excuse my weird color, underlined green text, but I forget which website I copied and pasted it from. It's very useful so I thought I would post it for all the freelance graphic artists out there. I'll post the source as soon as I can. Thanks.
Some of us fall into freelancing by accident. We lose or quit our jobs and the only kind of work we can find right away is freelance. We don’t realize that freelancing is somewhat of an art form that we can all become masters at. Instead our eye in only on the prize… in this case, money and paying the rent. What we should all learn is that freelancing can actually become a fantastic and fulfilling career move, as long as you remember the following basic wise words:
1) Build
your skills and portfolio before quitting your day job
If you have the luxury of time to wait until you have built up your skills and
portfolio before quitting your day job, then this is ideal. Make sure you are
ready to put yourself out there immediately so you waste little time. If you
are a graphic designer, a writer or a web designer, for example, you should
have your skills honed and ready with a portfolio to show for it. If you dream
of being a writer but have nothing to show for it yet, open your own blog.
2)
Start/Continue networking and making friends
Don’t be a “No” man/woman. Helping out a friend almost always comes back
around. So next time someone asks you to help them move or help them with a
task they’re struggling with, help them out. Almost every job I have gotten was
through connections. Having good connections is one of the most valuable things
a freelancer can attain. If you don’t have any, open up a Facebook and Linkedin
account and start right away. If you have some already, keep up with them
regularly and build upon them.
3) Eliminate
Clutter
This may sound like an unrelated tip but it’s actually quite important. Most
freelancers work from their home or personal office space. If your home and
personal office space is a mess, it will most likely reflect upon your work and
general organization . Create a clean and clutter free surrounding for yourself
so you can be comfortable and free to work without distraction. This also means
your computer desktop, your email organization and your computer file
organization. Do not let your emails accumulate and take control over your
desktop environment.
4) Learn to
single-task
If you’re generally a multi-tasker, it’s important to take it back to the
basics and learn how to single-task. Multi-tasking is overrated and usually
just causes confusion, stress and less accurate or poorer quality work. In
order to successfully single-task, create a to-do list right away, have as few
in-boxes as possible; one physical and one email is sufficient. If you have
multiple email addresses that you use, be sure to direct them all to one main
inbox. Another good tip is to plan your day in blocks to keep yourself
organized and working efficiently.
5) Stop Procrastinating
Procrastination is something that debilitates us all, and it’s certainly not an
easy thing to stop. The main reason why we all procrastinate is because we feel
overwhelmed by a particular task or tasks, so make sure to eliminate all but
the essential jobs. Create accountability. We put things off for ourselves but
most of us hate to look bad to others. Use this simple feeling to drive your
work quality and efficiency. Make sure to focus on the small steps, create a
deadline and think one task at a time.
The birth of my brother 22 years ago automatically secured me with a built-in room mate if ever I needed one, and well, the time has come. I asked him some months ago, following me telling Chris I want a divorce, if he would be interested in being my room mate. Three weeks ago I became full-time status at work, thus allowing me to think more strategically about living on my own. Him and I found a place, and will be moving in sometime next week. There are several caveats that come to mind, however:
- Neither of us plan on being in San Diego for very much longer (much to my parents dismay, I'm sure). Referring back to my previous post, I plan on being in San Diego no longer than 1 more year, and my brother will be discharging from the Navy in 2011 to join the Marine Corps.
- Related to caveat 1, we need to decide within the next 6 months if we're going to continue living there until he leaves (meaning I will be paying rent for a place I won't be living in for 3 months and potentially not be going back to at all after I complete Officer Candidacy School).
- We have absolutely nothing to put in our house besides what little belongings we both have, a TV and various game consoles that are rightly his, and a cat that is rightly mine. By some act of God, I managed to secure a mattress and two couches from various coworkers for a small fee. Supposedly it's all in great, gently used condition. At this point, I couldn't give a shit...
- Despite being able to "afford" living on my own, I will be living just within my means. I will be broke for a long, long time, which will make me leaving for OCS that much more meaningful.
But everything about the situation makes those three (and I'm sure there are more...) points completely worth the trouble. Our situation is entirely temporary. Just the fact that I'll be on my own, with my own room and own space, is more important to me than any of the negative aspects that may arise.
Not all those who wander are lost...
