The Born Freelancer on More Essential Traits for 2015
This series of posts by the Born Freelancer shares personal experiences and thoughts on issues relevant to freelancers. Have something to add to the conversation? Your input is welcome in the comments.
A Happy and Healthy New Year to you!
To begin 2015, I thought I would conclude my previous post with a few more essential characteristics for successful freelancing. These are traits that I would posit most freelancers should possess or work towards developing in order to become more successful. Again, I list them in no particular order.
LOYALTY
This may seem jarringly out of place in the cold, cruel world of 2015 but it still has an important place on my list.
In the old days, loyalty was probably to an employee-friendly company or organization. Do they even exist anymore? Today it is all about loyalty to individuals. If an editor knows a freelancer can deliver well and on time, they will probably offer more work after they move to another company. And in turn, a freelancer must sometimes take a chance on editors or producers. If I’ve worked with an editor who I know is a good person I am much more likely to take a chance on any new endeavours with which they are now associated.
Job definitions and boundaries are so much more fluid today. Even fellow freelancers know that they may be giving you work one day and asking you for work the next. So personal loyalty amongst your peers is also paramount. Finally, I would posit loyalty to yourself is also important. Freelancing is an obstacle course that can make you question your own abilities and intentions and basic common sense. Always be loyal to yourself, to your passions and to your dreams. If you aren’t, how can you expect anyone else to be?
LOVE OF SOLITUDE
A freelancer’s report from CBC’s The Doc Project
by Willow Yamauchi
A screenshot from the ASL version of Willow Yamauchi’s documentary Deaf Jam.
For the last four years, I’ve been a CBC freelancer. Being a self-taught journalist worked up to a point, because storytelling is innate. But there’s more to the work than that.
I had been pitching and producing for a while, but was mostly limited to short and simple stories. Long-form docs, with multiple tracks, layers of sound effects, and music, were beyond me.
I also struggled with voicing. Turns out, I didn’t know how to read a script. Improvising into a mic came out sounding natural enough, but with words in front of my eyes: Robocop.
I needed to up my game.
Last September, the CBC posted a new initiative on Facebook. The Doc Project would support radio development by pairing emerging freelancers with established producers in a mentor/mentee relationship – exactly what I needed.
I had been kicking around an idea about deaf musicians. I’m half deaf myself, or profoundly unilaterally deaf, if you want to get technical.
Years ago, I was in a band. After a terrible gaffe on stage where I wound up out of sync with the other musicians, I quit, suspecting that my hearing was to blame.
But I also kept hearing (unilaterally) these stories about deaf musicians. Actual, fully-deaf-not-hard-of-hearing-like-me deaf people, playing music. Professionally.
Off The Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Jan 6-11
Once a week, we gather stories about the media business, journalism, writing, publishing, and freelancing—with a Canadian focus—and share them in Off the Wire. Who needs a water cooler?
From Canada:
- On the declining prospects of the young journalist [National Post]
- Federal government hired just 22 of 961 unpaid interns since 2008 [Toronto Star]
- Memo: Toronto Star to hire 60 staff for new tablet edition [J-Source]
- Jesse Brown punctures Canada’s media bubble [CJR]
- Jo-Ann Roberts quit CBC to fight from the outside [Victoria Times-Colonist]
From The U.S. and beyond:
- Intellectual Property Rights for Freelancers [Freelancers Union]
- Introducing Our Freelance Rates Database [Contently]
- What 14 Great Writers Taught One Journalism Class [Nieman Storyboard]
- How Often Should I Negotiate My Rates? [The Freelancer]
- How’d you do this year? 6 tips for evaluating your freelance business [Freelancers Union]
- Travel Writing: Captivate Your Readers and Bring Your Stories to Life [The Write Life]
- 5 Smart Freelancer Moves to Begin 2015 [The Freelancer]
- As Legacy News Outlets Retreat, Who Will Be There to Report on the World? [Nieman Reports]
- The importance of protecting freelancers [CJR]
- The virtues of Vice: how punk magazine was transformed into media giant [The Guardian]
Last week on Story Board:
- Good news from the magazine industry: business media’s thriving: Good news about the publishing industry is rare these days. So when Don Genova heard some, he came straight to Story Board to share it with his freelance colleagues…
- Freelance Media Mixer in Ottawa on January 14th: Ottawa freelancers, there’s a CMG Freelance Media Mixer coming up in your town next week. It’s scheduled for Wednesday, January 14th from 5 to 8 p.m. at 73 North…
- Join The ‘Lancer email list for a chance to win a Samsung tablet: Got freelancer questions, problems, advice or information to share? Have tips on gigs or potential collaboration? Looking for some freelancer conversation or camaraderie? Through the ‘Lancer, we can help…
Spot a story you think we should include in next week’s Off the Wire? Email the link to editor@thestoryboard.ca or tweet us at @storyboard_ca.
