that I REALLY dig, or if they happen to make me laugh in the proposal AND they show that they've actually LOOKED at my work that will go a long way towards keeping my price down.  Steve Altes, when he reached out to me about his graphic novel GEEKS AND GREEKS, not only referenced specific works I'd done but he made me laugh. His online presence was tremendous and he happened to mention a record album he had been looking at that day- and by sheer coincidence I had looked at the same exact one (a vintage one at that) -- I knew it was instant Karma and this was a guy I not only wanted to work with but I found a new friend.

Ok, so about 85% of the time the client will come back with a budget they had in mind.  On the 15% of the time they don't I have to give them a number.  I've been doing this a long time so I can come up with a number pretty quickly.

I use a simple equation:

WHAT DO I NEED to pay the bills this month?

HOW busy am I?

How LONG will this take?

How badly do I want to do this project?

Let's say you pay yourself an hourly wage of $100/hour and that is what you consider your IDEAL rate.  Ideal= you're in good shape bills wise so it's okay if you lose this job. 

Factor in the number of hours you expect this to take (a good rule of thumb is to double whatever number you come up with because you're likely to underestimate how much work this'll be).

ASK and UNDERSTAND what your royalties will or won't be. If it's none then you need to up the price a bit.  If it's being used for commercial purposes what kind of permissions are you granting?  Someone who hires you to design a T-Shirt for a Cub Scout fundraiser shouldn't have to pay the same amount as someone who is hiring you to design a T-shirt for their website that they will then sell in perpetuity with no royalties on those sales.

This is the point where you're going to hear about the magic of exposure.  Exposure means you should do this cheap because of the fame you will gain.

I just don't buy into that.  I DO free work that I donate to Charity Auctions like Art In The City or the Boys and Girls Club.  I do it because I believe in the cause and if it's lead to any exposure no one has mentioned it to me. Full disclosure— I used to donate to a community medical clinic’s annual fundraiser— the pieces I would donate generated a good amount of money. One time back when I was starting out and I didn’t have health insurance I went there with an emergency and they turned me away. Note— the for profit hospital I went to next admitted me, so this was a serious situation. I tell them to get lost when they call me every year now.

In fact you can get a lot of exposure just by building yourself a decent web-presence, but that's next week's lesson.

All right so let's assume they've given you all the details of the project and you want to do it, and it fits in your schedule and it seems to be a good mix for you. 

You figure how many hours-- let's say 10 to keep the math easy-- double it because you know how bad you are at figuring how much work something is going to be and you have that hourly rate-- in this case $100/hour which brings us to a grand total of $2000/USD for 20 hours of work granting them whatever useage rights you are comfortable with. NOTE: Specify the currency you'll be paid in. USD = US DOLLARS. It's a world economy now.

A good rule of thumb is if they aren't going to pay you royalties then add 30% to the quote.  So now we're at $2600.  I'd also be comfortable giving them a 180 days exclusive rights to the image, after that it reverts to you so that you can use the image on your own product.  If they want to keep the image as an exclusive to them in perpetuity (essentially forever) then add a few more bucks to the job.

I like the rule of 1/3s for payment- so 1/3 up front for me to start, 1/3 at the halfway point and 1/3 at completion with the agreement that they get the final useable image with the final payment.

Meaning of course, that every file you send them for approval through the stages was at 72dpi and NO bigger than 500 pixels or so tall. This ensures they don't just take your prelims and run with it never paying off the balance owed.

Remember if you give them a price that's too high you can always lower your price, but you can't raise it. 

In that same vein, if you are in financial straights as this potential assignment comes in you can simply follow up your quote if you don't hear from them within a day or two and tell them it's negotiable if you were far off from the number they had in mind.

It's all about NEGOTIATION.

NOW WHAT ABOUT THE CLIENT WHO WON'T PAY ME?

It's going to happen, sooner or later. A client runs out of money before the balance is paid. Unless they file for Bankruptcy protection your best option is to file a civil case against them in your local court system.  In fifteen years I've never had to do this, but I've come close twice.  It's not hard to do especially if you have a contract and a paper trial of your conversations.  It's a simple filing fee and the clerks will usually walk you through it.  You'll have to see a constable or sheriff about notice getting served to the (likely now ex) client but that too will be explained to you when the time comes.

You should also use your instinct.  If a client comes to you with a project someone else had been working on in this day and age of the internet it's not hard to track down the previous creator and find out why the relationship ended.

If a client comes to you with a project that is scattered with fallen creators that should give you a pretty good insight into how smooth this project is going to be.  It certainly could be that this person is a great partner to work with and all those creatives were the guilty parties, but far more likely is that this is a difficult client who is never happy.

