A Freelancer's Tale - Knowledge and the Beginning

Blogging is a necessity for businesses these days. It is basically another fishing line cast in the vast sea called the internet. It's purpose is to hopefully snag somebody and turn them into a customer. There are hundreds of topics to blog about. I am going to start a special blog focused around my journey as a freelance graphic designer. It will be basically shorts on my findings, learning and other things that I want to share with you. Here is the first instalment of 'A Freelancer's Tale.'

Knowledge and the Beginning

Since my venture into being an entrepreneur, I had to learn many, many things. Such as marketing, advertising, workflow, networking, taxes, financial planning, just to name a few. I gorged myself on information from all over the internet reading blogs, how-tos, tutorials and case studies to prepare myself for the journey ahead.

Being on your own, there is no one to look after you. It is pretty much, me, myself and I (and the cat). It was a bit of a scary thought. Being employed by a company is almost like being placed in a nursery. The taxes, health care, equipment, work and other things were all taken care of. All you had to do was show up on time do your work and avoid getting into trouble. But working for yourself, you become accountable for everything.

As I began to stuff my brain full of knowledge, and putting it into practice... I noticed something.
It is that things were not as difficult as it seems, and I began to surprise myself when I began to see how it all works. Like when Neo could see the wireframe in The Matrix.

As the days went by since day one, I forced myself to leave the comfort zone and explore the vast and uncomfortable zones that I never did dare to venture. And it turns out that I actually became quite comfortable in these zones after some time. Thus I kept growing bolder and began to seek out these uncomfortable zones and turning them into familiar territory.

I guess the main points that I learned is that, to always keep learning and improving. Be brave and venture into uncomfortable territory. The internet has all the answers to your problems if you seek it out. Keep improving your skill set, you may find some hidden talents.

Charity Work

I had an opportunity to help out Costco in conjunction with the Children's Miracle Network and The Children's Hospital recently. It was for the 'Miracle Month of May' Event. 

It is where customers can donate (x) amount of money and get their name printed on a balloon and hung onto the wall. The donations will then go towards the charities to help buy machinery and other needed items.

This is the first time I have helped out a charity, and to be honest it is a pretty rewarding feeling. All those years of schooling and years honing my skill now have the indirect chance to heal the wounded and perhaps save some lives. 

I guess the point of this blog is to do what you do best and enrich the lives of others in the process. In the pursuit of almighty dollar in business, there is an aspect of giving that is sometimes overlooked. 

So please, I encourage you to stop by Costco South location in Calgary during this month and make a donation. Those few dollars could really make a huge difference.

:)

Branding Management for Artists

The life of a professional musician is a lot like running a business. There is a wide spectrum of skills and knowledge that come into play. Aside from writing songs, one must learn, financial management, marketing, social media management, web design, branding management and a whole slew of other skills to become successful.

For those that know me personally, I have been making music professionally since 2005. I have been involved with 5 different projects and have helped produced some bands in town. Over the 8 year span
I have seen a lot of bands come and go and seen how many bands manage themselves.

What I now offer for my fellow musicians is 'Branding Management for Artists.'

To sum this up in a nutshell, is that I will be the unofficial behind the scenes member. I will take care of all the branding and everything else needed for the artist to look awesome. This includes logos, promo pictures, retouching photos, social media management, website creation and management, some digital marketing, merchandise creation, print management/ consultation and a whole lot more.

I say let the bands concentrate on writing the best music they possibly can, and let me handle their image/identity. For the time spent trying to learn Photoshop, they could have spent practicing their craft.

Musicians generally do no make very much money as it is, however though I support them entirely.
Thus I have special rates for artists. If you are in a band or know of bands needing help. Please let them know about this service. I would like to talk to them on how to enhance their image.

These days, music is only part of the equation. The other half is image. Look good, make great music, persevere until you reach that big stage.

:)