Like most freelancers I know, I check Craigslist on a regular basis. Lately I’ve noticed the gig and jobs lists have become a venting ground for frustrated writers and designers who feel the need to lambaste ads and companies asking for free and cheap services. And this puzzles me. For one, why waste your time? And secondly, if it weren’t for those no-pay and cheap gigs, many freelancers wouldn’t be getting the paid gigs they’re getting today.

Internships and apprenticeships have been around for as long as specialized skills have been in demand. But today’s economy has changed the structure of these long revered traditions where speedy growth and advancement is the name of the game. Instead, the tendency is to offer one time or irregular gigs and newbies in the field use these to build a portfolio of experience they can’t get because no one will hire them without experience. And there’s nothing wrong with it. As long as it’s win-win.

I have a master’s in writing but I still needed to pay my dues when I headed into freelancing. I did a few articles for nothing but publications credits, wrote a few books for what seemed pennies an hour, and did graphics work pro bono for non-profits and friends. These slave wage gigs are what landed me a three month, full-time contract and several articles with a major national magazine and ever since, I have been able to get great contracts with livable fees writing and producing the kind of work I had set out to do.

Now, there are a lot of slime balls out there who ask for the most unreasonable things and are only concerned about what they can get out of the relationship. But there are plenty of fledgling companies and individuals who just need help with basic services to get their business or project off the ground. These are great time investments for a greenhorn freelancer, especially with new companies since it gets you in on the ground floor and if you do good work for them, they are likely to come back to you when they need more consistent or advanced work. Just let the prospect know what you need to get out of the project and if it’s by-line credits, reprint rights, items for your portfolio, etc. be sure you are guaranteed these things in the contract you have with them.

Alternatively, if you are one of those fledgling businesses who are strapped for cash, don’t feel bad asking for low or no cost services, just be certain you are able to offer something of high value in return. Be prepared to give testimonials and references as needed, don’t ask for the entire production to be off limits for use in their portfolio, and if they are a great resource, return a favor and recommend them to others.

No money doesn’t mean no value. There are many things in this world that just can’t be bought. It just needs to be valuable for both sides.

So, about 6 months ago I decided I needed to see what this hullabaloo about this book Outliers is all about. I skimmed a copy at the bookstore but didn’t get much from the skim except a niggling feeling that I might be sorry if I actually put money out for it, so I put in a request for the checked out copy at my local library. Apparently, I was not the only person on the wait list and/or it’s not a quick read because I’m still waiting for it. What is really apparent is that this is a really popular book. But I don’t get why.

From all the reviews I’ve read, the book basically tells you that if you aren’t successful now, you never will be, that your ability to succeed is based on things that are out of your control such as your upbringing and culture. What the he**? Who would write a book like this and market it to the general public as useful and insightful information? I mean, maybe it will reduce a few people’s stress level because now they can tell their spouse they can’t get a decent job because it was preordained by their past but seriously, why present someone’s ability to succeed as fatalistic? I have begun to suspect the book is an evil communist plot to keep us driven capitalists from trying to do anything worthwhile anymore. Seems a proper Batman inspired storyline, eh?

Now, keep in mind that I haven’t read the book so there may be a positive, uplifting lining to it that no one is bothering to chat about in the reviews (there were a number of unsubstantiated comments about it being “uplifting” that smelled strongly of marketing hype) but my impression is that this book is a nothing but a lot of repressive rhetoric. Except to those that may see themselves as one of those blessed successful types, then it is elitist affirmation. Bully for you, Trump.

My point is, does it really matter whether our backgrounds, upbringing, social circles, and the capricious nature of luck has anything to do with how well we succeed? Are you going to stop trying because where you come from looks nothing like where Bill Gates came from? Are you going to tell your kid she can never be a doctor because people from your background are doomed to be ditch diggers?

The whole premise of the book seems to ignore the most essential part about success. Our need to strive for what we want, the intense satisfaction we get from achieving, and the elevated value of the gain we get from reaching our goals because we had to work at it. If you get everything by luck, would you have any pride or get any real happiness from what you have? Just look at the many big lottery winners in the years after their major stoke of luck. They aren’t happy–many are ruined. Then look at our President. I can’t say that he’s happy (I wouldn’t be under that much stress!) but you know he’s got to be damn proud of what he’s accomplished.

