The Business of Being Creative

I was planning on writing about the 2009 Creative Freelancer Conference, but I can’t seem to separate my 2009 experience from what I learned in 2008. So many of 2009’s ideas are still percolating in my head, whereas the lessons learned in 2008 have already been turned into measurable actions.

Last year, the conference (a.k.a. CFC08) completely changed the way I ran my business. More accurately, it reminded me that even though I’m just one person, I am a business.

Unlike most conferences that are filled with sessions on how to improve yourself creatively, this conference exists to improve yourself professionally. Within a month after CFC08, I changed nearly everything.

• I had the courage to fire a nightmare client. This was the kind of client who could never be pleased, and yet it didn’t stop me from trying. The conference was a wake-up call, reminding me that these kinds of clients not only cause you to lose sleep, they also suck all the joy out of a job that you otherwise love to do. The sense of relief and wellbeing that I felt afterward is indescribable.
• I consulted with an attorney to create a new contract and project proposal template.
• I developed my own brand and tagline. Thanks to Dyana Valentine’s seminar, I went from a rambling explanation of what I do and consolidated it into, “I clarify complex ideas for healthcare and high tech clients.”
• I overhauled my marketing materials and website with one consistent look, feel and voice. From logo to tagline to content, everything works together.
• I completely changed my pricing structure. I am forever indebted to Peleg Top for convincing me that I didn’t have to work for bargain-basement rates.

A year later, I was backsliding into some bad habits and, frankly, due for another kick in the butt. CFC09 would have been worth it if only for the tips that I gathered at the tax seminar by June Walker, but it also gave me some excellent reminders about work/life balance, great tips on effective presentation styles, insights into how to most effectively use social media from Colleen Wainwright (the Communicatrix), and some great reminders from Todd Henry (Accidental Creative) about how to stay fresh and maintain creativity. If you’re even remotely creative and haven’t read the Accidental Creative Manifesto, you’re missing out.

I’m already putting some of the ideas from CFC09 into motion, overhauling my website yet again and reconsidering my social media strategy. Hopefully I’ll have something new to show the world by the end of September.

Being a freelancer is a solitary existence, but spending time with like-minded creative types quickly reminds you that you’re not alone. I honestly can’t think of any single resource that’s had more of an influence on my business than the Creative Freelancer Conference.