This week for my column on Studio Sweet Studio, I decided to be gutsy. Everyone wants to know about pricing as a freelance creative, but not a lot of people talk about it. It all seems pretty hush hush. I took this as an opportunity to talk freely and honestly about my thoughts about pricing. I’ve always said I’m an open book, so let’s do this. Please please please share your thoughts about this one guys : this is the perfect time to start up a discussion between all of us! Here is a snippet from the article:

“Not many people talk freely about pricing out freelance work. It’s this scary and unknown place, but honestly, everyone wants to know. I plan on covering a variety of topics regarding money over the next few weeks, so definitely check back for more! Before I sart, let’s get real : pricing is 100% different for everyone. No two people are alike. Creatives have different work ethics, skill sets, and experience … all of which need to be taken into account. It is my goal to give you a general sense of how to approach things.”

→ READ THE REST HERE.

My latest post for Be Free, Lance on Studio Sweet Studio went up yesterday. It’s about one of my FAVORITE parts of the design process … moodboards!! Here’s a little snippet :

“One of the most crucial parts of my process as a freelance designer has always been creating moodboards for my clients. It serves as an important visual communication tool between us and is often what I use as my final stamp of approval before designing even begins. The goal? To make sure everyone is on the same page. Now, moodboards aren’t just about putting images together in a pretty way. It’s actually a larger process that I’ve shaped over time to the needs of myself + my clients. It goes a little something like this :

First things first, I always like to open communication right away with my clients. We talk pretty generally about a project in the beginning. A brief dialogue about design aesthetics and project guidelines are covered in this part so everyone knows what’s expected of each other. Once I have a firm grasp on the project, I take time to develop a questionnaire for my clients to answer via google docs. If you haven’t heard about this, it’s basically an online version of microsoft office. I like to create a document that my client and I can share and fill out as time goes on. It’s a great way to collect important information and archive it for later. Plus, you don’t have to send files back and forth. It’s all automatically saved for everyone! You’re probably thinking to yourself … what’s up with all this google doc talk and why aren’t we talking about moodboards?? Well, I actually use all collected information from clients to develop moodboards, so it’s definitely relavent + important.”

→ Continue reading at Studio Sweet Studio!!

Yesterday, my newest post for BE FREE, LANCE went up over on Studio Sweet Studio. This week’s topic was all about where to work when freelancing. And as of the right now, I have only worked in the same room that I sleep in. Yup, my bedroom pairs as my office. Luckily, I do have a fairly large room that suits me just fine … but I know it can’t last forever. One of the things I talk about in my article was separating work from personal life, which in my case is definitely hard when you share those activities in the same space. I’m planning on moving downtown Minneapolis late this summer and one of my goals is to have my own office, even if it’s small. I need an inspirational studio space that is for work only. Enough is enough!

To see all my pros, cons, and thoughts about where to work, read the full article here.

My newest post for my column over on Studio Sweet Studio is up!! It’s all about having the itch to freelance and taking those first few steps. I wanted to be completely honest this week with how scary freelancing can be. Believe me, it’s rewarding – but I’m not going to sugar coat the hard work that’s needed!

Thanks so much for all the sweet emails I’ve been getting about “Be Free, Lance” … all of your questions so far have been noted and I can’t wait to keep on writing. Click here to read this week’s topic. Enjoy!

I’m beyond excited to share with you all my good news!! I’ve been in talks with the lovely girls from Studio Sweet Studio for a few months now about their new blogging format. They decided to gather a group of contributors to have their own “programmes” a couple times a month. I decided to come up with a topic that I’m surrounded by on a daily basis: freelancing. It’s been such a roller coaster ride and I couldn’t think of a better place to share my experiences and thoughts!

With that said, you can find me on SSS every other week dishing about anything and everything freelance. For my first week, I gave a pretty broad background about myself and how I got to where I am. Head on over to read the rest! Enjoy.