With feminism in the zeitgeist, brands want to be part of the buzz. As a result, briefs targeting women are trending toward an ask for an “empowerment” message. A noble intent, one would think, but as a female creative who is often called on to answer these briefs, I’m left feeling more icky than empowered.
Read MoreWNW Member Andy Ferguson, Steve O’Reilly (co-creator), Elisabeth Ness (lead actor), Benny Elledge (lead actor)
How to Make Your Film on a Budget And Get it into Festivals
Last month, my first short film Going Public screened at the SoHo International Film Festival. It was the culmination of a year-long process for myself and my friend/co-creator, Steve O’Reilly, that saw the project move through a variety of iterations before finally settling in as the short film that it ultimately became.
Read MoreIllustration by WNW Member Zoe Kessler
Notorious B.I.G. Lyrics That Offer Sage Advice for Freelancers
Get a professional to manage the finances. A good accountant will explain how to register an S Corp or choose between a 1099 and W2. Even better, he or she will find ways to save you money. Had Biggie used his cell to talk about a record deal, that $2,000 phone bill coulda been a tax deduction.
Read MoreA Complete Guide to Not Having a Daily Routine
Annie Dillard once said, ‘a schedule defends from chaos and whim. It is a net for catching days. It is a scaffolding on which a worker can stand and labour with both hands at sections of time.’
Read MoreWatching Not Watching: Twin Peaks with Artist Summer Ortiz
Watching Not Watching is a recurring Free Range series where we invite a WNW Member to nerd out with us over a particular TV show that fuels their creativity. It's essentially a way for us to experience a taste of the water-cooler conversations that the freelancing portion of our community might be missing out on.
Read MoreHow to Channel Your Social Channels into Client Work You Want
Social media is as important to your portfolio as anything else. Whichever platform you engage with, it’s where agencies and recruiters go to find out what you're up to and who you know, even before they look at your work.
Read MoreThe Freelancer's Guide to Being a Genius at Saving
So you’re self-employed. Congratulations! Now you can go to the gym at 3:30 p.m., when no one’s there. Braise a pork shoulder on Tuesday afternoon and actually make it to your kid’s performance of “Third Graders Sing the Lady Gaga Songbook.” (You can also nap. Not that you'd ever do that.) As long as you can fight off the specter of loneliness by talking to the cat all day, there are many benefits to the gig economy.
Read MoreGIF by WNW Member Joseph Alessio
What We As Creatives Can Do Now
This is not normal. We are in uncharted territory, and we need to fight.
We can and should march, protest, preach, call our representatives, stand up for what’s right, create meaningful words and images and experiences, hug our loved ones, look out for our non-loved ones, and probably make sure we have plenty of extra water and food and an emergency plan. That goes for everyone. But there are a few things those of us who are part of this particular creative community can do.
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6 Ways Agencies Can Get the Most Out of Freelancers
I recently wrote up 7 Tips for the Advertising Freelancer. But how about the agencies that employ them?
Pulling in specialized talent when needed has long been a hallmark of agency life. But the trend seems to be on the rise with more and more project work (versus Agency-of-Record assignments) and a new breed of “lean by design” agencies.
Read MoreIllustration by WNW Member Laura Breiling
9 Tips to Make Working From Home Work For You
As any freelancer knows, working from home is something of a double-edged sword. On the one side, it’s a glorious vista of freedom, time set aside for side projects, healthy lunches and productivity; on the other, it’s a murky pit of procrastination, loneliness, and a fear of having monumentally cocked something up, with no one to reassure you.
Read MoreHow the Artist Visiting Our Startup Office Change My Life
What began with an email and cute Instagram illustrations turned into a collaboration that’s still going strong today. Jason visited our offices at the end of April this year (2016) to create art and work with our team on creative projects. An added bonus was that we had time to really get to know one another. Hearing Jason speak about his life, his career trajectory, and his impressions of Berlin had a profound personal impact on me.
Read More7 Tips for the Advertising Freelancer
If you work at a big agency, it seems like once a week that somebody sends out an email about farewell drinks and plans to join the freelance army.
There are lots of reasons for the explosion of advertising freelancers in recent years. From an agency perspective, more project work versus AOR assignments means that agencies are less likely to take on permanent staff. From the freelancer side, many people like the freedom and flexibility that freelancing provides. The money is pretty good too.
Read MoreIf You Let Us Write Above Sports
Do you remember that great Nike ad that started with “If you let me play sports?” by Janet Champ and Rachel Nelson? The one that talked about how a girl will be less likely to get into all sorts of trouble, and more likely to have all kinds of confidence, if you let her play sports?
Read MoreThe Little Assignment That Could
While in conversation with an art director, I listened to her detail the incessant drudgery of a recent workday. In the morning, she had to attack two 90-second TV commercial briefs. After that, she kicked off a global branding campaign for the agency’s most prized account. She also had to start designing new logos for one of the biggest companies in the world. On top of all this, there’s an upcoming film shoot in Fiji that she hasn’t even packed for yet.
Read MoreIllustration by WNW Member #2045 Nathan Hinz
The Only Thing You Have to Fear is the Freelance Fear Itself
After years of saying you’d do it, you finally did. You went freelance. You’ve been working at your first gig for a few months now and it seems pretty amazing. You love everything about freelance. If you work extra hours, you get paid more. What a novel concept!
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