Good news from the magazine industry: business media’s thriving
by Rachel Sanders
Good news about the publishing industry is rare these days. So when Don Genova heard some, he came straight to Story Board to share it with his freelance colleagues.
Genova, a freelance food and travel writer and president of the Canadian Media Guild’s Freelance Branch, had run into an old friend – an editor he used to work for – in an airport. This editor had become the publisher of a small niche trade magazine and was on the verge of starting up another one.
“How are things going?” Genova asked his friend, bracing for the kind of gloomy report that’s standard in publishing lately.
But gloomy news didn’t come.
“He said trade magazines don’t seem to be suffering at all, in fact they’re doing quite well,” Genova told me in an email later that day.
“So…why are the trades making it and should more writers be targeting their pitches there?” he asked.
Read the rest of this post »
Freelance Media Mixer in Ottawa January 14th
Ottawa freelancers, there’s a CMG Freelance Media Mixer coming up in your town next week. It’s scheduled for Wednesday, January 14th from 5 to 8 p.m. at 73 North (at 73 Sparks St.).
The event is part of the CMG’s ongoing series of mixers and information sessions for freelancers and emerging workers in media, communications, tech, and creative industries. Topics of discussion will include industry trends, unpaid internships, negotiating fees and diversity in media.
Freelancers, students and interested members of the public are invited to attend the mixer, which will include guest speakers such as John Lehmann, president of the News Photographers Association of Canada. The event will also offer an opportunity for informal conversation and networking.
Refreshments will be served and the event is free to attend. RSVP to reserve your spot on this Eventbrite page.
Join The ‘Lancer email list for a chance to win a Samsung tablet!
Got freelancer questions, problems, advice or information to share? Have tips on gigs or potential collaboration? Looking for some freelancer conversation or camaraderie?
Through The ‘Lancer, we can help… each other.
CMG Freelance has launched a members-only email list where you can connect with other freelancers for mutual support. It will also be a place for more timely communications from the union on some of our latest freelancer resources and events.
We call it The ‘Lancer, because we’re trying to take the “free”(as in “free labour”) out of “freelancer.”
To get things going, we’re holding a sign-up contest. If you register to join The ‘Lancer between now and January 30th 2015 and send an email to the list introducing yourself, you’ll be entered into a prize draw for a Samsung Galaxy Tab 4.
Come and be part of a group of like-minded colleagues who can help you navigate the ups and downs of freelance life. We’re looking forward to meeting you!
Click here to sign up for The ‘Lancer. You’ll need your membership number to sign up. If you haven’t yet received your membership card, or if you have any questions about your membership, you can contact CMG Freelance organizer datejie green at Datejie@cmg.ca.
Once you’re registered, don’t forget to send that self-introductory email to be entered into the prize draw.
For more information about the cost and the benefits of CMG Freelance membership, click here.
Off The Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Dec 29-Jan 5
Once a week, we gather stories about the media business, journalism, writing, publishing, and freelancing—with a Canadian focus—and share them in Off the Wire. Who needs a water cooler?
From the U.S. and beyond:
- How to be good at everything: tips from renaissance freelancers [Freelancers Union]
- What did you learn in your first year of freelancing [Freelancers Union]
- Conde Nast to pay $5.85 million to settle intern pay dispute [Circa]
- AP’s year of freaking out language geeks [Poynter]
- New Year’s Resolutions for Writers: 5 Goals to Amp Up Your Writing This Year [The Write Life]
- 6 Myths About Freelancing [Freelancer’s Union]
- Write Better and Faster: 6 Smart Ways to Increase Productivity and Creativity [The Write Life]
- Freelance Writing Rates: 5 Resources for Figuring Out How Much to Charge [The Write Life]
Last week on Story Board:
- The Born Freelancer’s Resolutions on Essential Traits: For this post I thought I would combine two ideas that seem timely. First, my list of the essential qualities or characteristics I believe every freelancer should possess to insure maximum success…
Spot a story you think we should include in next week’s Off the Wire? Email the link to editor@thestoryboard.ca or tweet us at @storyboard_ca.
The Born Freelancer’s Resolutions on Essential Traits in 2015
This series of posts by the Born Freelancer shares personal experiences and thoughts on issues relevant to freelancers. Have something to add to the conversation? Your input is welcome in the comments.