Ignore Outliers, I say.  Your life is what you make of it. And just trying is the greatest measure of a successful life.

It has been a couple weeks since I posted a blog here. I had not planned to take a break from posting but when life pummels you with one thing after another, you have to pick your priorities and be honest about your limits. The problem is, organization and those well laid plans tend to just fly out the window when that wrench gets thrown into the cogs. But that doesn’t need to be the case. You just need a plan for when your plans don’t work out.

This month I was forced to restructure my work life, I got sick, and ended up with a bigger workload than expected all while working on a new collection of art. Suddenly I found myself having to choose between keeping up my on-line presence and other really important things, like sleep.

Instead of flailing about trying to make it all work, I was able to shift quickly into a plan B because I had already determined my priorities. I decided long ago that I would not compromise the quality of my work by regularly operating sleep deprived so I made sure I was getting 7-8 hours a night. I had also decided that the completion of the new artwork by the end of this month was a priority over all my other work so I headed into the studio first thing every day to be sure I would get done what I had slated for that day. All my other usual activities were relegated to later in the day the most important ones being done first and if bedtime rolled around with a few things still not done, they were at least the items that I already knew I could manage to do without.

If I had not had a clear idea about what was most important for this month and long ago had resigned myself to not being Superwoman, the many unexpected interruptions could have completely thrown off all my plans. Being prepared enabled me to complete some great art work and as a result I won Judges’ Choice for best body of work at the Mile Hi Art Show I participated in this past weekend.

Life is one long string of interruptions. Things do not usually go as planned so if you expect to make your long term plans work out, you need to have your priorities predetermined and know what you will be willing to give up when necessary. Then, once you get through the unexpected detour, you can get yourself back on track knowing you have had some success, which will keep you motivated and on track for the long haul.

I am a busy person. Always have been. Give me a free afternoon and I will immediately overfill it. I have too many interests and too many things I want to do and try before I leave this world. But just getting done the things I have to do, not everything I want to do, can be a challenge. So I’ve tried many tricks and techniques and oddball processes to get more time out of my day, but I have never found anything more useful than this one simple thing: The priority list.

Even if you don’t believe yourself to be a list maker, you need to try this. It’s very simple, very easy to do, and astoundingly effective:

Every night (or morning, although I personally sleep better if I make the  list the night before so I don’t lay awake worrying about all I have to do) make a list of all you must get done and want to get done the next day.  I dash off my to do items on a wipe off board, then using my pda phone because I have it on me all the time, I make a list from most important to least. Make this list however it suits you, but make it a list organized by priority and have it on something you can carry with you all day, like a piece of paper (oh, how novel!).

Next day, after your morning rituals, you do the first thing on the list. When that’s done, you do the next thing. And after that, the next item, and so on until you are either done with the list or your day is over.

Sounds too simple to be effective? Well, if you try it, actually follow your list, you will find you can get done amazing amounts of things, more than you ever have before. Why is this? Because when we don’t know what we’re going to do next, when we don’t have a focus, we are easily distracted and dally about (often on-line or at the refrigerator door, right?) while we figure out what to do next. Plus there is all that catch up and repair time spent on things you remembered or waited to do at the last minute and now you’re playing catch up or picking up after the bedlam your mad rush caused. Working randomly is simply inefficient.

Just try it for one day. See how exciting and accomplished you will feel when you look at your list at the end of the day and see all those items crossed off and no longer hanging over your head. If it works try it again the next day. By the end of the week you’ll see just how much more you’ve gotten done, and you’ll be hooked.

Since the subject came up a few times yesterday, I thought I’d speak about the usefulness and beauty of the oft maligned ‘mess’ that is so common in creative spaces. My awareness of this issue started with the skimming of a blog that upheld that organization helps creativity. Something about an uncluttered space means an uncluttered mind which will allow your wee brain more room to come up with ideas and create. I shook my head through much of it. Since when are limitations (lack of space in your head or on your work table or in the materials or tools you have) roadblocks to creativity? To me, limitations are inspiring challenges and clutter is simply creativity in action.