Add that to the equation when you're providing your quote (should you decide to work with them). 

I was approached by a client once who I was warned against by several friends who stated they were difficult and slow to pay.

When I quoted the job I did my usual hourly rate x hours x2 only I added ANOTHER X2 to the equation so essentially the quote was DOUBLE what I would have normally charged.

They balked at the price, I stuck to it-- they finally relented and we were off to the races.  They weren't the most difficult client I'd ever had but they were "tweakers"-- so there were a lot of revisions along the way.  They were also a committee which is another FLAG-- committees are slow to green light, slow to get back to you on the latest status look, and slow to respond to emails and that usually eats into the deadline.

If a project needs more than one person's approval I stipulate when the approvals need to be in hand in order for the project to come in on schedule.  This way I can point to this when we start running late.  I also insist on ONE CONTACT person from the group so I'm not getting multiple directions taking me all over the place.

By the time the project was over it had taken me twice as long to finish it as I'd projected-- good thing I doubled my quote.

When they came back for a new project I knew what I was getting myself into up front and used the same quote system.

BECAUSE SOMETIMES IT'S OK TO SAY NO.

No matter how much they like you, how much they love your work, how much they're willing to pay, how desperately they want to work with you.  Sometimes the right thing to do is to pass.

*OK so what about that HOURLY rate? $100 might seem like a lot or it might seem dirt cheap depending on where you live and how long you've been doing this Freelance thing.  Your best bet to discover the going rate in your area is to keep yourself familiar with the work being done in your industry.

Locally you can attend Chamber of Commerce and Business to Business events, but I find local means little money (at least here in Central Massachusetts-- I've found the same thing in Boston too).  So I keep my client base international via the web.

But network with other artists, find out what they're charging.  Look at ads via sites that advertise for freelancers and see what clients are paying.

A site like FREELANCED.COM can give you insight and fits of laughter too.  I'm always amazed at the number of people who will apply for a gig that pays something like $2 an hour. Amateurs no doubt, because a professional couldn't keep the lights on for that rate.

Meaning keep an open mind when perusing the offerings.  Like the reviews on Amazon, you have to weigh in the value of what the person is saying.

Which will take us to the next lesson:

NEXT UP- ESTABLISH AN ONLINE PROFILE

Andy Fish is a freelance artist and writer who has been living the lifestyle longer than there has been an iPhone on this planet. The advice given has worked for him, it might work for you, he hopes it does. But like all advice, take it with your own situation in mind. If you want to contact him shoot him an email andy@andytfish.com

#4 LIVE WITHIN YOUR MEANS - FREELANCE GUiDANCE: A 10 Part Series

Whether you just graduated art school or you're making the Freelance jump from an existing career it matters not.  The cardinal rule of being your own boss, of working for yourself is LIVE WITHIN YOUR MEANS (and maybe even BELOW your means).

I have a student who has just made the jump.  This person keeps an active blog so I keep up with them pretty regularly.  To me they send messages saying "I'm really struggling this month-- can you give me advice on how to do better" while on their BLOG they write about going out with friends 3-4 times a week and trying the latest craft beer.  Or another expensive trip.  Or buying a brand new car.  Or their latest training session with a personal trainer at an expensive local gym (I know it's expensive because I used to belong to it).

My biggest piece of advice if you're going to make the jump to Freelance is to live like a grownup.

What does that mean?

It means you make sacrifices because it's not in the budget.  When I was starting out a friend dropped by and saw the cases of Ramen Noodles I had in my pantry and remarked that I was living like a college student-- they were right, I was living like a college student on a budget.  Ramen Noodles are cheap and easy to make and they fill you up.    Craft beer is expensive;  tell yourself that SOMEDAY you'll be able to go to every event you want, every social obligation will be met to the fullest, but if it's important to you to make it as your own boss you are in total control of your destiny and that destiny might mean Ramen Noodles 4x a week (try chopping up some ham and peas and mix them in— I also never ate Ramen with the flavored packet— that stuff is jank.).

It might mean you need a room-mate for a while.  It might mean you sacrifice the car for a bike.  It might mean you have to pass on the invitation to the latest event because it's not in your budget.  Cold and hard truths that grownups have to face.

Make a budget looking at what you're spending RIGHT now-- do it over the course of a month and break it down like this:

ESSENTIALS

• Rent

• Electricity

• Heat

• Food

• Internet - although I know someone who used to rely on libraries and coffee shops for their internet. Not practical for today's freelancer and you might be spending more on coffee than you would on a simple connection.

• Clothing

• Health Insurance

Looking at these there are ways to reduce each expense.  Rent can be cut if you move to a cheaper place  or bring in a room-mate (or two).

