DRINKING NOT DRINKING: PDX

While WNW is known for connecting creatives and companies, we also have a reputation for showing our community a good time. We sent a small budget to a few PDX members with the task of throwing a kick ass meetup on our behalf. With WNW Member #5622 Benji Brucker taking the lead, members #3283 Bernadette Spear, #1316 Meg Hunt, #1935 Aaron Rayburn, #4040 Katie Reardon, and #2257 Kate Bingaman-Burt banded together, using the WNW platform and network to rally their peers and give exposure to the PDX creative scene.

In Benji's words, "The crowd was fantastic, prompt and thirsty! An hour into the event 50+ WNW party affiliates were well on their way to not working for the weekend and possibly not even getting off the couch. Aalto Lounge was a perfect backdrop for personal passion project postulating, catch-up chat, and general tomfoolery, all of which were observed in full force."

One of the things we pride ourselves on here at WNW is making networking as seamless as possible. WNW Member #4288 Ben Sellon volunteered to be the night's photographer and couldn't help but notice how organically everyone networked... and how good looking they all were: "The night was really great -- good turn out and REALLY good people. You know that feeling when everyone is talking about all the cool shit they're making, but nobody is salesy or networky about it, and everyone just wants to go and do everything with everyone? It was one of those. Teamwork forever!"

Katie Reardon agreed that building a community is crucial to becoming a freelancer: "I'm new to the freelance game and am finding fellow freelancers to be the best support crew ever. All of us here in Portland are so helpful with each other's project hunts and weird tax questions and agency tips. This party was a nice celebration of that (and an excuse for us all to smile a lot and take awkward photos)."

And Aaron Rayburn summed up the evening's success bluntly: "Considering the free drinks, it's amazing we are all still alive."

Teamwork forever, indeed.

All good looking people as captured by WNW Member #4288 Ben Sellon:

To see the complete album of PDX debauchery, check out the WNW Facebook page.

Want to host your own DND? Email us!

MEET #1316 MEG HUNT

Illustrator • Portland, Oregon

WNW Member #1316 Meg Hunt creates charming character-based illustrations and lush lettering and patterns for clients that include Dreamworks, Cartoon Network, Adobe Creative Cloud, and Disney, among many others. Meg spoke to WNW about nearing ten years freelancing, and also offered some words of advice to fellow freelancers: "Reach out. Everyone you admire is probably charmingly neurotic too."

Follow Meg on WNW

1. How long have you been freelancing?

This is actually going to be my tenth year freelancing! Pretty crazy to think about.

2. Is there a time or place that you feel most creative/have the best ideas?

I often feel like I come up with the best ideas when I'm out and about-- whether walking around my neighborhood, travelling long and far, or just riding the bus. My brain makes connections I wouldn't ordinarily come up with. As for time of day: as I get older I seem to have the most momentum if I start early (which means that I still often wind up working late into the night!) -- if I wait til the afternoon, not much gets done. I'm trying to balance by reading and researching more in the evenings, and getting productive work started in the mornings.

3. What's your ideal Working:Not Working ratio?

Ha, this is a little tough to say. The rational part of me would love to not work every other month so I could tackle dedicated personal projects, travel and build new research/inspirations. But I get antsy when I don't have work in the horizon, and I guess personal projects are work too. I like work! If I can get a few moments a week to reflect, learn and relax, I'm happy.

4. Do your parents understand what you do?

Yes, they were always really supportive; I always had a strong work ethic so they felt comfortable with me pursuing art as a career. My mom often shares projects I worked on with her fellow nurses, which is pretty cute.

5. What scene from a movie makes you laugh just thinking about it?

There are a lot, but one movie that consistently gets me is Young Frankenstein-- especially the scene when Igor reveals the brain put in the monster belongs to... "Abby Someone.... Abby Normal.' So good.

6. If you were stranded on a desert island, with your computer, what 3 websites would you take with you?

That seems kind of sad to me to be deserted on a island with only a computer and the internet. At that point I might just become a luddite :) Could I only access the 3 sites and that's it? I would probably say Metafilter (or Ask Metafilter if I couldn't access outside sites), the Library of Congress archives, and maybe Instagram.

7. What do you do when Not Working?

I like to cook, go for hikes, read, cuddle my tiny dog, hang out with friends, listen to music/podcasts/comedy, and learn new things. I also love traveling, but that's something I have sadly not done a ton of (yet!)

8. Do you have a hidden talent?

I can pick up things with my toes pretty well.

9. Any tips or advice for fellow freelancers?

Obvious bits: don't rush. This is not a sprint, it's a marathon. Things are gonna get slow, and work is gonna be frustrating sometimes. But look on the other side of things; maybe learn a new skill, dig a little deeper into what makes you interested in the world. Reach out- everyone you admire is probably charmingly neurotic too, and is pretty nice. Make friends and allies to keep yourself honest. Work hard, stay curious, look away from your screens more, stretch, keep learning and stay humble.

10. What's your favorite thing on the internet this week?

I googled baby rhinos just a bit ago; that was pretty great. Then again this has won the award for being stuck in my head for like a month and a half.