Later yesterday I meet an artist and blogger on Twitter, Rosie_Rowe, who spoke specifically to her love of ‘messiness’. I have to say, it shows in her work—in the most pleasing and beautiful way. To add more ‘orderliness’ to her art would be to ruin it. She admittedly works in utter chaos, but I see what comes out of it, and all I can do is applaud.

I can be both messy and organized. I actually love to build organizational systems in my studio and office—it’s like solving a puzzle to me—but I do prefer to keep bits and pieces of what I am working on scattered about, as it would be in an active, busy studio, office, desk, or other creative workspace. The scattered remnants of a craft project on the kitchen table or the pile of resource books and color cards on a designer’s desk is a display of the creative process in motion, of the history of the creator’s progress. A mess means something is happening, possibilities are being transformed into realities, and  and, for me at least, such a sight is exciting and energizing.

Not everyone feels this way, I know. My significant other is partial to neatness and things being in their place more often than not. Although a musician and entertainer of a rather outlandish sort (see Reverend Guy Marvel), he just feels better when things are orderly, when there is some modicum of control in the house. This is just how some people are, just as others prefer to just keep going rather than worry about the debris that results from their creative process. The usefulness of messiness or orderliness is, when it comes down to it, best measured by an individual’s preference.

But like anything, it should all be in moderation. I mean, if you are too orderly while working, you probably aren’t letting yourself go, allowing your mind to slip into the zone where keeping things neat is usually last on the list and where over-thinking your work is usually quenched. But being overly messy often results in delays as you search for tools or files, or mishaps when buried paint jars tip over or client’s notes get tossed with the first sketches.

My solution is to take a few minutes at the end of my time in my studio or at my desk to put away the things no longer relevant to my present project but leaving, where they fall, those tools or references or materials I will need when I return, so I can fall right back into my work. You can try that if the chaos is taking over but, bottom line, don’t let anyone ever tell you that your work space is too messy—or too neat. There is beauty and inspiration in both.

One of the more difficult aspects of trying to make a living off your creativity is the making a living part. How much time and energy do you spend trying to figure out what the market wants, what will sell, and what’s popular now? Do you find yourself following trends and borrowing from other artists/writers/designers versus creating your own vision?

I think it’s obvious when you are making something for which you have no passion. When you are creating your work straight from your original spirit, it shows and that is part of what makes the work so attractive to others. If some of you is not imbued in what you are creating, what is the point?

I used to make these garden Faerie doors—they were solar powered resin cast doors with one-of-a-kind embellishments whose windows would light up in your garden when the sun went down. People loved them! I sold more of those than anything else at the art shows. And at first they were fun but they were more of a gimmick than a passion. After a while I got rather tired of making them and took no pride in the compliments I would get. They were just things I felt I had to make because it guaranteed that every art show would be monetarily worthwhile.

Then suddenly they stopped selling or at least they wouldn’t go for quite as much as they used to. It seemed rather odd to me until the day I looked at the pictures of the first ones I had made and then at the ones I had done most recently. They weren’t the same. The newer ones were comparatively dull, just churned out with no real design to them. It was obvious that I just wasn’t doing them very well any more.

Now I could have simply bucked up and worked on the designs and improved where I had been lagging but the thing is, I really didn’t want to make the faerie doors anymore. My heart wasn’t in it and I think it was obvious to the buyers. So I stopped making them and reevaluated my whole line. I scraped any design that made me cringe or that I knew I wouldn’t wear or display in my own place, anything I didn’t feel excited about selling. And you know, I am not only a happier artist for doing that but my newer work gets far more attention and compliments and goes for higher prices than my older work. And all I had to do was make what I felt was good art. Not what the market might have led me to believe was wanted.

Even if the work you do is under contract for a client and they have specific ways they want you to do things, they hired you based on something in your personality or your portfolio that made them feel you could create the look or feel they want. So put yourself into your work, be true to who you are as an original creator. Not everyone will love what you do, but do what you love and you will draw those who taste parallel yours.