Electricity can be cut if you unplug essentials at night.  I was floored by the savings we encountered simply by throwing the switch on various surge protectors around the house.

Heat-- remember your Dad yelling at you to put on a sweater rather than turn up the thermostat?  Welcome to grown up ville.

Food-  For Groceries - I don't like them but coupons can save you a lot.   Discount places like OCEAN STATE JOB LOT offer gourmet grocery products at 1/4th the price.  The best thing you can do is make a list and not just do random shopping where you are prone to impulse buys.  Never shop when you’re hungry.

If you're eating out a lot you are spending more than you have to.  Try restricting it to one night a week and even then at a place where entrees are no more than $12 ea and you'll see your food budget grow.

Coffee-- I used to spend $5 a day on coffee then I bought  a top notch coffee maker and I buy whole beans which I grind three times a week (Note: in truth I now have a coffee maker that automatically grinds the beans just before it brews them). When I do need to get one on the road, I strictly stick with Cumberland Farms because the coffee is better than Dunkin's or Starbucks and it's only 99c for any size.  HUGE savings there.

Internet-- you're going to need a decent connection if you're a freelancer, and your options here are limited.   Buy the lowest level product you can, take advantage of introductory offers and when the offer is about to expire CALL them and try and negotiate a better than published rate.  Most providers would rather keep you than lose you to a competitor.

Clothing- One of the richest men I know shops at thrift stores like SAVERS.   If it's good enough for him it's good enough for me and then it's good enough for you.  I still reserve socks and underwear for NEW retailers like Target or JC Penney, but no more $90 Banana Republic Sweaters for me. EDIT- Again, I’m trying to be totally honest here. I haven’t shopped at a thrift store in a dozen years and I DO buy all of my clothes from Banana Republic— I’m not just starting out— you are not me.

Health Insurance- While Obama Care still exists, check out your options.  Most states give you a rate based on your income and the nice thing is if you're just starting out you won't have much income to begin with.  Don't ignore health insurance, you want it when you need it and you won't know you need it until you're sick so take the afternoon to find a plan within your budget.

Essentials MUST be met each month-- tally up what yours came to-- that is your base of operations.  Let's say yours came to $1100 and currently with Freelancing you're bringing in about $600 a month.  If you've got some savings you can dig into that but a deficit of $500 a month is going to eat that up quick, do something to reduce the expenses quickly.

Let's say you made your budget and you just can't live within it despite all of the above advice.  Then it's cold hard truth time.  You need a THIRD room-mate, or you'll need to "gulp" get a real part time job to help pay the bills.  It's not the end of the world to do that.  Working a few nights at a 7-11 is still better than working full time in an office if you're trying to be a Freelancer.  It doesn't mean it's forever.

But let's say you meet all these essentials and you've still got a few bucks left over-- THEN and ONLY then can you consider LUXURY items.

SECOND TIER ESSENTIALS

• Streaming Video, Game or Movie Rentals- because you can't stare at the walls for fun.

• Automobile- you have to get around sometimes

• Cell Phone- people have to be able to reach you, although since writing this Cell-Phones are so cheap I’d put them in category one— and don’t pay for a landline phone. Visible has a plan that you can get for $25 a month.

Streaming is a much more reasonable expense than Cable or Satellite.  Buy yourself a regular old antenna and you'll be SHOCKED at how many channels you get for FREE.

Automobile-- Used if you're just starting out-- reliable is best.  Find a good mechanic and have them keep an eye out for you.  I recommend Greasys Garage in Worcester.  Those guys are gems.

Now you can adjust your budget every month once you start doing better, so you're not locked to a life of Ramen Noodles and shadow puppets on the wall for entertainment, but set a realistic budget and then live within it and you'll find being a Freelancer is not as hard as it sounds.

COMING UP NEXT: GET PAID SON! Sometimes the hardest part is getting your client to pay you.

Andy Fish is a freelance artist and writer who has been living the lifestyle longer than there has been an iPhone on this planet.  The advice given has worked for him, it might work for you, he hopes it does.  But like all advice, take it with your own situation in mind.  If you want to contact him shoot him an email andy@andytfish.com

#3 Setting Up Work Parameters - FREELANCE GUiDANCE: A 10 Part Series

One of the benefits of Freelancing is the FREEDOM but sometimes too much freedom leads to disorganization and chaos.  Possibly the biggest challenge a Freelancer faces is the ability to be his or her own boss-- with no one constantly over your shoulder, no fear of a walk thru by the uppity mucks there's plenty of opportunity to slack off, and that will kill your career.