Tigers, woods had a car accident not to long ago. And at first it with the media coverage it seemed to be a ploy to get him to talk about what happened. I was never really sure what the big deal is, I mean I had a car crash so does like half of America it happens. But then it has turned into an all out parade with his personal life. I mean at first with the allegations of infidelity I couldn't believe it he seemed like a nice guy. Never heard of him being anything more than a golfer and family man in the magazines. But then It wasn't one woman it was several woman, and now the never is getting the double digits. And it's just amazing to me, especially with the wife because she just left yesterday. I mean one woman you could maybe try to brush off and say oh it's groupies gone mad. But double digits I wouldn't be able to ignore that no matter how much I loved a man. I am glad is finally left, and you know it's one thing when a person gets cheated on and possibly only a couple friends know. It's complicately different when virtually the whole country knows.
On a brighter note my has finally been stationed in California after being stationed in Japan for two years. Which is still on the opposite side of the country but atleast it's in the country. The past two years have been kind of hard because being over seas doesn't always allow for lengthy or rather good phone time on a regular basis. Sometimes I would go months with out us talking with was hard especially when I was going through hard things and they one person I wanted to talk to wasn't available. When his two year tour in Japan was coming to a close began to get scared or apprehensive because I hadn't seen him in two years. And we weren't talking that often either. I was afraid that maybe we would start talking more often or he was come see me and wouldn't like me anymore. Two years is a long time after all. I was also afraid that he would want something else or someone else other than me when got back into the states. Or that maybe we have some horrible realization that we had grown apart. Or that maybe nothing would change, and we still go weeks with out speaking. However, it hasn't been like that at all. We've pretty much been talking and texting through out the day since he's gotten back. And He makes me laugh now more than ever and now I have been discovering all kinds of things about him. Sometimes that aren't necessarily my favorite. But I get hear what he thinks about different things and what he's passionate about and I love it. We are even talking about arrangements to come see each other.
JunoII
...life moves on. I'm still living, still breathing, happy with myself and the choices I've made with my life. Instead of succumbing to the split-second thought "it's 9 in the morning and well, I'd rather stay in bed all day", I realized not a whole lot gets done when you're just laying there. The same could be said for just about everything in life. Every day, I am faced with a situation that proves just how true that is. So I get up, time and time again. Pull back the covers and face the world, because the world will go on without me regardless.
I am on the move. In 3 months, I will be done with nursing school and ready to face the world. I want to join the Navy as a nurse; I am forcing myself to meet new challenges that I never thought I'd ever choose to take on. If I do this, I will be moving to a completely different coast for 3 months, by myself. Who knows what kind of physical and mental challenges I'll go through once I'm there to prepare me for the military life. On top of that, where will I decide to "end up" once I'm done with my training: back to San Diego, stay on the east coast, go overseas? The possibilities will be endless, and I can't wait. This is exactly the kind of thing I've been waiting for, what I've broken away from my old life for. To not only find myself, but to make myself.
The stress, frustration, and anguish of a life gone wrong are dredged up constantly. I need a fresh start to mend this broken heart. Granted, everything that ever happened to me was partially because of me, but it doesn't hurt any less. I look forward to moving on from all of this, creating a new image for myself, and coming home eventually to find that time really does work miracles. At least, that's what I'm hoping for. I will miss my family and friends more then anything, but I'm no stranger to this. For this I am thankful for coming from a Navy family. I am no stranger to change; in fact, I often times crave it. Stability, stricture, and discipline are some things I need. I'm far too spoiled for my own good, I need a swift kick in the ass and a little growin' up to boot. I also want to see the world (for free) and the spare change I'll collect along the way isn't a bad incentive.
Divorce is hard, heartbreak is hard too. But an unhappy life is unacceptable. And I am finally happy.
A lot of people start decorating for the holidays before the Thanksgiving leftovers have been eaten... What about you? When are you going to start putting up your holiday decorations this year?
We actually bought our tree and also decorated it. I love this time of the year and my kids get really excited decorating and looking at the lights!
It's Week 12 of the NFL season. How's your team faring?
Of course being from San Diego, I'm rooting for the SD Chargers! They wooped Kansas City 43-14!!!
It's Week 12 of the NFL season. How's your team faring?
Of course being from San Diego, I'm rooting for the SD Chargers! They wooped Kansas City 43-14!!!
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