When consulting for new businesses and solopreneurs, one of the first questions I will ask when we get to marketing matters is “Who is your market?” A great a deal of the time, I get the answer “Everybody!”. Even with a little pushing for a better definition most clients will still insist their market is a large generalized group with only one or two characteristics to define them such as “Anyone that needs a website” or “Any woman who like jewelry” or “Anyone who likes a good book” But such statements are:

1. Never true.
2. Representative of a marketing plan that is doomed to fail

Your market is always a very specific set of people. Take the website designer who says his market is anyone who wants a website. As one guy, is a big corporation who wants a 1000 page catalog site done in 2 months even possible for him to take on? Or is the hobbyist who will only spend $100 on a 5 page site, really the kind of client he wants to work with all the time? Is he going to be able to do a site for a hard-core gangsta rapper and still get the contract for that conservative local church?

The point is, you don’t market to a wide variety, or the fringe and oddball possibilities. You market to your specific core of people which may incidentally get you buyers or clients in other market segments but you don’t waste time chasing that. If you aim for too broad a market, you spread your efforts too thin to be effective with any one section of your market.

But who is your market? You probably already know, you’ve just never defined them. Take some time to do so now. Sit down and write out what your ideal, mostly likely to return for more, individual or company client or buyer is like. Characteristics should include:

1. Economic level (income for individuals, profit range for business)
2. Size of family or business (single, married, young family, empty nest; solopreneurs, small business, mid-size, large corporation)
3. Age (age range for individuals; start-up, established, or generational for business)
4. Ethnicity/Culture
5. Social &/or political leanings (conservative/liberal, primary social activity type, amount of social interaction, subcultures)
6. Interests and/or hobbies
7. The individual’s or company’s goals/concerns
8. Geographic location (local, state, national, international)
9. Type of location (urban, suburban, metropolitan, etc.)
10. Where they get general information (newspapers, TV, internet, networking, gossip, etc.)
11. Where they shop or go to find services
12. And whatever else you can think of …

Answering these questions will draw for you a picture of your typical buyer/client that you should keep in mind when making every marketing decision. If you have the talent, drawing an actual picture of your ideal person or business can help tremendously. I had a client who printed pictures off the internet and cut out photos from magazines of the particular type of people he was marketing to. It’s kind of like when you go to buy a birthday gift, you keep the person you are buying for in mind, usually visually. Do the same when planning your marketing (also when developing your product).

When planning your marketing, act like you’re shopping for a gift, and ask yourself what kind of gift they would like most (what products to focus on), what they need right now (how your product can solve their problems or fulfill a desire), how they will respond to different types of gifts (marketing materials), and how to wrap it (method of delivery).

Or you can just do something general like so many businesses do—kind of like spending you Christmas gift budget on sending everyone you have ever known a generic Christmas card. Many may read it but then it gets tossed and forgotten. Wouldn’t it have been better to spend your money on a few stunning gifts for the key people you want to impress so they’ll go around and talk about what you gave them?

Aim for impressing your key market. If your product is that good, they will tell others and expand your market for you.

Most creative work requires a lot of time working alone. Unlike most jobs, you don’t usually have a whole team of other employees to confer with, to pass off tasks to when your work load gets too heavy, to get regular feedback from, or to get that needed push when your enthusiasm starts to lag. This is both a boon and a detriment to your work and your state of mind. Not being pestered constantly is great for your productivity but it makes it much harder to work through design issues, plot problems, and other creative blocks. So, set yourself up with a social and feedback oriented network or two, something you can control but will get the interaction you need to keep going and to keep your work fresh and inspiring.

If you’re reading this, you probably are already involved in some social networking. But how do you use it? Is it just where you vent or chat about your day or read through the latest gossip? Venting and keeping up with the latest chatter is fine and even necessary for you as a social creature but if that’s all you’re doing, you’re wasting a great resource that can help inspire, promote, and grow your work and/or your business.

Whether it’s Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Squidoo, blogs, or whatever, take time to interact with others. This means not just reading and posting your own thoughts but discussing what others post or respond with, exchange ideas about your craft, comment on other people’s work, ask for comments on your latest creative endeavor, query about how other creatives handle issues with the medium you work with, and share resources you find. Not only will you build a very solid network of people you may even come to call your friends, but you will get the innovative insights, motivation, and new information you need to expand your talent and your market.