• 1. ESTABLISH YOUR WORK HOURS - This should be a "general" guide because as I've already covered sometimes creativity cannot be caged. Sometimes that great idea or inspiration comes at 2 in the morning rather than at 9. Everyone is different and this is a find your way kind of rule. During a week of working freelance take occasion to jot down notes of the time and productivity-- you'll likely see a pattern emerge. In my own case I like to get an early start but seldom do. But after years of study I've discovered my peak productivity blocks in the day- 5am-8am and 2pm to 10pm. We'll get into this a bit further below.

• 2. ESTABLISH A WORK AREA - This is the BIGGEST key for me. I don't allow my work to spread out all over the house. I work ONLY in my studio space. The entire third floor of my house is my office area. It houses my computers, drawing tables, easels, supplies and reference material. I DON'T spend ANY time in there NOT working. You wouldn't drive to your corporate office job so you can search eBay would you? I treat my work area with the same respect.

• 3. KNOW WHEN A JOB IS NOT THE RIGHT FIT - It’s hard when you're just starting out to turn down a job, but sometimes (especially early on) things come along that are not right for you. I can't draw cute. I can't. Bunnies might start KIND OF cute but eventually they're going to look depraved. It's not in my makeup. Early in my career I would have taken that gig and kept at it killing myself and doing four times the work to make it right for the client. Now I know better. You turn down the WRONG job so you're available when the RIGHT job comes along.

• 4. DEADLINES TRUMP EVERYTHING - My kids from an early age knew the phrase "Dad's on a deadline" -- which meant I'm a phantom that might pop up out of my studio 2-3 times a week. The Deadline is the thing. I don't miss deadlines. This should not be your every week routine— you need to have a life, but those deadline crunch times are special circumstances.

• 5. SET UP PRODUCTIVITY - Da Vinci used a similar schedule and I've found this works; 45-90 minute working sessions with breaks in between makes me MUCH more productive.

Be a Henchmen or Be A Boss— it’s all how you do it.

LET'S GET A LITTLE FURTHER IN-DEPTH to my talking points

1- Establishing Your Work Hours-- I would suggest you even buy yourself an OPEN/CLOSED sign that you can put outside your workroom door.  It doesn't have to be a fancy neon one, it can be a simple cardboard one.  In my studio I use to blowmold ghosts that sit at the edge of my desk-- when they're on I'm working.  It not only lets other people know you're "at work" it gets yourself into the right frame of mind.

My Ghosts are ON so I must be working.

Share your working hours with significant others.  Let them know you're going to be struggling to "work from home" and you'll need their help.  They wouldn't walk into your office on Park Avenue with your co-workers all around and your boss down the hall clutching the light bill and saying we need to talk about that neon beer sign you must have on 24 hours a day-- they would wait until you're home from work, and just because work is now home there should be no difference.

They need to understand that work from home does NOT mean you don't work.  It does not mean every elderly relative can expect you to shuttle them around to doctor appointments, it doesn't mean you're instantly the chaperone at juniors Zoo trip.  YOU ARE STILL WORKING just AT HOME.

You’ll need to decide if you are going to follow a standard Monday-Friday work week or will you take Mondays and Tuesdays off?  Resist the urge to not take days off because money is coming in. I strongly advocate days off for your own mental health.   It's easy to swing the opposite direction in Freelance and work 24/7.

One of the first things I wanted when I went Freelance was weekends off.  After years of working in retail I never got to enjoy them.  In retail I had every Sunday and Wednesday off.  SPLIT days-- and I was looking forward to two together.  It seemed like a dream to me.

The downside to being off weekends is so is everyone else.  So those Wednesday trips to the bank or the post office I used to make were a breeze compared to trying to go on Saturday morning.

Now, I schedule days off (and to be honest A Day Off) the week I'm working.  It allows me to better balance projects.  And being completely honest, I LOVE working freelance, sometimes taking a day off is like punishment.  But even on the weeks I don't take a day off I take a morning off, or an afternoon, or an evening-- that works for me.  Starting out-- I'd give yourself at least one day off each week as you're figuring out what works for you.

How About Holidays?   That seems like a no-brainer until you're on that big project and it's due Dec 27th and using the Organizational skills I set up for you in Session 1 you realize you're behind.   Suddenly you have a virtual scale in front of you held by Santa Claus with family and friends on one side and the client on the other.

Deciding up front that it's a hard and fast rule that you won't work CERTAIN holidays is a concession I made right away.   I don't work on Christmas-- in fact I don't work two days BEFORE Christmas and I don't work the week FOLLOWING Christmas up through to Jan 2nd.  I don't.  Nope, not gonna do it.

Why?  I like Christmas and it's a holiday I look forward to.    I work extremely hard up to Dec 22nd but truth be told Christmas is VERY Slow in Freelance because most clients aren't thinking about projects either.  So a studio shut down is perfectly acceptable.

