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“Finished, Not Perfect” by Jake Parker (Creator of Inktober and so much more.)

Illustrations of people who wanted free work.

Debbie Millman:  The Top 10 Things I Wish I Knew When I Graduated College:

http://vimeo.com/22746156

http://creativemornings.tumblr.com/post/44387843103/the-top-10-things-i-wish-i-knew-when-i-graduated

JO Applegate: Unsolicited Advice from a Professional Amateur:

http://bouncex3.tumblr.com/tagged/Bx3-Drawing-Journal

Noah Bradley: How to Become a Successful Freelance Artist

http://www.artsyshark.com/2013/04/19/successful-freelance-artist/

Jason Brubaker: Rejection and Why Everyone Needs It

http://www.remindblog.com/2013/05/01/rejection-everyone-needs-it/

Graphic Artists Guild: Handbook for Pricing and Ethical Guidelines

https://www.graphicartistsguild.org/handbook

Jessica Hische: The Dark Art of Pricing

http://jessicahische.is/thinkingthoughtsaboutpricing

From a blog post by designers at the firm Mat Dolphin comes this excellent post on what is possible for our clients.

“Good, fast or cheap. Pick any two.

Far from an ultimatum, this simple message conveys a few important things. Our time is one of our most valuable commodities. Our creativity is one of the reasons people choose to work with us. There may be certain compromises which have to be made on both sides of the designer/client relationship. We have a number of clients who all deserve our attention and we need a reason to allow ‘queue jumping’. Much more than a witty soundbite that allows us to charge more money (because it certainly doesn’t do that), the phrase is an incredibly useful tool in explaining the value of what we’re selling.”

http://www.matdolphin.com/blog/2011/08/04/only-two/

AIGA position on Spec Work

F*@K YOU, PAY ME

Some notes from our discussion with Fifi Jacobs and Christina Hines at the One Club on Friday February 26, 2016:

On resumes:

Your “about me” section should avoid clichés like, “hard-worker,” “self-starter,” “works well with others,” and more things that everyone always puts in that spot. It was noted that if you are writing something about yourself that every other person could write, or if you are writing something that is a basic assumption of a good employee, then you should cut it. Also, think about the opposite of some of these statements, “lazy”, for instance, and the fact that no one would ever write that.

Be uniquely yourself in this section, but not for the sake of being unique or different. Stand out by being who you really are, not standing behind boring platitudes.

Be a storyteller, and tell your own story. Who are you and what do you like to do? What are you good at? What else do you do? What else are you interested in?

On Portfolios:

If you have to explain a project on your website or in your portfolio, then take it out/off. You will not always be there to explain it and it also means that it doesn’t speak for itself, which means it is not successfully communicating what it needs to.

On Networks/Networking:

Do it! Build a network, stay in touch with people. Don’t be shy or afraid of talking to people or reaching out to them. Take advantage of the built-in network of school: peers, faculty, guest speakers, tours, etc. and build on that.
Build a network of like-minded people, people you actually are interested in. This is one area where you should not “fake it til you make it”

On Tooting your own horn:

“If you’re not going to blow your own horn, who is?” –Fifi Jacobs

“You need to be an expert about yourself.” –Christina Hines

This is truly one of the best things that they talked about. You need to be able to speak confidently and clearly about yourself and your work, because no one is going to do it for you. You need to be able to know your work better than anyone else and stand behind it.