For this post I thought I would combine two ideas that seem timely. First, my list of the essential qualities or characteristics I believe every freelancer should possess to insure maximum success. Secondly, my related New Year’s resolutions – which will reflect on my own traits on that list. I’ll reference my resolutions in order to show that all of us (even me!) need to constantly guard against complacency; that all of us (especially me!) still have lessons to learn every year; and that you are not alone if you feel you need to work on any of these traits. (By reading this post I confer upon you honorary membership in the club!) I list them in no particular order.
Persistence
Can there be a more invaluable quality for a freelancer? One of my failings is my need for greater persistence. I usually give something my best shot first time out and if that doesn’t work I have two or three back up shots, not quite as good as the first but good enough. If they don’t fly I get restless and generally move on. And yet I know I should persist in many cases because with each successive pitch I have usually got closer and closer to the goal line (to mix sports metaphors). I know some writers who are almost indefatigable machines when it comes to their persistence and the volume of their sold work reflects this clearly. I admire their obsessive single-mindedness. So come the new year I will try to be more consistently persistent in following up on those goals I have in mind.
Independence
I think most of us have chosen the freelance life in part because of our life long aversion to office life, to fixed and externally designated routines and to being beholden to one employer who in turn has the figurative power of life and death. Of course, this characteristic of independence can manifest itself all the way up to, say, being a foreign correspondent, living by your wits in the most inhospitable of regions of the world; or all the way down to less glamorous forms of freelancing in very hospitable parts of the world. I am comfortable with living the latter and in the new year will do my best to remember to enjoy it even more.
Off The Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Dec 16-22
Once a week, we gather stories about the media business, journalism, writing, publishing, and freelancing—with a Canadian focus—and share them in Off the Wire. Who needs a water cooler?
From Canada:
- J-Source’s top 10 journalism stories of 2014 [J-Source]
- Glacier and Black Press newspaper deal reduces competition in Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley [Georgia Straight]
- Glacier, Black Press swap community newspapers [J-Source]
- Descant to cease publication after winter issue [Masthead]
From the U.S. and beyond:
- 8 ways to make the holidays less stressful [Freelancers Union]
- 4 Questions to Ask When Drafting Freelance Contracts [The Freelancer]
- Why You Need an Ultimate Archive of Your Work [The Freelancer]
- A new generation of correspondents hustles for work with the help of the web [Nieman Reports]
- How freelancers should create LinkedIn profiles [Forbes]
- Setting Your Own Corporate Milestone [Freelancers Union]
- Ask A Freelancer: What If an Editor Never Publishes My Article? [The Freelancer]
- 23 gifts for writers [The Write Life]
- A freelancers’ gift guide [Freelancers Union]
- 5 Audio Tools That Will Help You Avoid Distractions While Working [The Freelancer]
- Predictions for Journalism in 2015 [Nieman Lab]
- How Unlocking Your Inner Teenager Can Help You Overcome Writer’s Block [The Freelancer]
Last week on Story Board:
- The holiday season, freelancer style: Whether you’ve got too much work to do during this busy month or not enough work coming in during the most expensive time of year, the holiday season can be a tough time for freelancers…
Spot a story you think we should include in next week’s Off the Wire? Email the link to editor@thestoryboard.ca or tweet us at @storyboard_ca.
The holiday season, freelancer-style
Whether you’ve got too much work to do during this busy month or not enough work coming in during the most expensive time of year, the holiday season can be a tough time for freelancers. There’s been lots of advice on Twitter this month for freelancers wondering how to survive the next couple of weeks. Here’s a handy round-up of some of the best:
• PWAC Toronto says you should spend your holiday downtime cleaning your office, reaching out to past clients and setting goals for 2015.
• Contently suggests that you use the slow Christmas and New Years period to, yes, clean your office, visit the dentist and work on dream projects.
• This post from Fast Company says you’re better off spending this slow period getting serious about LinkedIn and setting concrete career goals.
• The Write Life advises freelancers to spend the second half of December getting all the stuff organized: client information, accounting, websites, email inboxes and social media profiles. Oh, and the fun part: setting up some coffee dates with fellow freelancers for early in January.
• On the lighter side, this post from Creative Live lists all of the positive aspects of being a freelancer over the holidays: you can shop during off-peak hours, you can work from airport lounges, and you’re always home to sign for package deliveries.
• And from Story Board’s archives, here’s a post by The Born Freelancer with advice on how to cope if you’ve got too much or too little work to do over the next couple of weeks.
How do you cope during the holidays? What do you think is the best way to occupy yourself during a work lull? Let us know in the comments below or come and join us on Facebook for some freelancer holiday camaraderie.
Cheers and happy holidays from Story Board!