But the OTHER 99 holidays on the calendar?  They are all up for grabs.  I don't work the night of my wife's Birthday and I keep the schedule light during the day-- but other than Xmas, New Years and my Wife's Birthday I will work any other holiday even at the drop of a hat.

Knowing this helps me keep the stress level down.  My family knowing this keeps them from asking me why I'm not coming to the Memorial Day cookout, or the Patriots Day party. 

That’s my cowl there on the right in the hands of the master craftsmen who do the fabric covering and painting of it.

2. Establish a Work Area - My wife has her own studio on another floor of the house.  We meet daily for Breakfast and Lunch which is a nice break.  Her studio is very zen.  Very few things, a handful of books, some sparse furniture and warm inviting lights with some inspirational artwork hanging prominently around the room.  Mine is the polar opposite of Zen.  It's loaded like a High School locker.  There is not an inch of space on my walls or shelves that is not filled with comics, posters, original art, toys, action figures, vintage japanese vinyl toys, a lifesize Frankenstein, an Adam West Batman Cowl, a Nicholas Hammond Spider-Man Mask a Tony the Tiger display head, Darth Vader mask, more toys, more art more action figures and did I mention Books?  Libraries come to me to borrow things.  There are THOUSANDS of books.

I love the kinetic cluttered energy it gives off.  At Christmas time I might move a Santa Claus in somewhere. The rest of  the year Halloween Lights hang in my studio.  It's my own personal Batcave-- all I'm missing is a British Butler walking in with coffee and scones every forty five minutes, and writing that I realize I need a British Butler— send applications and resumes (you must be skilled at Krav Mega and firearms) to andy@andytfish.com. Let’s be real, I know it’ll be tough to find one, so if you have to fake the accent that’s perfectly OK.

But that space works for me.  It gets me juiced up and ready to work.

That's how you need to set YOUR space.  When you're just starting out you may have to incorporate a drawing or work area in another room because of space restraints.  When I was first starting out in a one bedroom studio my bed was three feet from my drawing table.  It made for some tough nights sleeping because it was hard to "turn off" working mode in the same room.

Regardless of space, make some for yourself.  I have a good friend whose first studio space was a medium sized closet.  It was actually kind of cool-- you had to climb in like a race car but once you were encased in the environment like a man piloting a lunar shuttle to the moon you were ready to work.

The point is to make this space YOUR work inspiration-- so make it a place you WANT to spend time in.

3. Know when a Job is NOT the Right Fit - Easy to say when you're established.  You're going to take pretty much any job that comes along at first, and that's okay.  Sometimes you don't even know the job isn't right for you until you're doing it.
When we get to PART 5: GETTING PAID SON we'll look at how to budget for these types of jobs so at least you're getting paid well for something that isn't a fit.

Let's assume that despite your portfolio of Goth Animals someone comes to you thinking you'd be perfect for that highly detailed photo accurate oil painting of Grandma.  That's not a good fit for you, you know it, they don't.  But the light bill is due and there's not a lot else coming in right now so you're thinking hard about taking it.   It's a fork in the road decision:

• A. You take it and spend HOURS upon HOURS resisting the urge to give grandma dark undereyes and floppy ears. If you went with this option the biggest advice I can give you is do a lot of research and spend a LOT of time warming up. Look at portraits, look at Presidential Portraits and study the brush strokes. Grab your favorite sketchbook and some colored pencils and get to an art museum and do some sketching of the portraits in the collection. Get your head ready for the project and then give it your best shot.

• B. Pass on it and recommend a friend you know who would be a better fit, earning Karma points from the friend and freeing yourself up for that job that WILL fit. Spend the downtime Marketing yourself (also coming up in the series) which is a better expenditure of your time and resources.

4. Deadlines Trump All - All my rules of work parameters combined with the skills I imparted in the ORGANIZATION session should lead you to a point where you don't have to work overtime, but in the real world we know that occasionally that IS going to happen.  If you find yourself CONSTANTLY working overtime on projects re-evaluate your working methods and see if you are actually being productive or if you're wasting a lot of time.

5. SetUp Productivity - The eight hour workday became the norm at the turn of the last century and pretty much has been the standard ever since.  This method goes back LONG before that to the days of Leonardo Da Vinci who often used this seemingly odd method to accomplish the amazing array of achievements he did over the course of his life. 