Being a creative can get mighty lonesome if we allow ourselves to be cut off from the rest of the world in order to spend time creating. But making social connections can also be addictive. You need to spend some time every day reaching out to your network, just not hours at a time. Be conscious about how much time you spend on your networking, maybe even budget or schedule time for it. Just don’t ever feel guilty about taking time away from your craft to reach out to other creatives. It’ll help you (and those you interact with) create better work and enjoy being a creative even more.

Making a living off your creative endeavors is a very different thing from working just about any other kind of job or owning any other kind of business. You usually work from home, work odd, long hours and often need plenty of solitary time to get into the zone and create. People who aren’t creatives tend to have a hard time understanding this. That’s why establishing a work schedule and communicating with the people that matter to you is so vitally important.

First, you need to have a schedule you know you can work with. Assuming you already have some experience in your craft, consider the conditions under which you work best. What time of day are you most productive and/or when will clients or customers need to get a hold of you? Can these times coincide or will you need separate hours for business versus creative time? What hours work best around other obligations you might have or when your family is most demanding of your time? Determine a schedule from this and then stick to it. Consider getting software you can use to clock in and to both track your time and give you that feeling of being “on the clock”.

Then tell all your friends and family what your work hours are and be firm about not being available during those hours. Posting signs that say “Do not disturb” or “Working” will signal to the household to leave you be. Don’t take phone calls from friends during that time either. Your working hours are for work only, just as it would be if you worked for someone else.

Often the hardest part for our significant others to understand is the necessity for solitary time as wanting time to yourself can feel like a form of rejection to others. Take time to describe to your family and close friends what being in the zone means and how interruptions will just slow down your creative process. To keep those in your home from being tempted to stop and talk to you, work in a separate room or erect a barrier if you must work in an open room. If home is just too disruptive, take your work elsewhere, such as a library or coffeehouse if you can transport your work on a laptop. If you are an artisan, look into co-op studios where you can get time away from the distractions of home and be surrounded by a supportive community of other artists.

The bottom line is, if you are going to try and make a living off your creative work, you need to schedule it like a job and get everyone close to you to understand it has the same kind of restrictions and priorities as their work.

But you can keep the fact that doing what you love doesn’t feel like work, all to yourself.

Working for yourself often means you work a pretty crazy schedule. There is always a list (usually a very long one!) of things you feel you personally must get done to keep your business/career going and growing and it can take up all your time. But never lose track of why you are doing this … to live a life by your own terms, one that you enjoy. Don’t let it become the ‘job’ that takes over your life so your life is your work and there is no living outside of it.

Taking time out is one of the hardest things for me, a consummate workaholic, to do. Which makes it all the more necessary that I have a plan for not working as well as for work.

I have a couple of rules, some which you may find apply to you but most likely you will need to devise your own to fit what you need out of your life. The important thing is to have a plan, schedule it like any other appointment, and keep it. It’s necessary for your sanity, your energy level, your creativity, and your relationships.

My Rule #1 is that I take time out at least three nights a week to spend time with my significant other doing nothing in particular—just being focused on us is what is important.

My Rule #2 is that one day a week, I don’t have any work scheduled. I often end up working a bit here and there—catching up on correspondence over morning coffee or networking but just to chat. The key thing is, I don’t make a work list and I give myself no work obligations. This is commonly Sunday because it’s usually the one day clients won’t write or call. Usually. I try to get together with friends on this day.

My Rule #3 is that at least once every three  months, I get out of town. Strangely enough I am very good at not working while on vacation. I don’t know why but it’s the reason I require that I get out of town—I know I will just relax and forget about all I have waiting for me because there is nothing I can do away from the office and studio. It gives me time to recharge and the experience boosts my creativity.

What are your rules for keeping your life balanced?

If you don’t have any specific rules, make some. They can be guidelines like mine above or work hours that you diligently adhere to. It doesn’t matter. As long as you take time out for you and for the ones closest to you. And that you go experience life.