It's simple-- you work in 45-90 minute sessions with breaks in between.  During the session you do NOTHING but work.  You don't answer the phone if it rings (that's why Voicemail was created) you don't check your email.  You don't jump on IMDB to see who was the actor inside Darth Vader's suit (it was Dave Prowse, body builder and former Frankenstein actor).  YOU WORK.  Because SO much of our day is actually filled with distraction.  That's OK if you work for SNIDELY WHIPLASH INDUSTRIES who is paying you a fat check to work 30% of the time, as a Freelancer you only get paid for the hours you actually WORK.    Novel concept isn't it?  It's the price you pay for being your own boss.

This is best accomplished either by setting up a PLAYLIST running the allotted time, or by streaming an episode of a TV series or even setting an alarm clock.  Give it a try-- WORK for the allocated time and THEN take a break of 15-30 mins (also timed) to check your mail, return phone calls, do whatever-- you will be AMAZED at how this works if you can really be disciplined about it.

COMING UP NEXT: LIVING WITHIN YOUR MEANS

Andy Fish is a freelance artist and writer who has been living the lifestyle longer than there has been an iPhone on this planet.  The advice given has worked for him, it might work for you, he hopes it does.  But like all advice, take it with your own situation in mind.  If you want to contact him shoot him an email andy@andytfish.com

#2 SURROUNDING YOURSELF with the Right People -FREELANCE GUiDANCE: A 10 Part Series

Part Two- SURROUNDING YOURSELF WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE                                             

This one is the hardest one because it involves making some painful choices.  We all know people who are Debbie Downers; parents, siblings, friends, even spouses.  They doubt you'll be able to succeed, they've likely settled in to their own place and role, they don't think they're anything special and that people who are successful must know someone, or they just got lucky.

What they don't get is this simple FACT:  We make our own luck.  We make our own connections.  YOU can do this-- I know it.  Only for the simple fact that I did it and I'm nothing special.

I did learn to stop being afraid.  If I was able to travel back in time I would likely punch Little Andy in the head because I was afraid of everything.  EVERYTHING.

Today I can honestly say I'm afraid of nothing.  Well, that's not entirely true-- I AM afraid of Grizzly bears but I don't put myself in a situation where I run into a lot of Grizzly bears so it doesn't come up very often.

In fact-- I'm actually confident I can beat a Grizzly.  Yeah-up-- you read that right.  I think I, a man of some 180lbs can BEAT a 1000lb Grizzly bear.  Because like everything else that has ever scared me, I got this figured out.

All right so here's me walking in the woods.

I'm the first to admit I don't like the woods, I don't like the great outdoors.  My idea of roughing it is staying in a Motel rather than a Hotel, and I don’t stay in Motels.   But for the sake of the argument for some ungodly reason I find myself walking in the woods.

Note some equipment

• 1. a .357 Magnum- the second most powerful handgun in the world. I don't need the first, too much recoil and it's heavy, so I'll go with this one. I know what you're thinking: well, that's all you need. WRONG. A Grizzly bear can take several shots and keep on coming and all it need do is swipe you with a single paw and your intestines are now sunning themselves by the lake.

• 2. A heavy walking stick with a sharpened point. I once climbed MOUNT WASHINGTON in the snowiest month of the year, February, on the day the French Olympic Climbing team refused to attempt it. I made it bro and a walking stick was critical. It's going to help if a snake decides to come near me too. Very important that you choose a hefty one too.

• A good solid knife that is really sharp. I have a great one.

• 4. Comfortable walking shoes. You can't fight a bear if your feet hurt.

So I'm minding my own business trying to find my way out of this hellish jaunt through nature when I hear a grumbling coming up behind me.  Bear.

I secure one end of the stick firmly into the ground while I drop to one knee and unholster my gun.  As the bear approaches he has no idea what this stick thing is and continues on his charge impaling himself on the sharpened end of my stick (glad you chose a hefty one now eh?)- meanwhile I empty the .357 into his head and throat sending pieces of Yogi all over the scenery.

Hold your position for several minutes.  Make sure you've aimed carefully every bullet is going to count.

Now all you animal rights idiots-- relax.  He came after me, I don't advocate hunting-- this was clearly a him or me situation and it's not going to be me. I don’t spend any time in the woods so it’s very likely this Grizzly attack occurred at a four star hotel, bears should not be in a four star hotel.

From there I skin the bear using the same knife I used to sharpen my stick and I walk out of the woods wearing the baddest top coat around, establishing clearly to any other animals thinking about snacking on me to look elsewhere. Except for other romantically inclined grizzly bears getting out of the woods should be a cake walk.

I really think this would work, I’m not kidding. What's my point?  Be prepared.  Think it through.  SURROUND yourself with people who BELIEVE you can do it.

Surround yourself with people who put success in the same place that you do.

If my best friend spent his hours trying to beat the high score of PAC MAN I'd rethink the hours we spend together.

Your biggest investment in your career is time.  You need people around you who appreciate what you're trying to do and UNDERSTAND.

Cold hard truth time: if you are trying to make it as a freelancer and your significant other has a regular 9-5 job and doesn't understand why you don't keep those same hours you may need to make a choice there too.

Here's the rub with Freelance VS a "real" job-- and why so many spouses/girlfriends/boyfriends have a hard time understanding: you don't have a boss telling you it's OK to punch out-- you work for yourself, and because you do you realize the whole thing is up to you.  Success or failure hinges on YOU. You get paid ONLY for the hours you work. Not the hours you clock in and then shop eBay sales.

Creatives are different from ordinary folks.  Sometimes you're on a roll and you don't want to stop, sometimes the entire day has been a frustrating array of non-starting and now it's 6pm and things are suddenly jelling.  Sometimes you lay in bed unable to sleep and opt to get up at 2am to work a bit more on that project-- non-creatives don't understand this.

Because in the real working world of office spaces and cublicles people work from 9-5 and even then they probably only ACTUALLY work three hours of that whole day.  That doesn't work in freelance. 

This means choosing wisely when it comes to a mate.  The partner you're considering isn't going to change once there is a ring on their finger.  If they are impatient with you now that you're trying to establish yourself they are not suddenly going to be calm and understanding later on down the road when you're a working professional.

Am I advocating you break up with the non-understander?  Am I advocating you DIVORCE a spouse who is unsupportive of your career choice?

Yes I am.

But before you go to that extreme I suggest you sit down and have a conversation, preferably when you're still in the courting stage so it's not an expensive split if they refuse to understand what you're trying to accomplish.  Explain the following to them:

• The deadline is the thing. Your reputation and your career are reliant on your ability to meet deadlines. When you're on deadline it has to come first.

• Creativity happens at it's own accord. It doesn't always happen from 9-5 so there will be nights and weekends when you're working.

• Promise to make time for them and then stick to that promise. Maybe it's date night on Thursdays. Maybe its a movie every Friday. Maybe it's weekend breakfasts. No matter what it is-- be there as you promised.

• Like projects in your career, don't overpromise. Don't agree to three date nights a week if you notice that you tend to work best at night. Be realistic in what you promise.

• Because if you want to beat this game, if you want to take down a Grizzly in the woods, you need to be clear and focused, and most importantly you have to COMPLETELY believe you can do it.

Be wary of who you take advice from.  I've got a friend, a very close friend, who is almost always wrong.  He once told me that Foxwoods Casino had a special where for $20 you got a free bus ride, $50 in chips to play with and a free buffet.   He told me once that the city picks up old appliances at no charge to taxpayers.   He's loaded with "great" advice.  When we were in college and I said I wanted to be a comic book artist he said "Well, that's great, but isn't it like being an actor?  It's really hard to make a living at it."  Cue the Ee-Ore whine from Winnie the Pooh.

He's still my friend, but I long ago stopped listening to his advice.  If I mention something I'm planning to do and he starts to rattle off the fifty reasons why it won't work I tune him out and then I don't return his calls for a while.

Surround yourself with good people.  People who are on the same path you're on.  Get out there and meet like minded individuals and use them for support when you need it.

And if someone doubts you, don't listen to them.  Cut them out.

Andy Fish is a freelance artist and writer who has been living the lifestyle longer than there has been an iPhone on this planet.  The advice given has worked for him, it might work for you, he hopes it does.  But like all advice, take it with your own situation in mind.  If you want to contact him shoot him an email andy@andytfish.com

It's New! FREELANCE GUiDANCE: A 12 Part Series REVISED #1 - Organization!

FREELANCE GUiDANCE: A 10 Part Series  PART ONE: ORGANIZATION

Revised 2024

NOTE: Freshed and renewed for 2024

I’ve been a Freelancer for over twenty-five years and in that time I’ve learned a lot. Along the way I’ve made some mistakes, faced uncertainty and even catastrophe and I’ve come through it. This twelve-part series is designed to help you to build your own career, see my mistakes and follow my victories.

ORGANIZATION is KEY to survival as a freelancer.
Sadly most creative types often lack this basic skill.  You might accuse me of the same if you saw my studio mid-project-- piles upon piles of reference, supplies, reading glasses-- frightening to the untrained eye.

Ideally, Sunday mornings I head into my studio and clean and organize.  I find homes for everything and leave no piles.  It helps me to approach Monday fresh.  One quick rule to cleaning that I've embraced is this strategy:

• Picture the room as a clock-- start at 12 Noon, and move clockwise through the room cleaning.

• Each and every object that you pick up MUST be relocated to it's final location. No picking up something and putting it down someplace else to be dealt with later. Each object is dealt with NOW. That concept is going to work later on when we look at things like PROCRASTINATING, but for now we're focused on organization.

• Set a designated amount of time in which you will clean contingent on the amount of neglect and mess you're dealing with.

• When in doubt THROW it out. This is not a time to reminisce, not a time to catch up on reading that book you found. This is a time to organize. Create three possible destinations for every object- 1. Waste Basket 2. A permanent place for storage 3. A small box of deal with laters*.

• Give it a good dusting with a soft cloth, wipe down your computer screens, monitors, tablets, etc. I use eyeglass cleaner wipes from Mastermans Company they work great and leave no residue. The wipes are disposable and come in a nice little box.

• I have shelves for reading, reading soon, reference material, boxes for original art, portfolios for prints and clipboards on the wall for invoices, calendars and supply catalogs.

• Pens, pencils, brushes and other art supplies are cleaned and put away.

• Sweep and spot mop

Time wise it takes me about an hour or so clean and straighten the whole studio which is about 650 square feet.    Don't get bogged down, if it's taking much longer than that come back to it.

If Sunday doesn’t work and too much time has passed, I devote several days to a really deep clean. I also do this Pre-Spring and Pre-Winter.

All right so your studio space is organized now it's on to organizing your work.

Essentials: Monthly Calendar, Solid Internet Connection, Good Supplies, Music, Good light, inspiration materials, business cards professionally designed and printed, a small cork board or dry erase board.

Sunday is a good opportunity to go through your supplies and see what you need.  Paper stock, working supplies, etc.  THROW out those old supplies that are dried up or no longer working.

MONDAYS- Pull out that calendar and see what's on the agenda.  Go to your cork board or dry erase board and write down the ESSENTIALS for that week.  What MUST be done.

I write one of these each week and tack it up in the studio:

It's pretty self explanatory but it gives me a place to look each week and see where I am and what needs to be done.

The BUY section is especially helpful so that I don't wander off to the store and then forget what I'm after.

Follow ups very important, in this case chasing after an unpaid invoice from a client (more on that later in the series).

Current Projects +/- let's me know where I stand.  So in this example I'm 3 pages behind my projected progress, so that means I need to accomplish an extra three pages this week if I want to get back on schedule.

On Deck simply means things that are on the horizon that I don't want to forget about.

The list can be all business or it can be personal or a mix of the two.

It's an essential weapon in planning out your week.   There are cold hard truths to face in Freelance, and I mean this in freelance of any nature; writing, graphic design, comics, you name it.  You won't make your deadline if you don't know where you stand, and there are times you have to make choices-- do I skip Aunt Bea's 90th Birthday party so I can make this deadline?  Can I go to that movie this week?  Hard choices, and knowing where you stand project wise goes a long way towards helping you to make the decision.

If I know Aunt Bea isn't going to be around for a long time and I absolutely HAVE to be at the party (there will be cake after all)-- then it's better I plan for that with a week in front of me rather than just put it aside and worry about it later.

Using the scheduling method- and knowing that I'm ALREADY three pages behind my projected progress I'm going to have to skip dinner with friends on Wednesday night and plan on pulling a late couple of nights to get myself ahead. This means prioritizing personal relationships and events. Aunt Bea is 90, but you haven’t seen your friends in a long time, you don’t really like Aunt Bea all that much anyway…..c’mon— muster up the strength and go see the old lady. Maybe figure out why you annoy her so much. Bring a nice coffee cake.

Be smart about it-- make those late night overtime sessions on Monday and Tuesday so you can re-examine your progress mid-week.  If on Wednesday you are now caught up with pages or projects and looking good to make your deadline then all is good and you'll be able to hand Auntie that coffee cake.

If you are STILL behind you'll need to AMP up those efforts to make additional progress.  What if a favorite client calls and asks you to "whip up something quick?"-- hard to say no and that's not going to help with your progress.

At that point you'll need to make some decisions about the party, maybe you decide to just pop in and drop off the cake, or maybe you'll have to go with mailing the card and making a phone call on her birthday with a promise to take her to lunch when you're through this workload. Just make sure you follow through with any promises.

That's better than calling the client to tell them you're going to miss the deadline isn't it?

THOSE are the realities all of us freelancers face, and know WHERE you stand in a particular project will give you the ammunition you need to succeed.

Organization goes a long way towards reducing your stress too.

Next Up- Part Two- Surrounding ourselves with the right people.

Andy Fish is a freelance artist and writer who has been living the lifestyle longer than there has been an iPhone on this planet.  The advice given has worked for him, it might work for you, he hopes it does.  But like all advice, take it with your own situation in mind.  If you want to contact him shoot him an email andy@andytfish.com